A fascinating survey of the rich artistic and cultural impact of Asia on the Netherlands in the 17th century This lavishly illustrated catalogue discusses the Asian luxury goods that were imported into the Netherlands during the 17th century and demonstrates the overwhelming impact these works of art had on Dutch life and art during the Golden Age. Written by a team of 30 international scholars, this volume presents seven essays and catalogue entries on 150 works of art, including Dutch and Asian paintings, textiles, ceramics, lacquer, furniture, silver, diamonds, and jewelry.
From the Dutch settlements throughout Asia—including Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, China, and Japan—Dutch maritime traders brought an astonishing range of luxuries back to the Netherlands. Dutch consumers were enthralled with these foreign goods, which brought new colors, patterns, and textures to their interiors and wardrobes. As seen in the book’s many illustrations, Dutch artists also found inspiration in these objects and incorporated them into portraits, genre scenes, and particularly still-life paintings. Dutch artists and craftspeople also adapted distinctly Asian technologies, such as porcelain and lacquer, to create new works of art inspired by Asia. This catalogue weaves together the complex stories of these diverse works of art and presents fascinating portraits of the dynamic cities of Amsterdam and Batavia (Jakarta)—the Dutch trade center in Asia during the 17th century.

Asia in Amsterdam: The Culture of Luxury in the Golden Age

Arts & Photography

History & Criticism

Peabody Essex Museum

An exploration of the fascinating connections between the Isles of Shoals and the beautiful paintings that Childe Hassam created there Childe Hassam (1859–1935) was the foremost American impressionist of his generation. Prolific in oil paintings and watercolors, he found his native New England to be a touchstone for his art. Hassam had a fascination with Appledore, the largest island of the Isles of Shoals off the coast of Maine and New Hampshire, and he traveled there almost every summer for thirty years. This fascinating book traces Hassam’s artistic exploration of Appledore and reveals a complex portrait of the island created over time. John W. Coffey, working with the marine biologist Hal Weeks, revisits Hassam’s painting sites, identifying where, what, and how the artist painted on the island. Kathleen M. Burnside considers the range of the artist's stylistic responses to the island's nature. A photo essay by Alexandra de Steiguer reveals Appledore’s enduring beauty.

American Impressionist: Childe Hassam and the Isles of Shoals

A fascinating look at the life and times of empresses in the Qing dynasty Empresses in the Qing dynasty (1644–1912) played an influential role in the imperial court and the cosmopolitan culture of their time. Offering compelling insights into the material culture, activities, and living spaces of Qing empresses, this lavishly illustrated book features over one hundred spectacular works of art from the Palace Museum in Beijing—including large-scale portraits, court robes, and richly decorated Buddhist sutras—that bring the splendor of the Qing court to life. A series of insightful essays examines the fascinating ways that key imperial women engaged with art, religion, and politics. This unprecedented exploration of the Qing court from the perspective of its royal women is an important new contribution to our understanding of Chinese art and history.

Empresses of China’s Forbidden City, 1644–1912

A critical reconsideration of the history of photography that explores how commerce and conflict fueled its practice in nineteenth-century China\nPhotography’s development as a new form of art and technology coincided with profound changes in the way China engaged with the world in the nineteenth century. The medium evolved in response to war, trade, travel, and a desire for knowledge about an unfamiliar place. Power and Perspective provides a rich account of the exchanges among photographers, artists, patrons, and subjects in the treaty port cities that connected China and the West. Drawing primarily from the Peabody Essex Museum’s historic and largely unpublished collection of photographs, this generously illustrated volume examines the confrontations and collaborations that shaped the adoption and practice of photography in China. Offering an original reassessment of the colonial legacy of the medium, Power and Perspective addresses photography’s representations of racial hierarchy and its entanglement with histories of European imperialism in nineteenth-century China.\nDistributed for the Peabody Essex Museum

Power and Perspective: Early Photography in China

Photography & Video

Collection of Japanese Sword Guards and Selected Pieces of Sword

Hamilton, J. H.

Frigate Essex Papers: Building the Salem Frigate, 1798-1799

Science & Math

Smith, Philip C.

Technology

Book by Hickman, Money, Fetchko, Peter

Japan Day by Day: An Exhibition in Honor of Edward Sylvester Morse

Hickman, Money

Fetchko, Peter

Ethiopia the Christian Art of an African Nation

Langmuir, Elizabeth

Martin, Henry Byam, Polynesian Journal, The

The Polynesian Journal of Henry Byam Martin

Martin, Henry B.

Exhibition catalog. This volume presents another expansive collection of maritime artwork received by the Peabody Museum between 1967 and 1977. Included works illuminate the enterprise, structure, and awe-inspiring scope of majestic ships. Fully illustrated, some in color.

More Marine Paintings and Drawings in the Peabody Museum

Smith, Philip Chadwick Foster

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Books by Peabody Essex Museum