Subject, Object and Agent: Parsing the Syntax of Tibetan Mahasiddha Art

by Rob Linrothe, Associate Professor of Art History at Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs, New York. He was inaugural Curator of Himalayan Art at the Rubin Museum of Art between 2001 and 2004, and is the author of books, articles and museum catalogues on Indo-Tibetan Buddhist art.

An exhibition `Holy Madness: Portraits of Tantric Siddhas' on view at the Rubin Museum of Art, New York, from 11 February until 3 September 2006, features mainly portable art - more than one hundred Indian and Himalayan sculptures, paintings, books and textiles - that has been collected by American, European and Asian museums as well as private individuals. Through these portraits, the visual and conceptual roots of the image of ascetics in Indian art are explored, as are the mahasiddha images that flourished in the Himalayas. It was not possible, however, to borrow for the show some of the finest surviving works of significant scale, since they remain in situ in Tibet and the Indian Himalayas. The author uses photographic images taken during a recent visit to Central, Southern and Western Tibet to compare the art in situ with works in the exhibition and to examine the various ways in which mahasiddhas have been the subjects of artistic representation, objects of devotion and agents of enlightenment between the 14th and 16th century. His findings show that the iconologic principles are shared for both portable and immobile works and that the principal formats for mahasiddha art are large group portraits of 84, smaller sets of eight, lineage chains and individual icons.

Naropa By Namkha Zangpo, mid-15th century (later repair and repainting) Fourth level of Gyantse Kumbum, Central Tibet Painted clay

Tilopa (left) and Marpa (right) By Namkha Zangpo, mid-15th century (later repair and repainting) Fourth level of Gyantse Kumbum, Central Tibet Painted clay

by Ulrich von Schroeder, an independent scholar and author of several monumental works on Himalayan and Tibetan art.

The author's publication Empowered Masters: Tibetan Wall Paintings of Mahasiddhas in Gyantse, released in February 2006, publishes for the first time the most splendid extant painted cycle of 84 mahasiddhas in the Lamdre Lhakhang chapel in the Palkor Tsuglagkhang temple of the Palkor Chode monastery at Gyantse. To make the wall paintings better known to the public and to present the images in direct association with the fascinating life-stories of the siddhas, the author gives a sense of the rich variety of figure types the artists conceived and depicted on the walls. This type of relationship between text and image has rarely been attempted in a systemic way. The exhibition at the Rubin Museum of Art will include photographs of the paintings.

Mahasiddha Dombipa Western wall of the Lamdre Lhakhang Palkhor Tsuglagkhang, Gyantse, Southern Tibet, 1425 Wall mural Height 50 cm (approx.)

by Rob Linrothe.

With his knowledge of both Nath siddha and Tibetan Buddhist mahasiddha narratives, the author attempts to unravel the storylines of the sculptures that grace the exterior of the stone wall enclosing twin temples dedicated to Shiva and his consort, known as Shri Sailam, in Andhra Pradesh. This rich sculptural site with the narratives relating to three Hindu Nath siddhas - Caurangipa, Gorakhnath and Matsyendranath – provides lucid evidence of the intersection of siddha traditions north and south, and underscores a shared inheritance among Buddhist and Hindus.

Caurangipa meets Chitrangi 2nd panel, west side of south prakara-wall at Shri Sailam, Andhra Pradesh, early 16th century

by Kathryn H. Selig Brown, Curator at the Rubin Museum of Art in New York.

Like Hinduism, Buddhism and other religions practised in India and the Himalayan region, the Bon religion has charismatic figures who, through their mastery of esoteric meditational and ritual practices, acquired spiritual and magical powers. In Bon art, images of these figures often resemble their Hindu and Buddhist counterparts. The four images of the popular Bon deities Drenpa Namka and Tsewang Rigdzin selected by the author from the Rubin Museum of Art's collection attest to the shared language of art used to depict siddhas and siddha-types in India and the Himalayas.

Drenpa Namka Tibet, 15th century Copper alloy Height 25.4 cm Rubin Museum of Art (C2003.31.1; HAR 65183)

by Caron Smith, Deputy Director and Chief Curator of the Rubin Museum of Art.

In her discussion on the collecting objectives of the Rubin Museum of Art, the author states that the museum aims to embrace painting, sculpture, textiles, manuscripts and book covers, and ritual objects from across the Himalayan regions. Wide geographical, iconographic and temporal definition is sought, along with the desire to show developmental connections with the finest examples to be found. Recent acquisitions are discussed such as a relief sculpture of Manjuvarja from the Dakha region of Bangladesh dating to the 11th century; a Nepalese gilt-copper of Durga Mahishasuramardini and a 13th century thangka of Pagmo Drupa from the Jourdan-Barry collection; a gilt-copper image of Buddha Amitayus and other thangkas include one of Maharakta Ganapati dating to the 15th/16th century and another of Karmapa Wangchug Dorje of the 16th/17th century.

