"Beyond the Old Silk Road: International Influences in Glassmaking in the 18th & 19th Centuries" with UMAG's New Director - Dr. Florian Knothe

Please join us in welcoming the new director of UMAG, Dr. Florian Knothe on this Saturday afternoon lecture – Beyond the Old Silk Road: International Influences in Glassmaking in the 18th and 19th Centuries.

A scholar of Western European art, Dr. Knothe received his PhD with a thesis on the royal manufacture and production of art and propaganda in 17th century France. From 2005-2008, he worked as research fellow and associate in European Sculpture and Decorative Arts at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. With his appointment in 2009 as curator of European glass at The Corning Museum of Glass overseeing the European and East Asian departments, he devoted time to research his long-established interests in cross-cultural influences in art and workshop practices in Western Europe and East Asia. This work culminated in his East Meets West exhibition in 2010, and related lectures and conference papers that were presented in the US, Europe, Asia and Africa.

Dr. Knothe comes to The University of Hong Kong with a keen interest in Chinese decorative arts, and a vision to connect the University Museum and Art Gallery internationally so that future collection-oriented research and programming reflect the University's unique geographic and cultural position between East and West.

In this lecture, Dr. Knothe will speak on glass and glass technology, and their impact and significance as "cultural translators". His focus will be centered on the technological advances and stylistic influences of European glassmaking in China during the early eighteenth century – one of the lesser-known achievements of European missionaries, and the consequent production of an art form that still remains little studied and somewhat under-appreciated.