Enfilade

From the press release for the exhibition:

An Enamel Revolution: China and the World

The Fitzwilliam Museum, University of Cambridge, 20 October 2026 – 21 February 2027

Curated by James Lin with Joyce Chou

An Enamel Revolution: China and the World is a unique collaboration between The Fitzwilliam Museum and the Art Museum, The Chinese University of Hong Kong. The display explores the history of painted enamel in China, a field that has, until recently, received relatively little scholarly attention. Beginning with the transfer of painted enamel technology from Europe to China in the late seventeenth century, the display traces the emergence of hybrid artistic traditions that developed through interactions between China and the wider world. In doing so, it offers new perspectives on cross-cultural exchange, artistic innovation, and global trade.

Elephant–Handled Zun Vase with Flowers, Fruits, and Insect, late 18th to early 19th century, copper and painted enamel (Art Museum, The Chinese University of Hong Kong).

The display features an exceptional group of painted enamel objects on loan from the Art Museum, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, many of which are being shown in the United Kingdom for the first time. These works are displayed alongside important examples from The Fitzwilliam Museum’s own collection. Together, they reveal how Chinese craftsmen working in the imperial workshops of Beijing and the commercial workshops of Canton adapted and transformed the painted enamel technique to decorate objects made of porcelain, glass, silver, and copper.

The first section of An Enamel Revolution examines the origins of painted enamel through the lens of international exchange. Painted enamel on copper became fashionable in Europe from the late fifteenth century onwards and was widely used for luxury objects such as watch cases, miniature portraits, snuffboxes, and other personal accessories. These finely crafted items were often regarded as precious jewels. Centres of enamel production flourished in places such as Limoges, in France and Nuremberg, in Germany before the technique eventually reached China.

Following the lifting of the maritime trade ban in 1684, European painted enamel technology entered China through the southern port of Canton brought by alongside missionaries, merchants, and diplomatic envoys. The Kangxi (r. 1662–1722), Yongzheng (r. 1723–1735), and Qianlong (r.1736–1795) emperors were fascinated by this sophisticated European art form and instructed craftsmen in the imperial workshops to master and develop enamel production. Painted enamels were created to decorate the imperial palaces and to serve as prestigious diplomatic gifts. At the same time, works by renowned European enamellers, including Jacques I Laudin (c. 1627–1695), were brought to China as models for local craftsmen to study and emulate. As European enthusiasm for Chinese art and design—often described as ‘Chinoiserie’—grew, Chinese workshops also began producing enamels specifically for overseas markets.

Sweetmeat Set with Flower, Butterfly, and Scholars’ Rock Designs, China, 1750–1800, copper and painted enamel (Art Museum, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Gift of Mr. Anthony K. W. Cheung in memory of Prof. Xu Xiaodong, 2024.0138).

The second section explores painted enamels within the context of global commerce. To meet the demands of international consumers, Chinese artisans adapted designs inspired by ancient bronzes, jade carvings, and ceramics for domestic patrons, while also producing a wide range of objects tailored to foreign tastes. Large quantities of tableware and household items, including candlesticks, tureens, punch bowls, and breakfast sets, were commissioned for the growing European middle and upper classes. Workshops also created objects in Islamic-inspired forms and produced Benjarong-style wares for markets across Southeast Asia and beyond.

This section further highlights tea and coffee services—including tea caddies, kettles, teapots, cups, and saucers—which reflect the growing popularity of these newly fashionable beverages during the eighteenth century. Armorial enamels bearing coats of arms commissioned by European aristocratic families were specially made to commemorate marriages, alliances, and other significant occasions. Once these luxury goods arrived in Europe, many were redistributed through complex trade networks to regions far beyond their original destinations.

The dazzling painted enamels seen in this display tell stories of the movement of materials, technologies, artistic knowledge, and ideas across continents. They reveal how innovations travelled between East and West, how artistic traditions were adapted and transformed through cultural encounters, and how new products were created, traded, and consumed within an increasingly interconnected world. The development of painted enamel in China was made possible through the contributions of imperial patrons, European missionary intermediaries, and skilled craftsmen working in Jingdezhen, Beijing, and Canton (today’s Guangzhou). Together, they played vital roles in shaping one of the most remarkable examples of artistic exchange and early globalisation in the eighteenth century.