Durga Mahishasuramardini Nepal, 13th century Gilt-copper alloy Height 27.9 cm (HAR 65433)

by Roderick Whitfield, Professor Emeritus of Chinese and East Asian Art at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London.

To honour Wen Fong's 45 years of teaching, `Bridges to Heaven: A Symposium on East Asian Art in Honour of Professor Wen C. Fong' will take place at Princeton University on 1 and 2 April 2006. The author talks about how Wen Fong persuaded him to abandon his research at Cambridge and to enrol in the PhD programme at Princeton in 1959. He reminisces about being a student at Princeton and Wen Fong's influence over him and others and also discusses Wen Fong's achievements.

Wen and Constance Fong with their children Laurence, Peter and Serena, Princeton, 1984

Night-Shining White Attributed to Han Gan (act. 742-56) Handscroll, ink on paper Height 30.8 cm, width 34 cm Ex coll.: Sir Percival David Purchase, The Dillon Fund Gift, 1977 (1977.78) The Metropolitan Museum of Art

by Maxwell K. Hearn, Douglas Dillon Curator for Chinese Painting and Calligraphy at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

A detailed account of how a unique constellation of personalities and opportunities came into alignment beginning in 1971 to shape the character of both Wen Fong and The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Over three decades, a combination of dedicated individuals - curators, collectors and patrons - transformed America's preeminent art museum and created one of the world's most comprehensive presentations of Asian art, fulfilling the Metropolitan's mandate to serve as an encyclopaedic collection of world art. The author reveals how Wen Fong's persistence, patience and optimism brought about this change.

From left: Vera and Maxwell Hearn, C. C. Wang, Philippe de Montebello and Wen and Constance Fong at the opening of `The Artist as Collector: Masterpieces of Chinese Painting from the C. C. Wang Family Collection', September 1999

A Tibetan temple, the first in South America, is currently under construction at Chagdud Gonpa/Khadro Ling, a centre for lay Buddhist practitioners in southern Brazil. It was founded by the late Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche, a Tibetan lama of the Nyingma tradition, and has evolved as a repository of sacred artworks created in traditional style by contemporary artists and builders from Bhutan. Students of Chagdud Rinpoche committed themselves to fulfilling his intentions after he died in November 2002 and the final consecration of all the images is scheduled for March 2008.

`Padmasambhava Palace' at Chagdud Gonpa/Khadro Ling

Instructions to construct a new monastery and temple were revealed to Kunzang Dechen Lingpa Rinpoche, one of the last remaining visionary masters of Tibetan Buddhism, in a dream after seven years of solitary retreat, along with an exact vision of where the structure should be placed and what it should look like. Moke Mokotoff discusses how, over the past two years, a group of the finest artisans from Bhutan and Nepal have worked under Kunzang Rinpoche to achieve his goal in building a new monastery and temple called Zangdokpalri on a hilltop in Arunachal Pradesh.

Kunzang Dechen Lingpa Rinpoche

Artists from Lhasa in conversation with their London counterparts at The Sweet Tea House London, November 2005

My Identity ( nos 1-4 By Gonkar Gyatso (b. 1961), 2003 Photograph, limited edition of 50 Height 38 cm, width 51 cm (each) `From Classic to Contemporary: Visions from Tibet' Rossi & Rossi and The Sweet Tea House

Rob Linrothe taming Tibetan mastiffs in the courtyard of Gyantse monastery, Tibet, August 2005

Alexandra Munroe dancing at the feast

Rupert Waterhouse and John Eskenazi

The European Fine Art Fair (TEFAF) in Maastricht is considered one of the most important events in the art calendar. There will be a greater presence of Asian art this year from 10 to 19 March. Ben Janssens will show early Chinese bronzes, and sculpture, ceramics and works of art from the Neolithic to the Song period. Highlights include a Tang pottery image of a groom with a braided hairstyle that suggests a person of West Asian or Turkish origin; even more intriguing are its feminine facial features and the richly coloured and gilded clothing. Buddhist sculptures include a Northern Qi stele of the Buddha and a bodhisattva, and a large seated Buddha in
. Grace Wu Bruce will be showing around 25 pieces of furniture and an equal number of scholar's objects. Highlights include a large 17th century huanghuali table measuring nearly three metres with exquisite carvings of openwork coiled dragons. With its refined elegance and sense of balance, the sloping-stile cabinet is one of the most beautiful and ingenious designs in Chinese furniture. Wu Bruce has a rare pair in huanghuali - dating to the late Ming period, they are remarkable because the original ramie, clay and lacquer coating on their insides has remained almost intact.
Zen Gallery will be showing mostly Chinese sculpture including two from Shandong: a Northern Wei limestone Buddha and a Northern Qi bodhisattva. Kunstzalen Vecht are generalists who have some Chinese stoneware and porcelain. Notable among their Asian material, are an important dark-brown glazed Jizhou vase with symmetrical scrolling patterns and a stone head of the Buddha from Borobudur.
Vanderven & Vanderven will concentrate on blue-and-white export and enamel-on-biscuit porcelain of the Kangxi period. Of note is a large famille-rose figure of a mandarin-scholar dated circa 1740/50. Its exotic nature suggests that it was a curiosity, probably a special order from the West.
Some good examples of Chinese export wares can also be seen at Cohen & Cohen's stand. There is a pair of vases with covers decorated with a complicated variant of the `tobacco pattern' where each colour had to be fired separately. Cohen dates them to 1765 and suggests that the large leaves are either hibiscus or passion flower. Other Asian art dealers taking part include Blitz Oriental Art, Robert Hall, Marcel Nies, Priestley & Ferraro and Jorge Welsh.

