Enfilade

Zimingzhong with a Crane Carrying a Pavilion, 18th century
(Beijing: The Palace Museum)

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From the press release (via Art Daily) for the exhibition:

Zimingzhong 凝时聚珍: Clockwork Treasures from China’s Forbidden City
Science Museum, London, 1 February — 2 June 2024

A major exhibition opened at the Science Museum on Thursday, 1 February 2024, featuring more than 20 resplendent mechanical clocks, called zimingzhong, on loan from The Palace Museum in Beijing and never before displayed together in the UK. Zimingzhong 凝时聚珍: Clockwork Treasures from China’s Forbidden City takes visitors on a journey through the 1700s, from the Chinese trading port of Guangzhou and onto the home of the emperors in the Forbidden City, the UNESCO-listed palace in the heart of Beijing. The exhibition shines a light on the emperors’ keen interest in and collection of these remarkable clockwork instruments, the origins of this unique trade, and the inner workings of the elaborate treasures that inspired British craftsmen and emperors alike. Translating to ‘bells that ring themselves’, zimingzhong were more than just clocks: they presented an enchanting combination of a flamboyant aesthetic, timekeeping, music and movement using mechanisms new to most people in 18th-century China.

Pagoda Zimingzhong, 18th century (Beijing: The Palace Museum).

On entering the exhibition, visitors encounter the ornate Pagoda Zimingzhong, a celebration of the technology and design possibilities of zimingzhong. This unique piece dating from the 1700s was made in London during the Qing Dynasty in China. The complex moving mechanism is brought to life in an accompanying video which shows the nine delicate tiers slowly rise and fall.

Next, the ‘Emperors and Zimingzhong’ section explores the vital role of zimingzhong in facilitating early cultural exchanges between East and West. Some of the first zimingzhong to enter the Forbidden City were brought by Matteo Ricci, an Italian missionary in the early 1600s. Ricci and other missionaries were seeking to ingratiate themselves in Chinese society by presenting beautiful automata to the emperor. Decades later, the Kangxi Emperor (1662–1722) was intrigued by, and went on to collect, these automata which he christened zimingzhong, displaying them as ‘foreign curiosities’. They helped demonstrate his mastery of time, the heavens, and his divine right to rule.

The ‘Trade’ section explores the clock trade route from London to the southern Chinese coast. The journey took up to a year, but once British merchants reached the coast, they could buy sought-after goods including silk, tea, and porcelain. Within this section, visitors can see a preserved porcelain tea bowl and saucer set which sank on a merchant ship in 1752 and was found centuries later at the bottom of the South China Sea.

Whilst the demand for Chinese goods was high, British merchants were keen to develop their own export trade, and British-made luxury goods like zimingzhong provided the perfect opportunity to do so. This exchange of goods led to the exchange of skills. In the ‘Mechanics’ section of the exhibition visitors can see luxurious pieces like the Zimingzhong with mechanical lotus flowers, which was constructed using Chinese and European technology. When wound, a flock of miniature birds swim on a glistening pond as potted lotus flowers open. The sumptuous decorative elements are powered by a mechanism made in China while the musical mechanism was made in Europe.

Sir Ian Blatchford, Director and Chief Executive of the Science Museum Group, said: ”The flamboyant combination of design flair and mechanical precision exemplified in these three-hundred-year-old time pieces has to be seen to be believed. We are deeply grateful to The Palace Museum in Beijing for entrusting us with these rare treasures from the Forbidden City.”

The ‘Making’ section of the exhibition explores the artistic skills and techniques needed to create zimingzhong. On display together for the first time is the Temple zimingzhong made by key British maker James Upjohn in the 1760s and his memoir which provides rich insight into the work involved in creating its ornate figurines and delicate gold filigree. Four interactive mechanisms that illustrate technologies used to operate the zimingzhong are also on display. Provided by Hong Kong Science Museum, these interactives enable visitors to discover some of the inner workings of these delicate clocks.

Zimingzhong, 18th century (Beijing: The Palace Museum).

