Weiner Mihályné szerk.: Az Iparművészeti Múzeum Évkönyvei 12. (Budapest, 1970)

HOPP FERENC MÚZEUM — MUSÉE FERENC HOPP - Fux, Herbert: The Far Eastern Collections of the Austrian Museum for Applied Art

The section of the Shang-Yin dynasty and from the Chou to the Han with a few ritual bronzes can not compete with the great variety of bronzes in other museums, but they can give an idea of the highly developed and refined technique of bronze casting. Huai and Han mirrors are leading up to the "hon and grape" mirrors made during the T'ang era which is otherwise represented by sculptures in metal and stone. Also a few sculptures of fine quality form a group belonging to the Sung period. A somewhat better cross-cut of the different species, techniques and materials is obtained in the Ming and Ch'ing section of the exhibition. The religious painting is represented for instance by three fragments of mural painting on mortar of the 17th century with Buddhist scenes not yet explained and with three taoist immortals. As for the secular paintings we have three scrolls, one of them is a landscape by Wang Shi-min dated 1665. In the collection there are further prints from the "Ten Bamboo Studio" and the "Mustard Seed Garden Painting Manual", and also a big painted wall-paper of the second half of the 18th century which depicts the everyday life of China. The metal-workers' skilled craft during the time of the Ming emperors and in the 17th century is reflected in vessels, small sculptures and excellent examples of the enamels. The objects, including the painted enamels from Canton, are displayed in a chronological order, which makes it possible to study the change of the style during the Ch'ing. In the company with the metal and enamel works there is one of the greatest treasures of our museum, a particularly remarkable terrestrial globe. It was made after the journey of Abel Tasman, but before the discoveries of Cook, and represents a unique example of the old Chinese globe (fig. 2). Fig. 2. The Old Chinese Globe