Groom China, Tang period (618-906) Pottery Height 30 cm Ben Janssens

Dai Ichi Arts will hold two exhibitions this spring. The first, `Magical Transformation: Clay into Textile' (6-31 March), features the ceramic art of award-winning artists Asuka Tsuboi, Toshisada Wakao, Takuo Nakamura and Hosuke Kaneshige. In `Revolution in Japan: The Rise of Great Female Ceramic Artists' (6 to 30 April) Asuka Tsuboi, Shoko Koike and Yuriko Matsuda address contemporary feminist concerns in their art. Koike's bold shell-like organic forms are bursting with energy, while Matsuda's signature works include body parts, often life-size, decorated with brash, colourful flowers, Chinese characters and textile designs.
Weisbrod Chinese Art's exhibition `Inspiration and Refinement' runs through the spring and features a wide range of early ceramics, bronzes, jade, cloisonne and lacquer. A stone bodhisattva from Shandong province, and formerly in the S. and T. Tramiel collection, dates to the Eastern Wei period and still retains its gilt and paint. Anticipating continued interest in Yuan period underglaze-blue decorated ceramics, Weisbrod has included an important dish decorated with a qilin and with an impressive provenance, most recently in a Dutch collection. Making a bold statement is a Qing period jade mountain boldly carved with figures in a landscape and inscribed with a poem by the emperor Qianlong.
The highlight of E & J Frankel's exhibition during the month of March is a collection of modern Chinese ink-and-brush works developed by an American collector in the 1930s and 1940s.
Joshua Zlotkin will have an exciting selection of paintings and bronze sculpture from Tibet, and Buddhist sculpture from Gandhara, on view by appointment throughout March (tel: 1 212 367 9409).
Recent acquisitions can be seen in Throckmorton Fine Art's exhibition `Ceramic Masterworks of the Tang Dynasty' from 16 March to 15 April. Lively portrayals in clay of dancers, musicians and equestrians give an insight into life at the Tang court, and the carefully crafted horses bear testimony to how clayworking techniques advanced during this period.
Fifi White and Elizabeth Wilson of Asiatica will be showing at the Mark Hotel, from 19 March to 7 April, their new line of signature jackets and skirts created from fragments of vintage and modern Japanese fabrics which they have assembled over the past thirty years.
Koichi Yanagi's objective for his exhibition `Nagasawa Rosetsu: Eccentric Painter of the 18th Century', on view from 24 March to 20 April, was to gather together a group of paintings as a homage to one of his favourite painters. Included is a well-known pair of eight-panel screens, each boldly and fluidly painted with a lion dog (kurashishi), that has been published in Kokka, and has remained in the same family for a number of generations. His sensitive and expressive treatment of dogs, rabbits, birds, turtles and fish can be seen in a number of hanging scrolls.
China 2000 Fine Art's exhibition `Shao Yixuan and the Beijing Salon' from 24 March to 22 April traces the development of this influential but little-known artist of the early 20th century. His mastery of ancient brushwork techniques is revealed in monumental landscapes as well as small delicate insect-and-flower paintings. Many of the works bear colophons by Shao's contemporaries with whom he shared intellectual and artistic pursuits.
L'Asie Exotique's show `Takeda Ningyo: Sculpture of the Kabuki Stage', opening on 25 March, features dolls which capture the actor's pivotal moment during performances. Depicted with bold facial expressions, sometimes crossed-eyed, and extended leg and arm poses, these three-dimensional figures are dressed sumptuously and mounted on lacquered bases.
`Spring Fever' is the title of Kaikodo's spring show, on view from 25 March to 1 April. Liao and Song ceramics convey the vigour and freshness that come with a new season. An unusual gourd-shaped Liao period ewer with an incised dragon beneath the leaf-green lead-silicate glaze is noteworthy for its beauty and rarity. Among the classic Song ceramics, a bottle of expansive bulbous shape with a delectable milk-chocolate glaze, gives the impression of a bud about to burst into bloom. A Ryukuan lacquer box set with an inlaid mother-of-pearl squirrel-and-grape design is one of the non-Chinese treasures in the show that contributes to the theme of fertility and abundance. Chinese paintings range from several Song and Yuan period fan paintings to an important 19th century handscroll that documents the quelling of a rebellion against Qing rule. The twelve Japanese paintings include a lovely combination of calligraphy and painting by Goshun and a striking landscape by Unsen.

