Most of the Louvre’s holdings of Chinese objects come from three sources: royal collections, the socialite Adèle de Rothschild and Adolphe Thiers, a journalist and historian who went on to be the president of France from 1871–73. History has not judged the latter kindly: he ordered the French army to suppress the Paris Commune and did little to improve the lot of most French citizens. But this exhibition at the Louvre shows a different side to him: his love of chinoiserie (14 May–25 August). More than 170 impressively varied items, dating largely from the 18th and 19th centuries, are on display. They include porcelains, jades, engravings, ivories and wooden objects studded with precious stones or mother of pearl. Particularly striking are an 18th-century vase topped by a grinning golden lion and several pages from an album of palace scenes painted by the Qing dynasty artist Ye Chengxue.
Find out more from the Louvre’s website.
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Baluster vase decorated with the Bai Zi Tu (Hundred Children) pattern (n.d.), Jingdezhen studio. Musée du Louvre, Paris. Photo: © Jean-Yves Lacôte/Grand Palais RMN/Musée du Louvre
Page from an album containing 12 scenes by the Qing dynasty artist Ye Chengxue. Musée du Louvre, Paris. Photo: © Mathieu Rabeau/Grand Palais RMN/Musée du Louvre
Gu chalice (Qing dynasty), maker unknown. Musée du Louvre, Paris. Photo: © Stéphane Maréchalle/Grand Palais RMN/Musée du Louvre
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