An Enamel Revolution: China and the World is jointly organised by the Art Museum, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, and The Fitzwilliam Museum, with generous support from the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. The exhibition is curated by Dr James Lin, Senior Curator of Chinese Art at The Fitzwilliam Museum and supported by Dr Joyce Chou, Research Associate at The Art Museum, CUHK.

From the press release for the exhibition:

Floating Worlds: Prints from Osaka and Kyoto

Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide, 30 January — 18 April 2027

Curated by Russell Kelty

Shunkōsai Hokushū, Actors Arashi Kichisaburō II as Prince Koretaka and Nakamura Utaemon III as Katō Masakiyo, 9/1820, Osaka, color woodblock print (nishiki-e) with metallic pigment, ōban, 38.6 × 26.3 cm (Adelaide: Art Gallery of South Australia, Bequest of M.J.M. Carter AO).

The Art Gallery of South Australia will present Floating Worlds: Prints from Osaka and Kyoto from 30 January 2027, the first exhibition in Australia to explore the unique woodblock print culture that emerged in Japan’s historical Kamigata region of Osaka and Kyoto during the Edo period (1603–1868). Through striking images of Kabuki actors, celebrated beauties, the supernatural, sumo wrestlers, and sweeping landscapes, alongside dramatic examples of samurai armour and finely crafted kimonos, the exhibition will showcase the ‘floating worlds’ of theatre, beauty, fashion, and entertainment that dominated the vibrant urban centres of Osaka and Kyoto. Revealing the artistic innovation, sophistication, and vitality of Kamigata print culture, Floating Worlds will feature works by more than ninety woodblock print artists rarely seen in Australia.

The ‘floating world’ (ukiyo) refers to the pleasure-seeking lifestyle that emerged in Japan during the Edo period. As Japan’s lower classes (chōnin) flourished, they sought escape from their daily obligations and spent their leisure time in theatres, teahouses, and pleasure quarters. From these urban centres arose ukiyo-e, or ‘pictures of the floating world’, a celebrated art form that captured the beauty, drama, and enchantment of these entertainment districts. At the heart of this thriving culture were the legendary stars of the kabuki stage, whose rivalries inspired intense public admiration and fuelled the production of woodblock prints commissioned by devoted admirers and collectors.

Jason Smith, Director, AGSA, said, “Floating Worlds will offer audiences in Adelaide and from across Australia a rare encounter with the captivating ‘floating worlds’ of seventeenth- to nineteenth-century Osaka and Kyoto. Demonstrating an extraordinary level of craftsmanship and creativity, these prints mark AGSA’s first major acquisition through the M.J.M. Carter AO Bequest that forms the foundation of this exceptional exhibition. Thanks to this transformational bequest, AGSA is now home to the most comprehensive collection of Kamigata prints in Australia, on par with major collections around the world.”

The Hon Kyam Maher MLC, Deputy Premier and Minister for Arts, said, “Floating Worlds will offer visitors an unprecedented opportunity to delve into the remarkable woodblock print culture of Edo-period Japan. Even today, this artform remains hugely influential and enduringly popular, and this exclusive exhibition will be a must-visit event for Japan enthusiasts, families, and art lovers this summer.”

Offering a fascinating insight into the cultural heart of historical Japan, Floating Worlds showcases the craftsmanship and distinctive visual language of woodblock prints from the Kamigata region of Osaka and Kyoto. It was in Kamigata that a distinctive school of woodblock printmaking emerged, with a remarkable mastery of materials and inventive visual language that was distinct from works produced in Edo (present-day Tokyo). While Edo sustained Japan’s most prolific print industry, the Kamigata region cultivated an exceptional aesthetic sensibility and supreme level of artistry.

