Guided Viewing of 2 Exhibitions at UMAG: "Blown and Tooled: Western Asian Influences in Ancient Glass in China” and “Eternal Transience, Enlightened Wisdom: Masterpieces of Buddhist Art”
The HKU Museum Society is pleased to organize a viewing of two exhibitions at UMAG, presented with support from the HKUMS 30th Anniversary Endowment Fund. The first exhibition is “Blown and Tooled: Western Asian Influences in Ancient Glass in China” with Harald Peter Kraemer, Curator at UMAG. The second exhibition is “Eternal Transience, Enlightened Wisdom: Masterpieces of Buddhist Art” with Walter Chan, Research Assistant at UMAG.
Blown and Tooled: Western Asian Influences in Ancient Glass in China
Harald Peter Kraemer will guide us through this exhibition of early glass vessels that display technological and stylistic influences from countries along the Silk Road. The international transfer of manufacturing practices, object types and design features make this particular collection of glassware a fascinating subject of study, as the knowledge transfer and trade along the Silk Road since the first millennium CE complicates the artefact’s origins and cultural influences. Interestingly, this fine and fragile artform has been treasured for centuries and excavated objects from tomb sites often include both imported and Chinese items.
Eternal Transience, Enlightened Wisdom: Masterpieces of Buddhist Art
Walter Chan will guide us through this exhibition of more than 30 artworks from Tibet, Nepal, Pakistan and Mongolia. Dating from the 7th – 18th century, the exhibition is composed primarily of bronze statues and thangkas of deities and gurus in Tibetan Buddhism. As part of Buddhism’s eternal journey from India to the Himalayas, China and Japan, the religious icons and objects of daily religious practice remain a testament to the shifting cultures that have engaged with Buddhism over the millennia. Acknowledging such a state of transience through the current exhibition highlights the enlightened wisdom of the Buddha; the ability to behold the true nature of the world. This public display has been assembled to complement HKU’s international symposium Giuseppe Tucci, his adventurous life, and his scholarly legacy, presented in memory of the renowned Tibetologist on 5 August 2022.
Image: Courtesy of UMAG
Ewer, Mould-blown and applied glass, Roman Empire (4th century CE) or China (Tang dynasty (618-906) or Liao dynasty (907-1125))
Thangka of Avalokiteshvara and two offering goddesses, Pigment and gold on cloth, Western Tibet, 15th century