Table of Contents

Gu Kaizhi and the birth of painting in China; the Admonitions Scroll; the provenance of the Admonitions Scroll; copies and reproductions - learning from Gu Kaizhi; conservation and mounting.

Reviews

Admonitions of the Instructress to the Court Ladies, one of the most important early Chinese scroll paintings, is, in the words of British scholar McCausland, "beautiful, ancient, powerful, exemplary." Step by step, he leads readers through evidence, illustration, explanation, and commentary to understand this iconic work, which marks the emergence of classical Chinese painting. Attributed to Gu Kaizhi (c. 344-406 C.E.), one of the towering figures of Chinese art history, this handscroll is inspired by a text written by Zhang Hua illustrating Confucian standards of honorable behavior. McCausland, who organized an international colloquium on the Admonitions Scroll with the British Museum, where the scroll currently resides, states that it is "only through conversations in words and images about pivotal figures like Gu Kaizhi that definitions of big issues such as art and culture may be approached." Through 49 color and 35 black-and-white images and a detailed account of date, authorship, rhetoric, and provenance, this book sheds light on how this painting reflects and influenced the political, social, and artistic tradition of China. This book deserves a space in all academic and public libraries with serious art collections.-Lucia S. Chen, NYPL Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.