In the ‘Design’ section, the exhibition explores how British zimingzhong, designed for the Chinese market by craftsmen who had often never travelled to Asia, reflect British perceptions of Chinese culture in the 1700s. On display is a selection of zimingzhong that embody this attempt at a visual understanding of Chinese tastes, including the Zimingzhong with Turbaned Figure. This piece mixes imagery associated with China, Japan, and India to present a generalised European view of an imagined East, reflecting the ‘chinoiserie’ style that was popular in Britain at the time. It highlights British people’s interest in China but also their lack of cultural understanding.

Although beautiful to behold, zimingzhong weren’t purely decorative. As timekeepers, they had a variety of uses, including organising the Imperial household and improving the timing of celestial events such as eclipses. The ability to predict changes in the night sky with greater accuracy helped reinforce the belief present in Chinese cosmology that the emperor represented the connection between Heaven and Earth. On display in the exhibition is a publication from 1809 written by Chaojun Xu and on loan from the Needham Research Institute, titled 自鸣钟表图说 (Illustrated Account of Zimingzhong). The document was used as a guide for converting the Roman numerals used on European clocks into the Chinese system of 12 double-hours, 时 (shi) and represents the increasing cultural exchanges between East and West.

Jane Desborough, Keeper of Science Collections at the Science Museum, said: “In this new exhibition visitors can explore how the detailed designs and mechanisms at the heart of zimingzhong represent a unique cultural exchange of ideas and skills. One of the many delicate objects that represents this exchange is the Zimingzhong with a crane carrying a pavilion. The mechanism of this intricate timepiece was made by British maker and retailer James Cox, but the delicate outer casing and beautiful decorations were almost certainly made in China. This particular zimingzhong highlights the importance of the emperors’ patronage in creating these remarkable objects.”

Part of the appeal of zimingzhong was also the sophisticated music technology they showcased; they often played a selection of popular European or Chinese songs. Skilled programmers would convert written musical scores into mechanisms. Throughout the exhibition, an accompanying soundscape of the clocks’ melodies are being played, including the “Molihua” or “Jasmine Flower,” a popular Chinese folk song, and an extract from George Frideric Handel’s 1711 opera, Rinaldo.

To explore the cultural legacy of zimingzhong, the Science Museum has collaborated with China Exchange to gather stories and memories from people of Chinese heritage living in London. These are on display throughout the exhibition and provide a range of rich, personal perspectives on the significance and meaning of zimingzhong.

Visitors can also see rare books and archival material from the Science Museum Group Collection, including Louis Le Comte’s account of his visit to China; a clock made by one of London’s leading clockmakers, George Graham; an analemmatic sundial made by the talented mathematical instrument maker, Thomas Tuttell; and a selection of hand tools from James Watts’s workshop. These objects beautifully complement the stories represented by the zimingzhong, showcasing the complexity of the instrument and clockmaking trades.

On entering the final section, visitors can explore the decline of the zimingzhong trade. In 1796, Emperor Jiaqing ascended the throne; he believed zimingzhong to be a frivolous waste of money and the trade faded. But zimingzhong continued to be used by China’s elite rulers in the Forbidden City and highlighted the growing global links being forged by trade.

Wang Xudong, Director of the Palace Museum, said: “In the 1580s, Western clocks entered China’s interior from its southern coast, and the country’s history of clock collection and manufacture began. The rich collection of timepieces in the Forbidden City serves not only as a medium of contact between China and the Western world, but also as a vehicle of cultural diversity: through a unique historical angle, it showcases over three centuries of communication, exchange and integration between China and the wider world. This is an exhibition worth looking forward to!”

