National Palace Museum treasures go on display in Paris

2016/10/21

A total of 96 artifacts from the Taipei-based National Palace Museum have gone on display at Paris’ Guimet Museum, marking the largest exhibition of NPM treasures in the French capital for 18 years.

NPM’s pieces comprise roughly a third of the items in the “Jade, from the Emperors to Art Deco” exhibition, which will run until Jan. 16, 2017. The show was formally launched Oct. 17 (Paris time) at a gala event attended by Taiwan dignitaries including NPM Director Lin Jeng-yi; Zhang Ming-zhong, head of the Taipei Representative Office in France; and Lian Li-li, director of the Taiwan Cultural Center in Paris.

“Jade, from the Emperors to Art Deco” features 330 artifacts from 15 museums around the world, including the Chateau de Fontainebleau, Louvre and Les Arts Decoratifs. NPM is the single largest contributor to the exhibition.

Showcasing items spanning the Neolithic period to the 1920s, the event examines the significance of jade in various cultures and civilizations throughout history. Among the artifacts provided by NPM is a jade tablet dating back to the period of China’s Neolithic Longshan culture from 2,300-1,800 B.C. The piece was collected by the Qing dynasty’s Qianlong Emperor in the 18th century.

“NPM and Guimet spent five years planning this joint exhibition,” Lin said at the launch event. “Possessing an exquisite collection of treasures and considerable expertise, NPM is striving to bolster cooperation with institutions around the world.”

Under the collaborative arrangement, the Guimet Museum has agreed to loan NPM a selection of historic Cambodian artifacts. The items are slated to be exhibited at NPM in Taipei in 2018.

“Such cooperative projects can help further boost NPM’s status and recognition overseas,” Lin said.

Established in Taipei City in 1965, NPM is home to the world’s largest collection of Chinese imperial art, boasting 650,000 antiquities spanning 7,000 years from the prehistoric Neolithic period to the end of the Qing dynasty. Last year, the institution opened a second branch in southern Taiwan’s Chiayi County showcasing artifacts from diverse Asian civilizations.

Source: Taiwan Today (http://taiwantoday.tw/ct.asp?xItem=248782&ctNode=2194&mp=9)