Overview

Screen of Kings is the first book in any language to examine the cultural role of the regional aristocracy – relatives of the emperors – in Ming dynasty China (1368–1644). Through an analysis of their patronage of architecture, calligraphy, painting and other art forms, and through a study of the contents of their splendid and recently excavated tombs, this innovative study puts the aristocracy back at the heart of accounts of China’s culture, from which they have been excluded until very recently. Screen of Kings challenges much of the received wisdom about Ming China. Craig Clunas sheds new light on many familiar artworks, as well as works that have never before been reproduced. New archaeological discoveries have furnished the author with evidence of the lavish and spectacular lifestyles of these provincial princes and demonstrate how central the imperial family was to the high culture of the Ming era. Written by the leading specialist in the art and culture of the Ming period, this book illuminates a key aspect of China’s past, and will significantly alter our understanding of the Ming. It will be enjoyed by anyone with a serious interest in the history and art of this great civilization.

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9780824838522

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Reviews

Assembling a diverse range of texts, pictures and objects, not all of which are conventionally thought of as Chinese art, Clunas provides us with an enlarged vision of the visual and material world of the Ming. . . . Screen of Kings opens up the field of Ming art and culture, and points forward to more informed scholarly work and to more knowledgeable collecting. Craig Clunas writes accessibly for the intelligent non-specialist, and this is a beautifully illustrated book that can be consumed with pleasure.-- <i>Orientations</i>

Author Information

Craig Clunas is Percival David Chair of Chinese Art at SOAS, London, and the author of Superfluous Things, Fruitful Sites: Garden Culture in Ming Dynasty China, Pictures and Visuality in Early Modern China, and Art in China.

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