After years of preparation, some of Taipei City-based National Palace Museum’s greatest treasures will go on display in Japan, marking the most important cultural interchange between the two countries, NPM Director Fung Ming-chu said March 25.
Two of the museum’s main attractions, the “Jadeite Cabbage with Insects” and “Meat-shaped Stone” from the Qing dynasty (1644-1912) will be exhibited overseas the first time.
“Chinese and Japanese cultures represent an integral part of Asian civilization as a whole and have enjoyed a long history of artistic and cultural exchange and interaction over the centuries,” Fung said at a media conference. She added that the greatest challenge for organizing the exchange exhibits was how to appeal to both ROC citizens and Japanese alike based on principles of reciprocity and mutual benefit.
After lengthy discussion between curators from Taiwan and Japan, Fung said, 231 artworks were selected for the exhibition at the Tokyo National Museum and Kyushu National Museum under the theme of “Treasured Masterpieces from the National Palace Museum, Taipei.”
The “Jadeite Cabbage with Insects” and “Meat-shaped Stone” will be shown for two weeks at the TNM from June 24 to September 15 and KNM from Oct. 7 to November 30, respectively.
According to Fung, special exhibitions of selected artifacts from the NPM’s nearly 700,000-piece collection, each of comparable artistic value to the Jadeite Cabbage and Meat-shaped Stone, will feature in room 302, the usual home for the two treasures, while they are in Japan.
The “Planter with a Coral Carving of the God of Literature;” “Gold Chalice of Eternal Stability” and “Jade Candlestick of Constant Harmony;” and “High-stem Set of Carved Wood Cups” will appear in place of the cabbage for one week each.
During the absence of the “Meat-shaped Stone,” the “Small Jadeite Cabbage,” “Jadeite Cabbage Floral Holder” and “Jade Brush Holder with a Garden Scene” will appear as an unusual treat to museum goers.
In return, the “The Best of Japanese Art Special Exhibition,” to be held at NPM southern branch in October 2016, will contain 150 masterpieces from the TNM and KNM, as well as national treasures from the Kyoto National Museum. It is the first time TNM will have lent its national treasures for overseas exhibit.
“Of the works scheduled for loan to the NPM for exhibit, 68 have national treasure and important cultural property status, making this an unprecedented and the most important overseas exchange exhibit for Japanese national museums,” Fung said. (SDH)
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