Exhibition | Three Rare Treasures of Imperial China
From the press release for the exhibition:
In Focus: Three Rare Treasures of Imperial China
Im Fokus: Drei seltene Schätze des Kaiserlichen China
Sponsel Room, Residenzschloss, Dresden, 1 April — 29 June 2026
Dragon Vase with Imperial Seal Mark, China, 1735–96 (Dresden: SKD).
The exhibition In Focus: Three Rare Treasures of Imperial China presents objects from different imperial dynasties from among the holdings of the Grünes Gewölbe (Green Vault) and the Porzellansammlung (Porcelain Collection) of the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden. The Ru Bowl, the so-called Dragon Vase, and a tiny snuff bottle (barely five centimetres tall) exemplify the aesthetics and exceptional craftsmanship of their respective eras. The items from the Porzellansammlung have attracted a lot of media attention in recent weeks. The public will now be given the opportunity to discover what makes them so special.
The Porzellansammlung of the SKD holds the largest collection of early modern porcelain from China and Japan outside of Asia. It preserves a cross-section of that which was collected in Europe in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. From the mid-19th century onwards, the Electoral and Royal collection amassed by August the Strong and August III—the historical core of the museum—was expanded, by means of exchanges and purchases, to include ceramics from all over the world, including the Ru Bowl and the Dragon Vase.
Originally created exclusively for the Chinese imperial court, these are outstanding examples of Chinese ceramic art, the likes of which were unknown in Dresden during the Augustan period. It was only in the early 20th century that such imperial pieces became available to European collectors. The Ru bowl, in particular, is regarded as one of the most beautiful and extremely rare ceramic products of the Song Dynasty (960–1279) and the crowning glory of any collection of Chinese art. In exhibiting these two objects along with the snuff bottle from the Grünes Gewölbe, the SKD are presenting three exceptionally rare and precious Chinese imperial artefacts from different dynasties. The small snuff bottle is an original from the imperial workshops of the Chinese Qing Dynasty, where European influence led to the development of new enamelling techniques and such vessels became highly sought-after luxury objects. These outstanding pieces are exemplary of the aesthetics and exceptional craftsmanship of their time.
In a recent agreement signed with the Hong Kong Palace Museum, the SKD have committed to conducting more in-depth research into their holdings of East Asian art in collaboration with experts from the Palace Museums in Hong Kong and Beijing. The exhibition In Focus: Three Rare Treasures of Imperial China highlights how mutual respect, as well as the pursuit of precision both in art and in scholarly research, form a strong bond between China and Germany.
The Ru Bowl
Ru Bowl, Brush Washer, China, 1100–25 (Dresden: SKD).
This small, glazed stoneware bowl from the Northern Song Dynasty (960–1127), which at first glance appears unremarkable, is one of the rarest and most precious objects of Chinese ceramic art. The vessel, which is around 900 years old, was used as a brush-washing bowl and is one of only 89 known Ru wares in the world; it is also the only specimen of its kind in Germany. It was part of a private collection acquired by the Porzellansammlung in the 1920s. These first ceramics made exclusively for the Chinese imperial court are named after their place of origin, the Ru Prefecture in the northern province of Henan. The production of imperial Ru wares went on for only a little more than 20 years, ending when the Northern Song Dynasty was driven south in 1126. The few pieces that were produced and salvaged soon became mythologised as reminders of the empire’s former grandeur and are now considered the pinnacle of any collection of Chinese ceramics. This perfectly preserved Dresden bowl is striking in its exceptionally simple elegance. With its gently shimmering, delicately crackled glaze in a particularly beautiful bluish-green hue, it is reminiscent of winter colours and brittle ice.
