Gallery Projects
Musical Instruments: Asian Pieces
Ken Moore, Curator Emeritus, Department of Musical Instruments

Left: Dōtaku. Japan, Yayoi period (ca. 300 B.C–A.D. 300). Bronze. Rogers Fund, 1918 (18.68). Top right: Koto, early 17th century. Japan. Various woods, ivory and tortoiseshell, gold and silver, cloth, lacquer, paper. Purchase, Amati Gifts, 2007 (2007.194a-f). Bottom right: Prince Lu. Guqin, 1634. China (Hangzhou), Ming Dynasty. Wood, silk, jade, lacquer, mother-of-pearl. Purchase, Clara Mertens Bequest, in memory of André Mertens, Seymour Fund, The Boston Foundation Gift, Gift of Elizabeth M. Riley, by exchange, and funds from various donors, 1999 (1999.93)
After a two-year hiatus, on March 22, 2018, four renovated musical instrument galleries reopened featuring a new narrative, and a wide-range of objects from other departments.
The final gallery for musical instruments, a regional arrangement emphasizing cross-cultural influences, opens in February 2019 with even more instruments from Asia.
Arms and Armor: Imperial Patrons of the Military Arts in the Qing Dynasty
Donald LaRocca, Curator, Department of Arms and Armor

Top: Ceremonial Saddle Decorated with Peony Blossoms. China, Qing dynasty (1644–1911), probably Qianlong period (1736–1795). Carved red lacquer, wood, gold, copper alloy, iron, leather. Anonymous Loan. Bottom left: Imperial Seal of the Prince of the Dörbed (Four Children) Banner. China, Qing dynasty (1644–1911), Kangxi period (1662–1722), dated 1686. Silver. Anonymous Loan. Bottom right: Ceremonial Helmet, China, Qing dynasty (1644–1911), mid-18th century. Steel, copper, gold, silk, metallic thread. Bequest of George C. Stone, 1935 (36.25.5a)
A special installation in the Department of Arms and Armor, organized around key loans from an anonymous private collector, features a small but choice group of masterpieces in carved lacquer and metalwork relating to the military arts during the Qing dynasty (1644–1911). Including lavishly decorated saddles, knives, and a matchlock gun, these pieces unequivocally demonstrate the exceptional quality of hunting weapons, armor, and equestrian equipment owned and used by the Qing emperors and members of the imperial court, particularly during the Kangxi (1662–1722) and Qianlong (1736–95) reigns.
Currently on view in gallery 378.