China is the only civilization in the world to have a total cultural continuity from the third millennium BC to the present day. Included in this magnificent volume are pieces ranging from the Neolithic period to the Qing dynasty, created from bronze, stone, pottery, stoneware, porcelain, and painted enamel on copper, each illustrated in color.

The patronage of rulers was essential for the grandeur of Chinese art. Art was part policy, part the project of a reign, and part the affirmation of a dynasty's identity, and the expression of its culture. Legitimate rulers and usurpers, Chinese kings and emperors, and barbarian founders of Chinese dynasties devoted enormous resources to expressing the genius and the ideology of their time. Of Earth and Fire provides an opportunity to view and appreciate representative examples of their magnificent work.