Floating Worlds will present woodblock print designers who are rarely seen in Australia, including the pioneering Osaka-based artist Ryūkōsai Jokei (1776–1811), whose realistic depiction of the faces of kabuki actors set the standard for succeeding generations. Floating Worlds also includes luminaries of the nineteenth century such as Shunkōsai Hokushū (1802–1832), Shunbaisai Hokuei (active 1828–1836), Ryūsai Shigeharu (1803–1853), and the initiator of the only true familial lineage of artists which continues today, Hasegawa Sadanobu (1809–1879). The masters of the late nineteenth century, such as Utagawa Sadamasu (active c.1830–1854) and Gosōtei Hirosada (active c.1847–1863, d. 1865), also feature. Showcasing more than 200 works from the AGSA collection, alongside loans from public and private collections, Floating Worlds will reveal the artistic traditions, skills, and cultural practices passed down through generations, many of which continue to shape Japanese society today.

Exhibition curator Russell Kelty, Curator of Asian Art, AGSA, commented, “Floating Worlds seeks to reveal the beauty and sophistication of Kamigata ukiyo-e, by offering a new vision of this artform and expanding conventional understandings of Kamigata woodblock prints to present a more holistic view of the culture that captivated the region. Alongside celebrated actor prints are depictions of highly skilled courtesans, sumo wrestlers, comic, and at times bawdy interludes, tales of samurai heroism, landscapes, and scenes from everyday life. Together these works reveal the breadth, complexity, and dynamism of Kamigata visual culture.”

Sir Joshua Reynolds, Portrait of Mai (‘Omai’), detail, ca. 1776, oil on canvas (Purchased jointly by the J. Paul Getty Trust and the Board of Trustees of the National Portrait Gallery, London, 2023).

◊    ◊    ◊    ◊    ◊

Now on view at The Getty:

Joshua Reynolds’s Portrait of Mai and 18th-Century Portraiture

Getty Center, Los Angeles, 15 September 2026 — 14 March 2027

This selection of painted and sculpted portraits by such artists as Gainsborough, Goya, and David explore the interplay of status, character, and identity in an age of global encounter. At its center is the US debut of Sir Joshua Reynolds’s Portrait of Mai, a compelling painting of the first Polynesian visitor to Great Britain. Portrayed in a full-length format traditionally reserved for the European elite, this depiction of Mai subtly reconfigured the genre’s conventions.

Portrait of Mai was purchased jointly by the J. Paul Getty Trust and the Board of Trustees of the National Portrait Gallery, London, 2023. Support provided to NPG by the National Heritage Memorial Fund, Art Fund and other generous supporters.

The 2023 press release explaining the joint purchase is available here»

Now on view at the Château de Fontainebleau:

Le Panache des Lumières

Château de Fontainebleau, 19 September 2026 — 25 January 2027

François-André Vincent, Henri IV and Sully at Fontainebleau, 1784, oil on canvas, 143 × 138 cm (on long-term loan to Fontainebleau; photo by Gérard Blot). One of a series of six paintings intended as tapestry cartoons for a history of Heni IV.

The Château de Fontainebleau presents The Panache of the Enlightenment, an installation focused on the figure of Henri IV as reinterpreted during the reign of Louis XVI. Complementing the concurrent exhibition Marie-Antoinette and Louis XVI at Fontainebleau: Splendor and the Joys of Living, the installation traces the dynasty back to the first of the Bourbons. On the eve of the Revolution—as his reign grew more fragile—Louis XVI invoked Henri IV, the ruler who lingered in popular memory as the ‘father of the people’.

The heart of the exhibition is the painted cycle devoted to the history of Henri IV by François-André Vincent, whose sketches are today kept at the château de Pau. These works trace how the memory of the Béarnais king was revived at the end of the ancien régime, somewhere between a heroic narrative and an early instrument of political communication.

In the French imagination, Henri IV embodied a king who stood with his people. In reviving his image, the eighteenth-century monarchy looked for a unifying, protective icon. The installation shows how an image from the past could be recycled to serve the present. The white plume of Henry IV, once a symbol of courage, reemerged as a useful reference under Louis XVI. Behind the paintings, we read a lesson in the history of images and their power, still as relevant today.