Ewer China, Liao period (907-1125) Pottery with green glaze Height 29.2 cm `Spring Fever' Kaikodo

Eskenazi's exhibition `A Selection of Early Chinese Bronzes' at PaceWildenstein from 27 March to 8 April comprises eight important works acquired over the last eight years and dating from the Shang to the Tang period. The earliest vessel, a fangjia from the Shang period, is of a particularly rare form and impressive for its size and remarkable condition. Its elaborate decoration of beasts and birds in low relief required great expertise in casting. A particularly unique feature of a bronze and gold mirror from the Six Dynasties period is the floral decoration inlaid with blue, turquoise, white and transparent glass which surrounds crisply cast animals of the four directions. Superb workmanship can also be seen in a massive pair of Tang period gilt-bronze supports for an incense burner cast in the form of a dragon's head and a lion's leg.

Fangjia China, late Shang period (12th-11th century BCE) Bronze Height 34.4 cm `A Selection of Early Chinese Bronzes' Eskenazi at PaceWildenstein

The 24 exhibits in `Classical Chinese Furniture VIII', from 27 March to 5 April, at MD Flacks comprise furniture, smaller pieces and scholar's objects. As pairs of huanghuali yokeback armchairs are extremely rare, the Flacks's 17th century example is particularly desirable. Equally unusual are chairs with kunmen-shaped openings - a pair in walnut in the exhibition dates to the 18th century. Other materials include elm, walnut, cypress and ebony, with stone inlays and brass fittings.
Eric Zetterquist has innovatively paired `Chinese Ceramics with Photographs by Lois Conner'. On view from 27 March to 6 April are Conner's photographs of lotuses with twenty carefully selected ceramics from the Tang to Yuan period, many with lotus patterns. There is an emphasis on Song period ceramics of unusual form with refined Ding and qingbai glazes. Notable among the former is a double-gourd shaped pouring vessel incised with a guan mark. An exquisite qingbai cup encircled by a pair of long-tailed dragons that terminate as handles was probably inspired by contemporary jade carving.
There will be atleast eight exhibitions opening in the Fuller Building on 27 March. J.J. Lally's exhibition `Arts of Ancient China' on view until 12 April includes 24 examples of early pottery and bronzes. Pottery forms range from a restrained Banpo bowl with a fish pattern from the Yangshao culture to a two-colour glazed Changsha ewer decorated with an apsara and a lion from the Tang period. A Yue vessel in the form of a bear and dated to the Western Jin period is similar to an example in the Nanjing Museum. The strength of the exhibition lies in the selection of archaic bronzes. The most spectacular vessel in the show is a large Warring States period fanghu with panoramic battle and hunting scenes. The form, a classic shape of the period, is an impressive example of the luxury goods created in the state of Chu.
Many of the 35 works from India, the Himalayas and Southeast Asia in Carlton Rochell's exhibition `Realm of the Gods' come from private collections in the US and Europe. These include an important Ganesha image which has relatively slender proportions and simple ornaments, typical of the restrained elegance of the Chola period. Judging from its worn surface, it was the recipient of holy libations. Particularly appealing and one of the most important works in the show is a 10th century grey schist sculpture of Shiva and Parvati from Almora in northern India. It was formerly in the collection of Prince and Princess Aschwinn zur Lippe-Biesterfeld. Shiva and Parvati are shown in unusually erotic and loving dialogue on a late Gupta period terracotta panel that is particularly well modelled for the 7th century. The show runs until 7 April.
Rossi & Rossi's exhibition, `Auspicious Emblems: Form and Function in Indian and Himalayan Art', at the Neuhoff Gallery until 4 April comprises 35 sculptures, objects, paintings and textiles dating from the 3rd millennium BCE to the 18th century. They have been selected to demonstrate how Hindu and Buddhist artists employed forms and symbols to create objects used in ritual. For example, the delicately carved naked goddesses, with lions and trees, on a ringstone of the Mauryan period are suggestive of its use in fertility rites - early Indian art often served this function. From Nepal is an 18th century rhinoceros-horn libation vessel in the form of a yoni and carved with avatars of Vishnu.
Gisele Croes has prepared an impressive exhibition of early Chinese bronzes for her show `Inspired Metalwork - Part II', on view at Nohra Haime's gallery until 6 April. Shaped like a chariot and adorned with birds and dragons and a naked human on the cover, a miniature container of the Western Zhou period is remarkable for its scale and sinuous modelling. There are two important vessels dated to the Warring States period: a hu embellished with gold-and-silver decoration and a large fanghu entirely decorated with fine reliefs depicting a famous historical episode about the return of a disputed bi disc. The art of gold-and-silver inlay is also highlighted by Croes in a superb selection of belthooks, some with turquoise and jade decoration. Objects associated with the Buddhist faith include a silver pagoda dated to 1050 from the Xixia kingdom and silver-gilt reliquaries of the Tang and Liao periods.