The Dragon Vase
The so-called Dragon Vase was commissioned for the court of Emperor Qianlong (reigned 1735–1795). Painted with nine brightly coloured dragons soaring across the sea and sky, this monumental piece is one of the rarest masterpieces of imperial porcelain art from the Qing Dynasty. Its dynamic decoration combines technical perfection with rich symbolic meaning and reflects the splendour and political ideals of the court under Emperor Qianlong. In Chinese culture, the number nine (jiu) also signifies ‘eternity,’ whilst the dragon is the most important symbol of imperial power. The motif of nine dragons therefore reflects the desire for eternal imperial rule. On this vase, the dragons appear amidst waves and clouds, two elements traditionally associated with these mythical creatures. Flying amongst the clouds are red bats. In Chinese, the word for bat (fu) sounds the same as the word for ‘luck’ or ‘blessing.’ Along the foot and beneath the rim runs a band of heart-shaped ruyi heads; these derive from the ruyi sceptre and the lingzhi mushroom. According to Daoist beliefs, these symbols represent immortality and the fulfilment of wishes. Vessels of this kind, adorned with imperial symbols, were often given as precious gifts to high-ranking dignitaries. Like the Ru Bowl, the Dragon Vase also found its way into the Porzellansammlung during the 20th century.
The Snuff Bottle
Snuff Bottle, China, 1661–1722 (Dresden: SKD).
For a long time, this delicate snuff bottle was regarded as a European piece in the chinoiserie style. It was not until 2013 that it was recognised as a rare and early example of Chinese enamel art from the Qing Dynasty. It has been possible to trace its origins to the imperial palace workshops in Beijing, where only works of the highest quality were produced for the imperial court.
Under the emperors Kangxi (r. 1661–1722) and his son Yongzheng (r. 1723–1735), the imperial workshops saw a period of significant artistic and technological innovation. Since the end of the 17th century, Jesuits had been bringing enamel objects from Europe as gifts to the imperial court, where they were greatly admired. The art-loving Emperor Kangxi subsequently took steps to recruit European artists who were familiar with the techniques, thereby promoting their further development in China.
The use of snuff, which was believed to have healing properties, had been introduced to China by European missionaries, envoys, and traders. Since the large snuff boxes commonly used in Europe proved impractical in China’s more humid climate, the use of small, tightly sealable vials soon became predominant. Particularly during the reign of Emperor Qianlong (r. 1735–1796), they were manufactured in a wide variety of shapes and designs and became sought-after collectors’ items.
New Book | The Country House Dining Room
From Yale UP:
Amy Boyington, The Country House Dining Room: A History of Georgian Feasting (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2026), 208 pages, ISBN: 978-0300276923, $40.
The country house dining room was an elaborate theatre for Georgian elites to entertain their guests and, more importantly, show-off their wealth, power and social status. Every detail was carefully orchestrated, usually by the lady of the house, from the decor and tableware to the food and drink served. Decorated with fine art, antique sculptures, and lavish furnishings, the dining room was governed by strict dining etiquette and social rituals. It was expected for guests to eat and drink to excess, so it is perhaps unsurprising that in the Georgian era we see the development of supposed miracle cures for obesity, alcoholism, and related illnesses. Drawing on previously unpublished contemporary accounts of feasts at Holkham Hall, Hardwick Hall, and Blenheim Palace, among others, Amy Boyington brings the Georgian dining experience to life and charts how the dining room encapsulated the intricate cultural and political dynamics of the 18th century.
Amy Boyington is a public historian and popular social media historian (@history_with_amy). Her past roles have included Senior Properties Historian at English Heritage, Trust Director at The Lutyens Trust, and Post-Doctoral Researcher at both Kensington Palace and Queens’ College, Cambridge. She is the author of Hidden Patrons: Women and Architectural Patronage in Georgian Britain.
Exhibition | Amazons! Horsewomen and Fashion Icons
Now on view at the Musée de la Mode et du Costume in Arles:
Amazons! Horsewomen and Fashion Icons
Musée de la Mode et du Costume, Arles, 22 May — 20 September 2026
Curated by Valerio Zanetti and Clément Trouche
Historically, horsemanship has played a crucial role in women’s emancipation. Since the Renaissance, specific costumes have been designed for each equestrian discipline, the consequences of which extend beyond purely visual and symbolic dimensions. Both the borrowing of elements from men’s wardrobes and the creation of new forms of dress prompted those who would soon be called ‘Amazons’ to question their position in society. The public is here invited to discover the history of these women, whose strength and beauty have often been as much fantasized as misunderstood.
