|
Elinor Pearlstein:
The largest collection is ceramics. We have a very strong collection of Tang (618-907) ceramics, including burial materials. And we also have a large collection of Song ceramics. Most of the ceramic pieces in later periods are in storage. We have a very good collection of the Qing Dynasty, most are from the Emperor Yongzheng (1678-1735) period. As we have very limited space to show them, we rotate them from period to period.
The jade pieces are ancient. We have pieces from Neolithic and prehistoric periods and Shang, Zhou and Han (202 B.C.-A.D. 220) dynasties.
We have very unusual bronzes. For example, we have a large bronze vessel with a long inscription. There is also a round wine vessel, with gold and silver painted on it and the design is a dragon. Dating to the Han Dynasty, this piece came to the museum in 1927.
Of sculptures, we have two heads of Buddhist figures dating to the Northern Song Dynasty. They are very rare because the material is very delicate. When scholars from China came here, they often told us that they had never seen it before. The material is so delicate that not many pieces survived. The heads are hollow, and if you lift them, the weight is very little.
We also have very good tomb figures. We have many important pieces of Dingyao, early white porcelain. We also have Qingbaiyao porcelains, or bluish white. Of the jades, we have many beautiful pendants that date to the Late Zhou Dynasty and the Warring States Period.
Robert D. Mowry:
The most important Chinese holdings are archaic jades (from the Neolithic period through Shang and Zhou dynasties), bronze ritual vessels (Shang, Zhou and Han dynasties), Buddhist sculptures (both gilt bronze and stone dating to Northern Wei through Song dynasties), Chinese ceramics (from the Neolithic period through the Qing Dynasty), rhinoceros-horn carvings (in the Ming and Qing dynasties), and modern and contemporary ink paintings.
Kelly Gifford:
The major collection of our museum is early figure and landscape paintings, Buddhist sculptures, ceramics and porcelain.
Approximately, how many visitors came to see the Chinese section in your museum every year?
Elinor Pearlstein:
About 3.3 million visitors come to the museum a year. We do not keep a record of the number of people who go to each gallery.
Robert D. Mowry:
Perhaps 60,000 people see our displays of Chinese art each year. They are impressed by the displays, particularly since we have explanatory labels, and we offer tours, lectures and symposia.
Kelly Gifford:
The MFA welcomes approximately 1 million visitors a year.
Who wrote the captions and illustrations for those art pieces? How and where did you get the background information?
Elinor Pearlstein:
I write the most of the gallery labels. There was a curator who was an expert in ceramics. He wrote most ceramics labels.
Robert D. Mowry:
The works of art have been cataloged by the museum's curatorial staff who are trained specialists and they have particular knowledge about the objects. The museum's curators have also written the labels for the pieces on display, just as they have written the scholarly catalogs that accompany the museum's exhibitions.
Kelly Gifford:
Curators and researchers in the department wrote the captions. The related information is acquired from purchase records, correspondence letters between collectors and curators and primary and secondary published materials.
Besides exhibition, are the Chinese relics used for other purposes, such as research and education?
Elinor Pearlstein:
We have a very large education department, and we work closely with them. We have a center for teachers, called the Teacher Resource Center. We sometimes write brochures for them. We also have very good education staff. We lecture to community groups, either in the museum or go to their places. We also hold seminars on Chinese relics. College and high school students can work as interns in our department or the education department.
Robert D. Mowry:
With a large and important collection, nearly all of the works in the collection of the Harvard Art Museum are used for research and teaching, in keeping with the museum's mission. In fact, Harvard has been a leader over the decades in teaching with original works of art.
Kelly Gifford:
The MFA is committed to making the collections accessible. We have seen major increases in scholarly visits and requests for further information from the public as a direct result of more reliable and better-organized information on the collection available online. The department also has an excellent publishing record in terms of exhibition catalogs. We are presently writing a Chinese highlights catalogue featuring 100 masterpieces.
What preservation measures does your museum use?
Elinor Pearlstein:
We have a conservation department with about 20 people, including specialists in metal works, ceramics, textiles, books, prints and paintings. They monitor the relics and control the displays' temperature and humidity.
If we need to send some of our collection to other museums for special exhibitions, our curators must first determine the pieces are safe to travel. If there is a problem with their condition, we will not allow it.
Robert D. Mowry:
Works of art are stored carefully where the temperature and humidity are controlled. Since different types of materials have differing optimum temperature/humidity requirements for long-term preservation, we are able to adjust the climatic conditions in our storerooms to make the conditions as suitable as possible for long-term preservation of the pieces. The shelves for storing the pieces are lined so that they can well protect them; in addition, padding is placed between the pieces so that they cannot touch each other while on the shelves. The storage cabinets and the storerooms also offer protection from seismic activity.
| 
