Arts of Ancient Viet Nam; From River Plain to Open Sea

by Nancy Tingley; With essays by Andreas Reinecke, Pierre-Yves Manguin, Kerry Nguye

• ISBN13: 9780300146967
• ISBN10: 0300146965
• Format: Trade Book
• Copyright: 2009-03-24
• Publisher: Museum Fine Arts Houston

Summary

Once a strategic trading post that channeled the flow of riches and ideas among countries situated along the South China Sea and places as far away as India and Rome, Viet Nam has a fascinating history and an artistic heritage to match it. This lavishly produced catalogue will help introduce English-speaking audiences to Viet Nam's amazing body of artwork, ranging from the first millennium B.C. to the 18th century. The authors begin by discussing, for example, the elegant burial jars, iron axes, bronze artifacts, and jewelry of the early Sa Huynh culture; the bronze ritual drums of the Dong Son; and the jeweled gold pieces, excavated from the walled center of Oc Eo in the kingdom of Fu Nan. New scholarship investigates the trade in gold and Chinese ceramics between Cham and the Philippine kingdom of Butuan. The final section is devoted to art from Hoi An, once a major international port. Of note are the ceramic wares produced in northern and central Viet Nam from the 16th to 18th century.

Author Biography

Nancy Tingley is an independent scholar who previously served as Wattis Curator of Southeast Asian Art at the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco.

Andreas Reinecke is affiliated with the Kommission für Allgemeine und Vergleichende Archäologie des Deutschen Archäologischen Instituts, Bonn, Germany. Pierre-Yves Manguin is Professor at the Ecole française d’Extrême-Orient, Paris. Kerry Nguyen-Long is an independent scholar of Asian art. Nguyen Dinh Chien is Chief Curator of the National Museum of Vietnamese History, Ha Noi.