Author: Rijksmuseum
Publisher: Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
Language: English
Size: 21.5 x 26.5 (cm)
Quantity: 228 pages
Year: 2025
This book and exhibition, Asian Bronze: 4000 Years of Beauty, are the natural results and extension of the ongoing technical research into bronze artefacts from Asia conducted at the Rijksmuseum. While “Asian Bronze” may at first seem a surprising theme for an exhibition at the Rijksmuseum, there is a well-established tradition of both scientific and art historical research at the museum into its collection of bronzes from Asia. This has focused especially on the subject of casting techniques. Ties with Asia constitute a long-standing element of Dutch culture, and it is therefore fitting for the Rijksmuseum, as an institution that connects people, art and history, to host an exhibition that highlights this important aspect of Asian art, religion and culture.
The exhibition “Asian Bronze: 4000 Years of Beauty” was initially conceived as an opportunity to present some of the results of this research. This book is intended as a companion or parallel volume to the exhibition. The aim of this book is to provide the reader with a richer and broader context for the individual works on display. It offers a visual record of the objects in the exhibition but also serves to deepen and transform the experience of bronze artefacts by delving into the history and characteristics of bronze as a material, including the physical and sensory qualities that led to its utility for such diverse items as weapons, tools, vessels, censers, bells, lamps, mirrors and statues.
Both book and exhibition show a selection of the most outstanding examples of bronze casting in Asia. The book uses an image from the Vietnam National Museum of History. Besides, readers could find articles from researchers, such as: William Southworth, Sara Creange, Ching-Ling Wang, Anna A. Ślączka, etc.
Readers can find the publication “Asian Bronzes: 4000 Years of Beauty” at the Library of the Vietnam National Museum of History, which is a great pleasure to introduce to our readers!
Mai An