The exhibition brings together over a hundred works, spanning a period from the Renaissance to the Revolution, from the Empire to the contemporary fashion runways. It showcases the evolution of Amazonian fashions, revealing how they allowed female riders and huntresses—as well as female politicians, strollers, and professional equestrians—to engage with and contribute to revolutionizing their identity, sometimes even making it a true raison d’être. Initially considered a challenge to traditional dress conventions, the Amazonian costume was gradually transformed into an essential element of the elegant woman’s wardrobe.
The 17th-century saddle of Queen Christina of Sweden, known as the ‘Amazon of the North’ or the ‘Gothic Amazon’, sits alongside equestrian portraits of illustrious women from the court of Louis XIV, reunited for the first time in almost 350 years. Portraits of La Grande Mademoiselle riding sidesaddle, of Marie Leszczynska in front of the Château de Fontainebleau, and, from the 19th century, drawings by Degas and Constantin Guys, all face the clothing of the Amazons of their time. Among these portraits, some depict one of the most famous Amazons of her era: the Empress of the French, Eugénie.
The exhibition includes loans from iconic national institutions. Among the Parisian institutions are the Petit Palais, the Bibliothèque nationale de France, the Musée Condé, the Musée d’Orsay, the Musée Carnavalet, and the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, as well as the Musée National de la Renaissance in Écouen, the châteaux of Compiègne and Cadillac, the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Orléans, Pau, Le Mans, Sceaux, and Libourne, and the Mucem and the Muséon Arlaten. Several British museums have also contributed, including the Fashion Museum of Bath, the Royal Albert Memorial Museum, the Glove Collection Trust, Herfordshire Museum, and Norwich Museum. Equestrian practices play a vital role in British culture. Pieces from Swedish museums with significant collections complete the exhibition.
Amazones! Cavalières et icônes de mode (Milan: Silvana Editoriale, 2026), 160 pages, ISBN: 978-8836664689, €30.
New Book | The Masquerade
From Yale UP:
Meghan Kobza, The Masquerade: A History of Extravagance and Intrigue (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2026), 368 pages, ISBN: 978-0300276213, $35.
The first full history of an extraordinary eighteenth-century British entertainment
Glittering masquerades, held at the most fashionable London venues, dominated the calendars of the Georgian elite. A thrilling opportunity to gather, flirt, and consume, hosts such as ‘Empress of Pleasure’ Teresa Cornelys welcomed the great and the good in elaborate costumes—including bear suits, harlequin outfits, or, in the case of Elizabeth Chudleigh, very little at all. The masquerade was a place of make-believe and revelry, and a party like no other. Meghan Kobza invites us into these dazzling gatherings, and shows how they became a wider cultural obsession. Organised by wealthy impresarios, the masquerade allowed the aristocracy to flaunt their status and enjoy themselves behind the closed doors of opulent ballrooms, theatres, and gardens, dressed by an industry of ever more inventive habit makers. For the rest of society, the masquerade was notorious for mischief and misbehaviour, and a focus for voracious gossip.
Meghan Kobza is a historian of leisure in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, and particularly Georgian costume, fancy dress, and material culture. She is the author of The Domino and the Eighteenth-Century London Masquerade.
Decorative Arts Trust Prize for Excellence and Innovation
From The Decorative Arts Trust:
Decorative Arts Trust Prize for Excellence and Innovation, $100,000
Application due by 30 June 2026
The nomination deadline for the 2026 Decorative Arts Trust Prize for Excellence and Innovation is June 30. This $100,000 award funds outstanding projects that advance public appreciation of decorative art, fine art, architecture, or landscape. The Prize is awarded to a nonprofit organization in the United States for a scholarly endeavor, such as a museum exhibition, print or digital publication, a conservation or preservation project, or an online database.
