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Arts of Asia

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Arts of Asia

The world’s leading fine magazine of Asian art and antiques since 1970. www.artsofasia.com

Published in Hong Kong and distributed worldwide, Arts of Asia has been delighting collectors and connoisseurs of Asian art for over fifty years. Every issue is an authoritative source of information on the many and varied aspects of the arts of East Asia, the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia and provides invaluable insights into the international Asian art market, analyzing activities at ma

jor auctions in London, New York, Hong Kong, Beijing and other centres to reveal the latest price and collecting trends. Arts of Asia is unique in its presentation and is itself a collector's item, with the quality of its content matched by the excellence of its design and production. Perfect-bound with a strong laminated cover, it is renowned for its superb full-colour reproductions. Arts of Asia is a magazine that you will enjoy at your leisure, and that you will keep to read and refer to, again and again.

01/08/2025

This pair of 14th century Japanese figures once guarded the gates of the now defunct building of Temple Iwayaji in Shimane prefecture. Carved in wood and over 2 meters tall, their dynamic poses follow the energetic sculptural style that emerged since the 13th century. Together, their open and shut mouths represent the first and last sounds of the Siddham script, used by Buddhists, and the pair symbolises all possible sounds and by extension, knowledge.

In our May–June 2013 issue, Menno Fitski and Anna Slaczka detail this and other works of the Rijksmuseum’s Asian art collection, which has its roots in both the Dutch East India Company and the Society of Friends of Asian Art, founded in 1918.

To access, visit https://shorturl.at/ZET1z
Pictured: Temple guardian figures, Japan, 14th century, wood with polychromy, heights 239.5 cm

30/07/2025

Iznik ware, made in the Turkish town of Iznik since the 15th century using fritware, took inspiration from Chinese ceramic imports and other sources. This large, flat dish was likely based on a silver prototype and portrays a huge sailing galleon surrounded by more than twenty smaller ships, which were a popular motif for Iznik ceramics. Meanwhile, the second dish, the only known Iznik example with a portrait, features a young anonymous Italian man against a background of hills, and was likely inspired by Italian maiolica.

In our November–December 2011 issue, Tim Stanely of the Victoria and Albert Museum details the museum’s impressive Iznik ware collection and the development of this ceramic type between the 15th–16th centuries.

To access, visit https://shorturl.at/f9SMO
1) Flat dish, fritware painted before glazing, probably lznik, Turkey, 1535–1545, diameter 32.6 cm
2) Wide-rimmed dish, fritware painted before glazing, probably lznik, Turkey, 1535–1540, diameter 26.2 cm

25/07/2025

During the shogunate rule of Edo Japan (1603–1868), one’s clothing was strictly limited by one’s status. Affluent people began to shy away from outwardly displays of wealth. The haori (a traditional topcoat), which used to have colourful outer designs, became mostly plain black although some took to hiding extravagant textile art inside. Through time, the hand-woven silk haori became the most formal of men’s wear while its design continued to shift with social changes.

In our July–August 2006 issue, Terry Warth details the evolution of the Japanese haori and shares some interesting hidden haori art that reveals the private life of their past owners.

To access, visit https://shorturl.at/ONBZw
1) Formal haori, hand-woven black satin silk with family crest, hand-woven inner panel, early Meiji era (circa 1870s)
2) Full inside back demonstrating the addition of the finely hand-woven silk lining panels from “The Tale of Genji”

23/07/2025

North Indian court paintings, mostly referring to the different miniature painting styles including Mughal and Rajasthani miniatures, are colourful, lively portrayals of religious and heroic tales as well as scenes about everyday life. This folio shows a lovesick hero, Behag Ragaputra, yawning from the anguish of yearning. His arched back is perfectly balanced by the overhanging tree, while the bright orange background and red-bordered carpet pairing provides an invigorating contrast.

In our January–February 2006 issue, curator Debra Diamond discusses this painting and other marvellous South Asian artworks at the Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art.

To order access, visit https://shorturl.at/OBvM1
Pictured: Behag Ragaputra, son of Shri Raga, from a “Ragamala” (Garland of ragas), India, Pahari (Punjab) Hills, Basohli or Mankot, circa 1690, opaque watercolour and silver on paper

17/07/2025

Chinese porcelain vessels known as the “monk’s cap” ewer, due to their resemblance to Tibetan monk’s caps, are commonly associated with the fine craftsmanship of the Ming dynasty. The first image, an excavated ewer pre-dating the Ming, is the earliest example, and was the result of Yuan dynasty potters in Jingdezhen copying Tibetan wooden jugs. Following the Yuan emperor Khubilai Khan’s alliance with the Sakyapa, a major Tibetan Buddhism school, such vessels became a popular shape well into the ensuing Ming and Qing dynasties.

In our March–April 2013 issue, Hajni Elias details the origins of such “monk’s cap ewers” and the evolution of its shape and decorations, including rare blue and white ones.

To access, visit https://shorturl.at/PcfQ8
1) Qingbai "monk's cap" ewer, Yuan dynasty (1271–1368), Capital Museum, Beijing
2) Anhua decorated white-glazed "monk's cap" ewer, Ming dynasty, Yongle period (1403–1424), image courtesy of Sotheby's
3) Blue and white "monk's cap" ewer, Ming dynasty, Xuande period (1426–1435), excavated at Zhushan in 1983

14/07/2025

The Kingdom of Silla (57 BC–935 AD) in the Korean peninsula officially recognised Buddhism during the 6th century, and following the support of its rulers Buddhist art proliferated with adaptations from Indian and Chinese art. Work on the Seokguram Grotto in Tohamsan Mountain began in 751 AD on the orders of Prime Minister Kim Dae-seong. A man-made grotto temple with granite stones, it includes a circular space that houses a large 3 metres tall seated Buddha surrounded by, on the walls, deities and disciples positioned as if they are attending to his sermon.

