March 14, 2015-June 19, 2016
Installation Location: Florence and Herbert Irving Galleries for Chinese Decorative Arts Gallery 222
An installation of some 100 precious carvings in Chinese and Mogul jade and other hardstones, collected by Heber R. Bishop, will go on view at The Metropolitan Museum of Art beginning March 14. Featuring various types of objects—from containers for everyday use and pendants to ornaments intended for an emperor’s desk— A Passion for Jade: The Heber Bishop Collection will illustrate the wide range of the lapidary’s repertoire.
The exhibition is made possible by the Joseph Hotung Fund.
An industrialist and entrepreneur, Mr. Bishop was an active patron of the arts and a Trustee of the Metropolitan Museum during its formative years. In the late 19th century, he assembled a collection of more than a thousand pieces of jade and other hardstones from China and elsewhere, and in 1902, he bequeathed the collection to the Museum.
Dating from Han dynasty (221-207 B.C.) to the 20th century, the objects on view in the installation will be selected entirely from the Museum’s collection. They will include outstanding Qing-dynasty (1644-1911) examples that are representative of the sophisticated art of Chinese lapidaries, as well as highly accomplished works by Mogul Indian jade carvers that provided an exotic inspiration to their Chinese counterparts. Also on display will be a set of Chinese lapidary tools and illustrations of jade workshops in China.
The installation will be featured on the museum's website, as well as on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter via the hashtags #BishopJades and #AsianArt100.
# # #
Updated: May 17, 2016
Image: Pillow in the shape of an infant boy. China, Qing dynasty (1644–1911), 19th century. Jade (nephrite). The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of Heber R. Bishop, 1902. Photo: Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Press resources