Recent recipients include the Custard Institute for Spanish Art and Culture at Southern Methodist University’s Meadows Museum and the Edith O’Donnell Institute of Art History at the University of Texas at Dallas for The Digital Porcelain Rooms Project (2025); Drayton Hall’s plaster ceiling projects (2024); Concord Museum’s Whose Revolution exhibition (2023); the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum’s Dorothy Liebes exhibition (2022); the Black Craftspeople Digital Archive (2021); and Craft in America’s Craft Video Dictionary (2020).
For more information, visit decorativeartstrust.org/prize or email grants@decorativeartstrust.org.
New Book | Gabriel François Doyen (1726–1806)
From Arthena press:
Benjamin Salama, Gabriel François Doyen (1726–1806): Un Peintre d’Histoire dans l’Europe des Lumières, (Paris: Arthena, 2026), 304 pages, ISBN: 978-2903239770, €85.
Figure pionnière et pourtant méconnue du mouvement de régénération de la peinture d’Histoire dans la seconde moitié du XVIIIe siècle, Gabriel François Doyen s’imposa à Paris dès son retour de l’Académie de France à Rome avec La Mort de Virginie exposé au Salon de 1759. La critique vit en lui l’un des espoirs du renouveau de la peinture française au point qu’à la mort de son maître Carle Vanloo, il fut jugé digne d’achever son célèbre Cycle de saint Grégoire à l’église des Invalides. Sa gloire culmina avec Le Miracle des Ardents peint pour l’église Saint-Roch à Paris, chef-d’œuvre qui influença jusqu’à Géricault.
Sous la Révolution, délaissé au profit des peintres de la génération de David, il remplit d’importantes fonctions au sein de la Commission des monuments et œuvra pour la préservation du patrimoine français aux côtés de son ancien élève Alexandre Lenoir. En 1792, il choisit de partir pour la Russie où il enseigna à l’Académie impériale des beaux-arts de Saint-Pétersbourg, et peignit de grands décors pour l’impératrice Catherine II puis pour son fils Paul Ier. Des sources inédites et un catalogue renouvelé permettent de redécouvrir l’ambition tumultueuse de son œuvre.
Diplômé de l’École du Louvre et de Sorbonne-Université, Benjamin Salama est docteur en histoire de l’art. Il a été chargé d’enseignement à l’École du Louvre, à Paris I Panthéon Sorbonne et à Sorbonne-Université de 2008 à 2021. Il est actuellement collaborateur scientifique au château de Versailles. Ses recherches portent essentiellement sur la peinture française des XVIIe et XVIIIe siècles.
Exhibition | Johann Baptist Lampi, the Elder and Younger
From the press release for the exhibition:
Johann Baptist Lampi the Elder and the Younger: Overpainted and Uncovered
Lower Belvedere, Vienna, 13 May — 11 October 2026
Curated by Katharina Lovecky
What do a Neoclassical family portrait and a Biedermeier depiction of Venus have in common? Both the portrait of Caroline and Viktor von Tomatis by Johann Baptist Lampi the Elder (1751–1830) and Sleeping Venus with Cupid in front of a Mirror by his eponymous son (1775–1837) were overpainted. Based on the results of technical investigations and art-historical research, this exhibition from the IN-SIGHT series traces the consequences of these later interventions in the work of the two artists.
General Director Stella Rollig: “Based on two works in the Belvedere’s collection, this show offers fresh perspectives on the oeuvres of Johann Baptist the Elder and Johann Baptist the Younger. The eventful history of these overpainted works demonstrates how they have changed over time in terms of both their formal appearance and their content and messages. In addition, the exhibition highlights how our current views on the treatment of art—defined by the principles of conservation and the ideal of originality—have evolved through history and only started to become established in the mid-nineteenth century.”
