Art Treasures of the Peking Museum Book text by Francois Fourcade

This beautiful hardcover book is A great storehouse of the finest Chinese art —the Imperial Palace Museum collections in Peking-has been unavailable to Western eyes for many years. Now, in this volume, two major areas of Chinese art—its refined and spiritual painting and its exquisite ceramics-are presented in a panoramic sweep extending from the third century B.C. to the masters who lived on into our own times. The history and development of these arts in China are related to the vividly outlined rise and fall of great dynasties and empires. The colorplates are accompanied by individual commentaries sketching the lives of the artists and the significance of individual pieces. The author provides many fascinating biographical details and translates graceful poems and inscriptions that are usually lost to the Western reader. This volume provides an excellent introduction to Chinese art for the layman as well as a superb collection of new material for the scholar. It is an important addition to any art library. 87 hand-tipped plates in full color Translated from the French by NorBERT GUTERMAN Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 65-15981 All rights reserved. No part of the contents of this book may be reproduced without the written permission of the publishers, HARRY N. ABRAMS, INC., New York Printed and Bound in Japan