Axel cup and linchpin China, Eastern Zhou period (771-456 BCE) Bronze Height 8 cm, width 10 cm `Inspired Metalwork - Part II' Gisele Croes at Nohra Haime

Carole Davenport's exhibition `Buddhism and Beyond', at Meridian Arts until 5 April, is a blend of two- and three-dimensional works in wood and bronze spanning the Kamakura and Edo periods. She will feature a few secular works alongside religious-inspired art. Highlights include a wooden image of a seated arhat, its robes detailed in gold and coloured pigment, which comes from a European collection. Ritual implements include a Muromachi period gilt-bronze reliquary in the shape of a wish-granting jewel, its stylized flames encircling a coloured stone, symbolizing the remains from Shakyamuni's cremation. Among the Buddhist paintings is a Kamakura period image of Kannon detailed in gold and with its body typically outlined in red.
B.C. Dentan and Alan Kennedy's joint exhibition `City & Country - Costumes & Ceramics from Edo Period Japan' is on until 2 April at the James Goodman Gallery. The works they have chosen reflect diversity within Japanese art. Highlights include an inner kimono of the type worn by a male actor in No theatre; it is decorated with stripes and a curling vine pattern on silk and was formerly in a Japanese museum.
`Immortal Past' is the title of Conan Lang's exhibition at Susan Aberbach Fine Art. On view until 5 April are some twenty images including two important 9th century bronzes of Tara from Bihar, one seated and the other standing, and both powerfully sculpted. A pair of 18th century conch shells from Tibet is magnificently decorated with copper, bronze and silver, and among the sculptures from China is a Northern Qi torso with much of its pigment still intact.
The diverse representation of gods in Japanese art is evident in the wood, stone and bronze sculptures, masks and even paintings of waterfalls in Mika Gallery's exhibition `Reflections of Gods' (until 15 April). Of note are a Kofun period `compound comma-shaped jewel' and a Muromachi No mask.
Further uptown, Anthony Lin will make his debut as a dealer with a show entitled `Icons and Iconoclasts', on view at Hazlitt Gooden & Fox from 25 March to 2 April. As suggested by its provocative title, the exhibition is about juxtapositions, oppositions and contradictions that are inherent in Chinese culture past and present. It brings together works that range from early archaeological pieces and religious art to contemporary sculpture. Garment and belt hooks of the Warring States period are imaginatively crafted with mythical beasts and inlaid with luxurious materials such as jade, glass and silver. A monumental Northern Wei Amitabha, an elaborate gold-and-silver Tang stupa, and an imperial cloisonne prayer wheel of the Qianlong period, all reflect the enduring significance of Buddhism in China. Narrative continuity is provided by contemporary works which make references to the past through the use of resonant symbols while simultaneously disconnecting them from their fundamental ideals. Does the kicking bound-foot of Luo Xu's sculpture Eastern Venus, for example, represent an act of defiance or the lot of women in China to this day? And do the stainless steel scholar's rocks of Zhan Wang mock the literati tradition in Chinese art or pay homage to it? The dismantling and deconstructing of iconic images is also found in Liu Liguo's version of Mao Zedong Ascending Mount Jinggang, prettily painted with the millefiore motif more commonly found in 18th century imperial porcelain. Lin is sure that the exhibition will raise questions and this in itself presents the ultimate dichotomy: while leaving it to his viewers to find their own answers, Lin wants to have a dialogue with his audience.
Sebastian Izzard Asian Art is presenting `The Floating World in the Eighteenth Century' from 28 March to 7 April. 25 paintings and prints give insight into fashionable life in Edo. For example, a particularly important six-panel screen depicts entertainments offered at the Yoshiwara brothel district, the environs of Senso-ji in Asakusa and the grounds of Kan'ei-ji in Ueno. Beautiful women can be seen in scrolls by Kaigetsudo Ando, Nishikawa Sukenobu and Katsukawa Shuncho. Highlights among the hand-coloured theatre prints are portraits of Fujimura Handayu II as Oiso no Tora by Torii Kiyomasu I. The works also provide a survey of all the major developments in style, technique and execution that occurred over one hundred years.
Concurrent with, and in the same building, as Izzard's show, London Gallery from Tokyo have an exhibition `Masters of the Brush in Early Modern Japan' at Yoshii Gallery. It brings together a number of important calligraphy and paintings from the Muromachi to Edo periods. Among the works by Zen masters such as Hakuin, Torei and Fugai is a pair of hanging scrolls titled Birds and Flowers by Sesson Shukei, one scroll features flowers of spring and the other, a winter scene. The corresponding summer and autumn scrolls are in the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music.
Andrew Kahane will have a small but eclectic exhibition, mostly of Song period ceramics and Ming and Qing period works of art. However, there will also be a Gandharan stone head of the Buddha that was formerly in the Pan Asian collection.