Johann Baptist Lampi the Elder, Zoë and Adelaide von Tomatis, 1788/89 (Vienna: Belvedere; photo by Johannes Stoll).
During his time in Warsaw in 1788–89, Johann Baptist Lampi the Elder painted several portraits of the Tomatis family. Milanese dancer Catarina, née Filipazzi, had moved to Warsaw with entrepreneur Carlo Tomatis in 1765. One of the three portraits of the family by Lampi shows two of their children, Caroline and Viktor, standing either side of a bust. X-ray and infrared imaging from 2016 revealed this bust to be an overpainting: hidden beneath the layers of paint is a portrait of their mother, Catarina, embracing her children. Based on this work and further portraits in addition to archival material, this exhibition tells the story of the Tomatis family.
In 2022 Johann Baptist Lampi the Younger’s painting Venus Sleeping on a Day Bed—as it was then known—was also analyzed using X-ray and infrared imaging. In this case, the figure of Cupid emerged, concealed beneath a black surface. The erasure of the god of love made the mythological content less apparent. This explains why the painting was later interpreted as a portrait of Emilie Victoria Kraus, one of Napoleon’s lovers, in two twentieth-century novels set in Salzburg. It was precisely this misinterpretation that paved the way to the painting’s popularity, which even reached as far as Paraguay. Now, for the first time since the revealing of Cupid in 2024, the painting will be shown to the public under its original title.
The history of these two paintings shows how fascinating art-historical research can be. The original content was forgotten due to overpainting, which resulted in misinterpretations. For the first time in the German-speaking world, the history of the Tomatis family has been examined in the context of their portraits while enduring myths surrounding this depiction of Venus have been challenged and debunked. At the same time, the comparison of the two works—encompassing the context in which they were created and commissioned—reveals the profound changes of this era that was characterized by the transition from a feudal to a bourgeois society, said curator Katharina Lovecky.
This exhibition uncovers the layers of meaning contained within two works, which had been hidden by overpainting. It shows that the meaning of artworks can be significantly altered once they leave the artist’s studio: A family portrait expressing a mother’s love for her children was transformed into a memorial while an idealized Venus morphed into the portrait of a local Salzburg celebrity.
Katharina Lovecky, Roberto Pancheri, Stella Rollig, and Ana Stefaner, Johann Baptist Lampi der Ältere und der Jüngere: Übermalt und freigelegt (Wien: Belvedere, 2026), 112 pages, ISBN: 978-3903327757, €19.
Study Course | Drawings in Theory and Practice
From ArtHist.net:
Drawings in Theory and Practice: Connoisseurship – Collecting – Curatorial Practice
Albertina, Vienna, 28 July — 1 August 2025
Applications due by 6 June 2025
We are pleased to announce our 8th annual study course on drawings. The course is designed for doctoral students and early post-doc-researchers which are working in the field of drawings and prints, and are interested in exploring curatorial practices. The course offers the opportunity to discuss current research on the graphic arts and, at the same time, to gain insight into one of the most renowned collections of prints and drawings.
The course is organized jointly by the Institute of Art History at the University of Vienna and the Albertina and is generously supported by the Wolfgang Ratjen Foundation. Participants are expected to present aspects of their current research in a 30-minute paper. Together we will discuss relevant drawings in the Albertina and gain insight into different curatorial practices: conception and planning of exhibitions, publication of catalogues, conservation and marketing, collecting and provenance research. Accommodation in Vienna will be covered as well as documented travel costs (economy flight, 2nd class train ticket) up to 350 Euros. The general course language is English, while individual papers can be presented also in German, Italian, and French.
The course is directed by Univ.-Prof. Dr. Sebastian Schütze and Dr. Christof Metzger. Applications—including a CV, a short description of the drawing or print related research project, and a reference letter from a university professor—should be sent by 8 June 2026 to Dr. Silvia Tammaro at silvia.tammaro@univie.ac.at. Applicants will be notified by 15 June 2025.
