The Freer Gallery's newest addition, "Luxury and Luminosity: Visual Culture and the Ming Court," features a collection of art from the Chinese Ming Dynasty.
Dated from 1368 to 1644, this collection of 35 pieces includes imperially commissioned blue and white porcelain plates, bowls and vases. The porcelain pieces, defined simply as "blue and white," come in a variety of forms dating back to the Ming Dynasty. These works include pure white porcelain, beautiful silk tapestries and paintings and colorful lacquers.
The presentation of the artwork in this exhibition is refreshingly simple. The walls of the exhibit are white, red and black, creating a sharp contrast between the works of art and their background. This contrast, along with the generous amount of space given for each piece of art, allows each piece to stand out.
However, this exhibition is only a small part of the gallery's extensive collection.
The Freer Gallery is connected to the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery via an underground tunnel. These two museums house the largest collection of Asian art in the United States, with over 30,000 pieces on display. The galleries allow viewers to access individual cultures and also individual time periods within each culture. Organized in a square, the galleries surround a garden with a fountain, which is visible from the Mall and Independence Street entrances. The Japanese and Chinese galleries surround the garden.
The Chinese gallery holds a vast array of hanging paintings and scrolls, each depicting aspects of everyday life as the Chinese viewed them. The paintings and scrolls stress simplicity, not only in their color, but also in their content and shape. Because the paintings lack some of their original color, the background of this gallery is white, which helps the black ink of the paintings stand out.
The information about these works is presented simply to help viewers understand various symbols and motifs used by early Chinese painters.
Across from the Chinese painting exhibit are "celadon," or blue and green glazed ceramics. This beautiful collection of Chinese ceramics was developed over 3,500 years ago during the Han dynasty. The objects in this collection include bowls, vases, plates and vessels of all shades of green and blue.
These two exhibits are a small part to the gallery's extensive collection. There are many more works, including some religious art that shows the introduction of Buddhism into the Chinese culture.
The Freer Gallery is located across the street from the Smithsonian Metro stop entrance. Admission is free. The gallery is open from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily. Tours are given daily at 12:15 pm.