Marie Antoinette’s Silver Boudoir at the Château de Fontainebleau, 1786.

◊    ◊    ◊    ◊    ◊

The exhibition opens next month:

Marie-Antoinette and Louis XVI at Fontainebleau: Splendor and the Goodlife

Marie-Antoinette et Louis XVI à Fontainebleau: Splendeur et douceur de vivre

Château de Fontainebleau, 11 October 2026 — 27 January 2027

Curated by Jean Vittet

In autumn 2026, the Château de Fontainebleau will host a major exhibition dedicated to Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI, commemorating the 240th anniversary of their last stay at this royal residence. Organised in partnership with GrandPalaisRmn, the exhibition invites visitors to rediscover one of the royal couple’s favourite retreats through a captivating journey exploring history, art, and the intimacy of court life. Between 1774 and 1786, Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI stayed at Fontainebleau on seven occasions. Marked by both political and family events, these visits reflect the royal couple’s deep attachment to the château, which served both as a setting for royal ceremony and as a peaceful retreat from the bustle of Versailles.

The remarkably well-preserved interiors—including the Turkish Boudoir, the Silver Boudoir, the Queen’s Grand Cabinet, the King’s Powder Cabinet, the Buffet Room, and the Chapel of the Trinity—capture a defining moment of the reign. Created under the direction of architects Richard Mique, Nicolas-Marie Potain, and Pierre Rousseau, they offer a rare insight into the royal art of living on the eve of the French Revolution.

Bringing together more than 120 works of art—including portraits, drawings, sculptures and decorative objects—the exhibition features exceptional loans from around twenty prestigious French and international institutions, including the Palace of Versailles, the Louvre Museum, the National Library of France and the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum in Lisbon. Together, these works offer a vivid picture of the royal couple’s daily life at Fontainebleau, their artistic tastes, and the pleasures of court life, with theatre and music occupying a central place in their social world.

The result of extensive research, this exhibition sheds new light on the role played by the last sovereigns of the Ancien Régime at Fontainebleau, moving beyond the fixed images shaped by history. It reveals an atmosphere of refinement, serenity and intimacy, where splendour coexists with a certain art of living.

A complementary programme, including a selection of films inspired by Marie Antoinette, will be presented at the Ermitage Cinema in Fontainebleau from 10 to 17 October. The programme will also include the Queen’s Concerts, held as part of Thomas Hengelbrock’s residency at the Château de Fontainebleau on 9, 10, and 11 October.

Curator
Jean Vittet, Chief Curator of Heritage at the Château de Fontainebleau

Now on view at Princeton:

The Art of Japanese Publishing: A Selection of Japanese

Illustrated Books from the Marquand Library Collection, 1660–1960

Princeton University Library, 9 September — 6 December 2026

Curated by Nicole Fabricand-Person and Holly Hatheway

The advent of commercial publishing in 17th-century Japan completely revolutionized the Japanese art tradition. For the first time, art was no longer exclusively created for the upper classes who could afford to commission it for private use. This artistic revolution was the result of newly-minted publishers in Kyoto, Osaka, and Edo, who began to experiment with woodblock printing—a process that, for over a thousand years, had been restricted to Japanese temples for the production of Buddhist texts. These beautifully illustrated and commercially published books impacted Japanese art tradition and inspired Western art movements. The publishing of illustrated books was then revolutionized in the 20th century with the introduction of photography, new printing processes, and artists taking control of their work for the first time.

Marquand Library celebrates the art of Japanese publishing in this exhibition with selections from our collection of rare Japanese illustrated books. The Art of Japanese Publishing: A Selection of Japanese Illustrated Books from the Marquand Library Collection 1660–1960 is curated by Nicole Fabricand-Person (’76 *01, Japanese Art Specialist, Marquand Library of Art & Archaeology) and Holly Hatheway (Director, Marquand Library of Art & Archaeology).