Bird of Peace
Cloisonné Barrel Drum
Meiji period, ca 1873
Wood, metal, cloisonné, hide, silk, padding
This oversize barrel drum, with its meticulously decorated cloissonne cylinder and stand, was commissioned by the Japanese government for the Vienna World Exposition of 1873. This decorative drum or a similar one (part of a pair was on display at the 1876 Philadelphia Centennial Exposition).
The rooster resting atop a war drum is a symbol of peace. Furthermore, in ancient China, drums were used to announce a call to arms, so peaceful times are symbolised by an idle drum.
[Met Museum]
Taken in the 'China: Through the Looking Glass' exhibition (May-September 2015).
This exhibition explores the impact of Chinese aesthetics on Western fashion and how China has fueled the fashionable imagination for centuries. In this collaboration between The Costume Institute and the Department of Asian Art, high fashion is juxtaposed with Chinese costumes, paintings, porcelains, and other art, including films, to reveal enchanting reflections of Chinese imagery.
From the earliest period of European contact with China in the sixteenth century, the West has been enchanted with enigmatic objects and imagery from the East, providing inspiration for fashion designers from Paul Poiret to Yves Saint Laurent, whose fashions are infused at every turn with romance, nostalgia, and make-believe. Through the looking glass of fashion, designers conjoin disparate stylistic references into a pastiche of Chinese aesthetic and cultural traditions.
The exhibition features more than 140 examples of haute couture and avant-garde ready-to-wear alongside Chinese art. Filmic representations of China are incorporated throughout to reveal how our visions of China are framed by narratives that draw upon popular culture, and also to recognize the importance of cinema as a medium through which to understand the richness of Chinese history.
[Exhibition description]
In the Metropolitan Museum of Art, 5th Avenue, New York
Bird of Peace
Cloisonné Barrel Drum
Meiji period, ca 1873
Wood, metal, cloisonné, hide, silk, padding
This oversize barrel drum, with its meticulously decorated cloissonne cylinder and stand, was commissioned by the Japanese government for the Vienna World Exposition of 1873. This decorative drum or a similar one (part of a pair was on display at the 1876 Philadelphia Centennial Exposition).
The rooster resting atop a war drum is a symbol of peace. Furthermore, in ancient China, drums were used to announce a call to arms, so peaceful times are symbolised by an idle drum.
[Met Museum]
Taken in the 'China: Through the Looking Glass' exhibition (May-September 2015).
This exhibition explores the impact of Chinese aesthetics on Western fashion and how China has fueled the fashionable imagination for centuries. In this collaboration between The Costume Institute and the Department of Asian Art, high fashion is juxtaposed with Chinese costumes, paintings, porcelains, and other art, including films, to reveal enchanting reflections of Chinese imagery.
From the earliest period of European contact with China in the sixteenth century, the West has been enchanted with enigmatic objects and imagery from the East, providing inspiration for fashion designers from Paul Poiret to Yves Saint Laurent, whose fashions are infused at every turn with romance, nostalgia, and make-believe. Through the looking glass of fashion, designers conjoin disparate stylistic references into a pastiche of Chinese aesthetic and cultural traditions.
The exhibition features more than 140 examples of haute couture and avant-garde ready-to-wear alongside Chinese art. Filmic representations of China are incorporated throughout to reveal how our visions of China are framed by narratives that draw upon popular culture, and also to recognize the importance of cinema as a medium through which to understand the richness of Chinese history.
[Exhibition description]
In the Metropolitan Museum of Art, 5th Avenue, New York