To coincide with `Asia Week' in New York, Hurst Gallery of Cambridge, Massachusetts are presenting `Stages of Depiction: Indian Drawings, 17th-18th Centuries'. Genre and group scenes, mythology and religion, and portraits are the subject of 48 drawings from workshops in Bundi, Kotah and Pahari and from the Mughal Schools. They were purchased in Calcutta in 1953 and all come from a private museum.

The exhibition `Bestiary, Myth and Reality in Asian Cultures' being held by Gabriella Tallon of Studio Arga in Venice, Italy presents a panoramic view of the diverse use of animal iconography from Indus valley idols to Kangxi cloisonne and ivory netsuke. Highlights include Kushan reliefs decorated with griffins, makaras and vyalas showing a strong Sasanian influence, and an interesting bronze sculpture of a bull from the Indus valley.

An extensive array of Asian collectibles will be on view at the Arts of Pacific Asia Show at the Armory at Gramercy Park from 30 March to 2 April.
In addition to a collection of antique Japanese dolls, Alan Pate of Akanezumiya will be showing a number of Buddhist paintings, sculptures, altar cloths and kesa robes.
Michael Ayervais will be showing a particularly early Saga ningyo with a moving head and tongue and a rooster in its hands; it comes with its original box, bearing the maker's or owner's seal, and a late 19th century book illustrating a similar example from an important collection.
Michael Cohn Asian Antiquities will juxtapose ancient and modern by showing Buddhist and Hindu sculptures in bronze and stone, and photographs of meditating monks by Junsik.
Orientations Gallery will focus on Meiji period works and all their pieces have exceptional provenance, many formerly in Japanese collections or from renowned collections in the West. For example, a lacquer incense container, in the form of a double fan and decorated with a theme from the No play Okino, was owned by Michael Tomkinson and inventoried in his 1898 publication A Japanese Collection.

Incense container Japan, mid-19th century Lacquer with mother-of-pearl Width 13.2 cm Orientations Gallery

London-based Nicholas Pitcher returns with a collection of early Chinese pottery and bronze vessels, later porcelain, enamels and paintings.
Robyn Turner has been working on acquiring two collections of 18th and 19th century jades, one from an East Coast collector and the other from England. Many items from the latter have not been seen in fifty years. Highlights include a white jade wine cup inlaid with gold and stones from a known English collection. There will also be some scholar's items on view.
Stuart and Barbara Hilbert of The Jade Dragon will be showing Chinese scholar's objects in bamboo, lacquer, jade and cloisonne. Those in bamboo are particularly noteworthy: for example, a Ming brushpot, formed like a tree stump and carved in high relief with knotted pine and cranes, is richly symbolic of longevity.
Tibetan art specialist Suzy Lebasi of Soo Tze Oriental Antiques will focus on mandalas in two- and three-dimensional formats, as well as works with hidden or implied images that aid in meditation. A 12th/13th century depiction of a deity riding a five-legged horse would have been used with other paintings to lay out a mandala.
Alongside her rank badges, Judith Rutherford will show a `passport', a compulsory document which accompanied bolts of silks to the imperial workshops in Hangzhou. The most notable badge, dating to 1850, would have been worn by a censor who monitored the honesty of officials.
Susan Ollemans is showing a collection of 19th century Indian miniatures depicting scenic spots like the Taj Mahal, Qutb Mina, Akbar's tomb, and portraits of Akbar, Jahangir, Shah Jahan and other Mughal rulers, which were produced during the British Raj as mementos for tourists. Kundun jewellery from northern India, delicately decorated with minar enamel and inlaid with rubies, diamonds and emeralds, is of the type that was popular with the Mughal rulers.
Cedric Curien will be showing newly acquired Ming to Qing period ceramics and works of art. Wei Asian Arts's recent finds include a late Song/early Jin dynasty wood figure of a bodhisattva seated in the posture of meditation. Finely carved and with elaborate details such as necklaces and a tall foliate crown, the figure has a full sensuous face and still retains some polychrome decoration.
An early Cirebon palace batik to be shown by Asiatic Fine Arts from Singapore has an eye-catching pattern of animals formed by cloud-like shapes. Also from Singapore, Darika Suter will be introducing her recent acquisitions of Southeast Asian material including a mask in gold-and-silver alloy which would have been a gift by a Champa king to a temple and used in a ritual associated with Shiva.
Gallery Gen will concentrate on contemporary Japanese artists including works by Yoshiaki Yuki, whose bold and inventive creations in mixed media are already popular among New York collectors.
Augusta from Brazil have a collection of teapots carved from Yela stone by Chen Mingzhi. Many new exciting shapes and decorations have appeared as a result of a renaissance in the carving of this finely layered, translucent stone by artists like Chen in the Shousan area of Fujian. With their careful attention to detail, Chen's teapots are an elaboration of Yixing wares.

