October 17 -- still at the Nelson; visiting the Chinese collection

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The Nelson-Atkins has a fabulous collection of Chinese work.

Love these seasonal paintings..........

People sometimes learn from the masters by imitating their work.  I think there is a lot to learn, here.  Look at how the snow is indicated by the painting of not-snow above the snow..............

People in the eastern half of the world do an excellent job of appreciating nature, whether in the perfect delicate painting of flowers, or in the focused appreciation of slices of rock.  I believe these next two pieces are slices of rock as Mother Nature painted them, framed for appreciation and enjoyment by people.

Wow, eh?

Love the shape of this bottle..............

We've looked at this exquisite cup before.  It's a tiny little thing.  You could hold it easily, between your thumb and forefinger.

I don't remember seeing this before.  It's a tomb guardian.  It is a lion.  I want it to have a bright and antic mane, made from dyed wool locks like these  (only, perhaps, in a warmer colorway?).

This tomb guardian reminds me of some we saw in Chicago in August, only this one is narrow and deep, where they were broader and shallow.

Closeup of skirt.  Wonder what it looked like when all the paint was still present?

Here is one of my very favorite objects in the museum.  It is large.  Most of a yard tall, I'd estimate.

It, too, wants a mane made of curly colored locks.

A look at its ears......

Love the shape.........

The info says that bullock carts were more fashionable than horse-drawn vehicles, for a time.  Fashion is so weird...........

Love this little pot.  I want to cradle it in my two palms....  Another example of Eastern appreciation of beauty, even in humble objects made from humble materials.

A much bigger pot, with carved decoration.  I don't remember it as being this green, but the camera is adamant.

Here's something I've tried many times to get a decent image of.  This may be my most successful attempt to date.

Yet another object I visit every time I come here.

Our furniture maker was interested in Chinese joinery.  The thoughtful museum staff have provided "please touch" models showing how some of the joinery works.

Love the nice clean lines of this piece.  This small table is sitting between two armchairs (which give an idea of scale).

These excellent triangular corners were new to me.

The seat of one of the armchairs.

Monumental chest.  More clean elegant design.  The info says it was intended for storage of clothes and hats.  It says the Chinese folded their clothes, rather than hanging them, so the interior is full of shelves and bins.

Yet another small pot.  I'm betting this one feels very nice in the hands, too.

And with that, we declared sensory overload, and went to my brother's for the rest of the afternoon.



The evening was filled with another everyone-available family gathering.  Conversation, treats, and laughter were shared.

Happy Birthday, Dad.  :-)  I'm glad we were able to be part of the celebrations!

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