Exhibition | WORN
From the press release for the exhibition:
WORN
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, 27 March 2026 — 21 March 2027
Curated by Vanessa Jones
WORN at the Rijksmuseum is an intimate display of fashion garments that have been worn, altered and reused—with a focus on wear, repair and craftsmanship. On view are 24 garments and accessories dating from 1640 to 1930. All of them have been cherished for centuries, from the 17th-century mules with richly embroidered patterns to an 18th-century dress worn by multiple generations of the Six family.
WORN presents garments and accessories from the collection of the Rijksmuseum that were repeatedly re-worn and adapted. The display invites visitors to truly look—up close, slowly and with careful attention. Take time to discover the repairs, the crisscross patterns of darned stitching, the slight signs of wear on the fabric, and even traces of sweat. Every detail tells how these pieces were cherished, worn and carefully preserved for generations.
A 19th-century blue taffeta dress with a woven pattern shows how garments were altered multiple times. The dress consists of a skirt with several bodices that were swapped depending on the occasion. One of the bodices was taken apart and reassembled several times, to ensure the dress lasted even longer. Another garment that gained a second life is the citrine-yellow floral dress owned by the Six family: beneath the 18th-century exterior lies a 19th-century interior structure. Members of later generations wore the dress in 1896 and again as late as 1925, after the interior was modified with a modern corset with steel boning.
Every 12 months, the Rijksmuseum presents a new display in the Special Collections galleries of objects from its large and varied costume collection. The display design for WORN is by the French architectural firm Wilmotte & Associés.
Call for Papers | Looking Queerly
From INHA:
Looking Queerly / Regards Queer
Perspective : actualité en histoire de l’art, no. 2027 – 2
Guest edited by Ersy Contogouris and Nancy Thebaut
Proposals due by 15 June 2026; final drafts will be due by 1 December 2026
Pompeo Batoni, Peace and Justice, ca. 1745, oil on canvas, 120 × 90 cm (Montreal: Musée des Beaux-arts, 1979.21).
Over the last several decades, queer has emerged as one of the most generative, contested, and transformative terms in the humanities. Within art history, queer theory has challenged normative assumptions about identity, desire, authorship, temporality, and visual meaning, all the while exposing the discipline’s investments in heterosexuality, gender binaries, and teleological narratives of style and progress.
This issue seeks to highlight the diverse forms, aims, and methods of queer art histories today. How is ‘queer’ a useful mode of analysis for art historians, and how might it unsettle binaries, hierarchies, and disciplinary conventions, including the very ways that art history is written? We welcome contributions across historical periods and geographical contexts: what might it mean to queer ancient Egyptian paintings, a Mesoamerican codex, or eighteenth-century chinoiserie, for instance?
Queer can also be understood expansively and need not be limited to works explicitly addressing sexuality or gender. Indeed, we are especially interested in contributions that mobilize queer theory to rethink objects and archives not typically understood as queer. To read the history of art queerly, as this issue seeks to do, is not simply to trace the emergence of queer art since the late nineteenth century; it is to question the discipline at its core and to re-examine all images with renewed attention.
We also encourage submissions that address the tensions, limits, and exclusions within queer theory itself, including its intersections with race, colonialism, disability, class, and trans and nonbinary studies. Rather than treat ‘queer art history’ as singular and settled, we are interested in papers that actively grapple with the historiography of queer within our discipline as well as what it means to queer art history today.
Please send your proposals (a summary of 200–500 words / 2000–3000 characters, a working title, a short bibliography on the subject and a brief biography) to the editors (revue-perspective@inha.fr) by 15 June 2026. Proposals will be examined by the editorial board regardless of language (the translation of articles accepted for publication is handled by Perspective). The authors of the pre-selected projects will be informed of the editorial board’s decision in July 2026. The full articles must be received by 1 December 2026. The texts submitted (4000–7000 words / 25,000–45,000 characters, depending on the format chosen) will be accepted in final form after an anonymous peer-review process.
The full Call for Papers with a bibliography is available here»
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