The fair begins once again with a preview to benefit the Asia Society of 30 March and will be open to the public from 31 March to 5 April.
Joan B. Mirviss support in championing contemporary Asian art is reflected in the subject-matter of her exhibition `Garden of Art - The Ceramic Art of Takegoshi Jun'. Takegoshi has created modern white-porcelain vessels with painterly surface designs of bird and floral motifs that bear allusions to classical ceramic forms and kutani ware. His glaze recipe and unique firing technique combine to give his works a luminuous quality that is at once translucent and opaque.
Linda Wrigglesworth will also have a special show at the fair: `From the Roof of the World' features precious textiles that have been reused or adapted in Tibet or other parts of the Himalayas.
Jean and Clifford Schaefer of Flying Cranes Antiques have taken a bigger space this year to hold a special exhibition titled `The Koro', featuring censers in a myriad of forms and material and executed by master craftsmen of the Meiji period.
The main focus of Nancy Wiener's show is 6th to 13th century sculpture from South and Southeast Asia. Particularly interesting is a 6th century Cham kala, a protective deity in roundel form. Although of Indian origin, the complex iconography of the Cham kala differs dramatically from that seen on architecture and sculpture of India and elsewhere in Southeast Asia.
Highlights among Mitsuru Uragami of Uragami Sokyu-do's selection of Chinese ceramics, from the Neolithic to the Song period, highlights include a Five Dynasties/Northern Song period green-glazed box with a bird design, aesthetically similar to a white-glazed example from the Hans Popper collection which featured in Eskenazi's recent catalogue. There will also be a ewer which is a rare example of white wares from the Dawenkou culture and a pair of pottery equestriennes of early Tang date are distinctive for their sculptural qualities.
Hiroshi Yanagi is also returning with an excellent group of wood sculptures dating from the Heian to the Edo period, the earliest being an impressive image of a female Shinto deity. Notable among the Rimpa and Zen paintings is Plum Tree by the late 18th century artist Nakamura Hochu.
The focus of Erik Thomsen's stand will be a beautiful pair of Rimpa screens by an artist from the circle of Ogata Korin. Other prominent artists like Hakuin will be represented as well as basketmakers Chikubosai and Rokansai. Blending in with these earlier works will be the creations of contemporary lacquer master Mushu.
Highlights of Carlo Cristi's show include a 13th century silk-samite textile from Central Asia woven with confronting peacocks within roundels on a diaper ground and carbon dated to the 13th century. A rarely seen Dali bronze of the 12th century and a 5th century terracotta representation of a Naga Devi from India bring diversity to his display.

Flowers of the Four Seasons Japan, Rimpa School, late 18th century One of a pair of six-panel screens, ink and colour on paper Height 165 cm, width 362 cm Erik Thomsen

Sandra Whitman has some exciting carpets to show including the largest kilim known to her. From Mongolia and of the late 19th century, the kilim's slit-weave tapestry depicts flying cranes amid clouds between borders of awning stripes in vibrant colours. To place in context two pillar rugs, which Whitman dates to the Ming and Qing periods, a group of textiles with dragons dating from the Yuan to the Qing period will be shown alongside.

Kilim China, Mongolia, late 19th century Slit-weave tapestry Height 591.82 cm, width 358.14 cm Sandra Whitman