In our September–October 2013 issue, Huh Hyeong-Uk details the development of Silla Buddhist art, which served as prototypes for ensuing Korean dynasties.

To access, visit https://shorturl.at/3RpDb
Pictured: Buddha, Seokguram Grotto, Mt. Tohamsan, Gyeongju, Unified Silla, 751, National Treasure No. 24

11/07/2025

Traditional South and Southeast Asian artworks demonstrate the mastery of village artisans, whose work can be found in temples or dwellings. Made in 19th century Bali, Indonesia, this ornate carved figure of Garuda, the half-man, half-bird vehicle of Hindu deity Vishnu, was prominently placed in the rafters of public meeting halls and palaces to ward off snakes. The well-preserved sculpture still showcases brilliant colour, allowing us a glimpse of the skilful local craftsmanship and their legacy.

In our January–February 2007 issue, Mary C. Lanius details the Denver Art Museum’s extraordinary collection of traditional South and Southeast Asian art forms which range from works made for rituals to daily use or décor.

To access, visit https://shorturl.at/EV47L
Pictured: Garuda, Indonesia, Bali, circa 1875, polychromed wood

07/07/2025

Islamic glassware was highly sought after during the 9th–15th century. Enamelled and gilded secular objects were particularly popular outside the Islamic world. For local consumption, glass was used more for furnishing of religious buildings, such as mosque lamps used as lighting and decoration for mosques and tombs. Like this example, the lamps were large vases with a wide opening and loops attached to the shoulders for suspension to the ceiling. They were normally painted with vegetal patterns and Arabic calligraphy.

In our March–April 2007 issue, curator Stefano Carboni details the extraordinary types of Islamic glass and its journey to faraway places from China to Venice.

To access, visit https://shorturl.at/LRriD
Pictured: Mosque Lamp, Cairo, Egypt, circa 1356–1363, free blown, enamelled and gilded, Victoria and Albert Museum

27/06/2025

Traditionally, silver ownership in Burma (Myanmar) was limited to royalty as Theravada Buddhism also forbid its usage for ceremonial worship. By the British colonial period (1825–1948), silversmiths began to produce a vast array of silver, mostly Western household objects with indigenous motifs, ranging from bowls to tea sets to frames and vases, for the expatriate community and for export. Among these, bowls in the shape of Buddhist alms bowl were the most popular.

In our May–June 2013 issue, Wynyard and Mary-Louise Wilkinson, and Barbara Harding detail the history and craftsmanship of these Burmese silver objects.

To access, visit https://shorturl.at/VgfEm
1) Burmese bowl, silver, circa 1900
2) Burmese beakers, silver, circa 1900

13/06/2025

“Sanggam”, or high contrast and precise black and white inlay on stoneware, is one of Korea’s most distinctive contributions to ceramic decoration since the 12th century, mostly produced in Jeolla Province for Goryeo (918–1392) royalty.

This fine celadon water bottle (kundika) depicts an auspicious scene of cranes flying amidst clouds, herons striding under willow trees, and ducks swimming among lotuses. The motifs would have been incised while the vessel was first made and the clay still soft, while the inlay liquid would have been applied with brushes before firing in a kiln.

In our March–April 2012 issue, Louise Allison Cort details the extraordinary technique of Korean ceramic inlay using objects from the Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art collection.

To access, visit https://shorturl.at/nhPx3
Pictured: Water bottle with waterscape motifs, cranes and clouds, Buan kilns, Goryeo period, late 12th-early 13th century, stoneware with white and black inlays under celadon glaze

11/06/2025

This interesting site with a red Japanese pagoda next to a golden Chinese pavilion belongs to the Museums of the Far East, Brussels, part of the Royal Museums of Art and History (RMAH). Commissioned by the Belgian king Leopold II in 1901 after viewing a similar arrangement in Paris, the Japanese pagoda has six levels and opened as a museum in 1911 with an exhibition of artworks gifted by the Japanese Meiji emperor for this occasion, while the Chinese pavilion features authentically Chinese exterior decorations contrasted with a rococo chinoiserie interior, also opening as a museum in 1913.

In our July–August 2012 issue, curator Nathalie Vandeperre details how a King’s dream for an exotic distant land sparked the creation of a museum of East Asian art.

To access, visit https://shorturl.at/zH1kO
1) The Chinese pavilion in front of the Japanese tower, Museums of Far East, Brussels Museums
2) The gifts of the Meiji emperor in the "Permanent Belgian-Japanese exhibition", Japanese Tower, 1911
3) The main reception room on the ground floor of the Chinese Pavilion

06/06/2025

An article from Arts of Asia about Chinese reverse-painted mirrors is available to read online!
Chinese reverse-painted glass mirrors, a popular decorative export to Europe since the 18th century, feature people or sceneries painted on the back of a mirror in reverse, while the image was viewed in the front through the glass.

This large example, depicting in the central mirror a couple in an idyllic landscape, would have been made in a big workshop in Canton (Guangzhou) with job division along a production line.

In our Summer 2025 issue, curator James C.S. Lin of The Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge details his recent research on Chinese reverse-painted glass mirrors.

To read visit https://shorturl.at/X8pFs
Pictured: Reverse-painted mirror depicting a couple in the landscape setting together with three panels of flower-and-bird subjects on each side, mid-18th century, China

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