George Romney, Satan Surveying the Fallen Angels, ca. 1790, pen and black ink and brush and gray wash over graphite on laid paper, 36 × 53 cm
(Williamstown: The Clark, 2023)

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Now on view at The Clark:

50 Years and Forward: British Prints and Drawings Acquisitions
The Clark Art Institute, Williamstown, MA, 18 November 2023 — 11 February 2024

Curated by Anne Leonard

The emergence of British art as a significant collecting area at the Clark is a recent phenomenon. For museum founders Sterling and Francine Clark, works by artists from the British Isles did not constitute a major collecting focus. British art was largely eclipsed by the French Impressionist, American, and Old Master paintings that the Clarks so loved and that became central to the museum’s identity. A transformative gift from Sir Edwin and Lady Manton’s collection of British art, donated by the Manton Art Foundation in 2007, changed all that. British art soared dramatically in significance and visibility at the Clark, and a dedicated gallery allowed works from the Manton Collection (mostly paintings) to be on permanent display. Works on paper such as prints and drawings, however, are light-sensitive and can be on view only for short intervals, if they are to be preserved for posterity. Therefore, this exhibition is a rare opportunity to present, all at once, the broad scope of our British collection with prints and drawings of the highest quality.

50 Years and Forward: British Prints and Drawings Acquisitions offers a richly varied selection of works on paper acquired since the Manton Research Center opened in 1973. Highlights include lively figure drawings by Thomas Rowlandson; vibrant watercolor landscapes by J.M.W. Turner, Thomas Girtin, and H.W. Williams; heartfelt interpretations of nature by John Constable and Samuel Palmer; vivid portrait heads by Thomas Frye and Evelyn de Morgan; and an astonishing watercolor interior by Anna Alma-Tadema. This abundant display showcases how the Clark continues, in the wake of the Manton gift, to enrich the British works on paper collection—ensuring that it grows in strength and variety far into the future.

50 Years and Forward: British Prints and Drawings Acquisitions is organized by the Clark Art Institute and curated by Anne Leonard, Manton Curator of Prints, Drawings, and Photographs.

Now on view at The Clark:

50 Years and Forward: Works on Paper Acquisitions
The Clark Art Institute, Williamstown, MA, 16 December 2023 — 10 March 2024

Curated by Anne Leonard

Ubaldo Gandolfi, Seated Male Nude, ca. 1770, red chalk on paper, 41 × 29 cm (Williamstown: The Clark, gift of David Jenness in honor of Arthur Jenness, Professor at Williams College, 1946–63, 2012.17.4).

When the Clark Art Institute opened in 1955, it had 500 drawings and 1,400 prints, totaling 1,900 works on paper. In the past fifty years, 4,000 works on paper have been added—more than double the museum’s founding gift—and acquisitions continue apace. While these numerical increases are important, they are only part of the story. What they fail to convey is the change in the collection’s character over time. With constant reappraisal over the decades, new dimensions have emerged, building upon Sterling and Francine Clark’s original vision.

50 Years and Forward: Works on Paper Acquisitions marks the fiftieth anniversary of the Manton Research Center—the home of the works on paper collection—with a selection of prints, drawings, and photographs acquired between 1973 and 2023. Featuring recent acquisitions and other works never shown here before, the exhibition starts from classic territories with which the Clark has long been closely identified—such as early modern drawings and nineteenth-century French art—and shows how those pockets of strength continued to grow in later decades. In a parallel development, the Institute initiated fresh collecting areas such as photography and Japanese prints. Such additions, while hewing to the same standards of quality and art-historical significance, have allowed the Clark to fill acknowledged gaps and raise its institutional profile.

In this anniversary exhibition, we explore and celebrate the developments of the past fifty years. Along with familiar works by Albrecht Dürer, Francisco de Goya, Édouard Manet, and Mary Cassatt, we highlight lesser-known areas of the collection, including early twentieth-century art, photographs by Berenice Abbott and Doris Ulmann, and important images of and by Black Americans. With each passing year and decade, the Clark reaffirms its commitment to the founders’ storied collecting mission, modifying and expanding it to meet the needs of a new era.

50 Years and Forward: Works on Paper Acquisitions is organized by the Clark Art Institute and curated by Anne Leonard, Manton Curator of Prints, Drawings, and Photographs.

A checklist of all works is available here»