Book Description

This handsome book is at once a general survey of Chinese ceramics from the early Neolithic period to the present day and an essential reference volume for art historians and connoisseurs. Originally published by The Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1975 as an introduction to its vast collection of Chinese ceramics, the book was highly praised by experts in the field. Over the last decade, however, thanks to accelerated archaeological activity in The People's Republic of China and important archaeological discoveries made elsewhere, substantial changes have been made in Chinese ceramic chronology and attributions. At the same time, analytic studies of Chinese ceramic technology have altered many basic concepts. This edition, written in the light of such enhanced knowledge, presents a far more detailed and comprehensive picture than could have been possible only a few years ago. A wealth of new information has been reported and integrated into the book, which begins over one thousand years earlier than the first edition. Almost half of the 335 objects illustrated are new to this edition; a 32-page section of color plates adds immeasurably to the usefulness of the book. This edition uses the Pinyin system of Chinese romanization; there is an appendix giving Pinyin/Wade-Giles equivalents, with the Chinese characters, as well as a chronology, maps, a glossary, selected readings, and an index. Invaluable for scholars will be the new technical information, references to relevant Chinese archaeological journals, and an appendix giving selective archaeological and other documentary comparisons to objects in the Museum's collection that are illustrated in the book. (This title was originally published in 1998/89.)