China 2000 Fine Art's important exhibition of paintings by Pu Ru offers an intimate look at this artist. In excellent condition, the miniature handscrolls and albums and other small works have been in the same collection for fifty years. They not only show the artist at his finest as a true scholar, but also his sense of whimsy.
John Berwald will be dividing his time between an exhibition `Blue Glaze of the Tang' in his gallery and the fair, where he will also be showing an important collection of the much-prized blue- and sancai-glazed wares. The repertoire includes a pair of horses, a seated lion, a pair of elegant court ladies and a camel.
Among Keum Ja Kang of Kang Collection's highlights are a fine court chaekkori screen and an unusual ten-panel screen of plum in ink and colour by Jung Tae-O. She will add works by modern painters including some by Jung Kwang, known as the `Mad Monk' or `Picasso of Korea'.
Jiyoung Koo of KooNewYork will unveil two rare Buddhist art discoveries - small portable gilt-bronze devotional altars dating to the Koryo dynasty. Both feature delicately carved images of the Buddha and bodhisattvas, and the bases are covered with lotus scrolls. There are a few examples in museum and private collections but rarely do two appear on the market at the same time. Koo will also be introducing photographs by Bae Bien-U who, intent on capturing the timelessness of nature and landscape, focuses his oeuvre on a grove of pine trees in the old capital of Kyongju.
China Gallery's new acquisitions include an interesting group of bronze and lacquer vessels. Of note is a lacquer bianhu of the Western Han period and, of slightly later date, a bronze money tree with a ceramic base.
A highlight of Mehmet Hassan's exhibition of objects from China and Tibet is a significant large thangka of Palden Lhamo from Mongolia and dated to the 19th century. He will also feature a group of textiles from Central Asia, the most important being an early wool tapestry fragment dated circa 4th to 2nd century BCE with a previously unrecorded design of mythical two-headed creatures in vibrant colours.
Among the sixty screens that Gregg Baker will be showing is a two-fold example depicting plum trees in blossom and bamboo growing from rocks. The screen is signed by Baiitsu who is considered one of the best Nanga painters of the Edo period. Liza Hyde, another specialist in Japanese screens, will turn her space into a contemporary room by showing Nakashima furniture from the 1950s with 17th and 18th century screens.
Kevin Page has an impressive collection of very large metal objects from Japan. For example, a pair of iron-bronze vessels, which were formerly in the collection of an English lord, are over one metre in height.
Samina Khanyari selection of Indian jewellery will focus on 17th to 19th century works from the Mughal and Deccan courts. Tang period pottery sculptures on view at Gallery Oi Ling from Hong Kong include a procession of riders notable for its lively modelling and exceptional painting, acquired from a private collection. The equine theme continues with a group of horses from Gansu, Luoyang, Shaanxi and Shanxi, chosen so that visitors can learn about regional distinctions in pottery production.

Horse China, Tang period (618-907) Pottery Height 59 cm Gallery Oi Ling

Completing the display is a group of elegant court ladies. Cedric Curien's selection of Chinese imperial ceramics, and 16th to 18th century works of art and unusual Edo period porcelains, is assembled primarily from private sources. Danon has a selection of carpets woven in metal thread and silk in China and East Turkestan during the Qing period for the Forbidden City.
Douglas Dawson will offer objects made of wood, stone, metal and clay, and textiles. A Northern Qi dynasty torso of the Buddha will be displayed alongside a head of the Buddha from Sukhothai.
Katie Jones will be introducing works in metal, fibre, lacquer, pottery and glass by Hiroki Iwata and Ritsue Mishima.
Barry Friedman will be showing six vessels from Yoichi Ohira's Coro Turchese series which are made predominantly of turquoise-coloured glass murrine. Friedman will also be branching out into contemporary Chinese photography with works by Wang Wusheng and Zhang Huan.
The Chinese Porcelain Company, Priestley & Ferraro, and S. Marchant & Son will also be taking part.

On 12 April, Viviane Esders, a photography expert at the Court of Appeal in Paris, and auctioneer Yann le Mouel will hold a sale of `Chinese Photographs 1840-1950' at Hotel Drouot in Paris. There will be about 150 lots on offer. The most significant consignment consists of about a hundred items from the archive of Auguste Francois, who was a French consul in Yunnan and lived in China from 1896 to 1904. He travelled extensively in southern China documenting life in Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Yunnan and Sichuan. An avid photographer, Francois also captured the earliest moving images of China with equipment obtained from the Lumiere brothers. Depictions of landscapes, temples, minority peoples, the military, forms of transport and political revolts are found in private albums, manuscripts recording his journeys, panoramas and film. One of the highlights is an album of seventy prints documenting the construction of a railway from Vietnam to Yunnan which Francois was involved in. The selection is available for private viewing at Viviane Esders from 20th March; public previews take place at Hotel Drouot on 11-12 April.

Laurie Barnes

Timothy Rub

Since the early 1990s a thriving contemporary Chinese art market has brought artists from throughout China to Beijing making it one of the country's largest creative art centres. In her commentary Julie M. Segraves, Executive Director of the Asian Art Coordinating Council in Denver, Colorado, discusses the closure and destruction by the authorities of the Beijing International Art Camp, the art community housing artists' studios, galleries, retail spaces and restaurants located near the Beijing airport as a result of the government's redevelopment projects for high-end housing complexes.