Royal Taste: The Art of Princely Courts in Fifteenth-Century China

The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art will host the exhibition, "Royal Taste: The Art of Princely Courts in Fifteenth-Century China".

Royal Taste offers a unique glimpse into the luxurious lifestyles and religious practices of princely courts in early- and mid-Ming China (1368-1644). Organized by The Ringling, this exhibition of more than 140 works of pictorial, sculptural, and decorative arts reveals some lesser-known aspects of palatial lives, religious patronage, and afterlife beliefs of Ming princes, whose world has long been a mystery. The quality of craftsmanship and beauty of design testifies to the richness and sophistication of the art and culture of the nobility in the provinces.

The majority of the objects on view were selected from recent archaeological finds now in the collections of four museums in the Hubei province in China, and from imperially-commissioned statues housed at Daoist temples on Mount Wudang, the birthplace of Tai Chi. Through these important loans—all of which are traveling to the US for the first time—the exhibition provides a more complete understanding of the visual and religious worlds of Ming princes and demonstrates the vital role of their courts in shaping Ming material culture. 

Exhibition is organized by The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, USA, in association with the Hubei Provincial Museum, China.

Major Sponsor - PNC Wealth Management