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Event: Show, Ask & Discover

Thu, 24 Feb 2011 00:00:00 +0800

Read a write up of the event by Margaret White here.

Smithsonian Online Workshop: A Japanese Tea Jar’s 700-year History

Wed, 02 Nov 2011 00:00:00 +0800

From the Smithsonian's Freer Sackler Gallery:

The Story of Chigusa:

A Japanese Tea Jar’s 700-year History

An online workshop organized by the Freer|Sackler, Smithsonian Institution

Wednesday 2 November, 9:00-10:30 PM Eastern Time (EDT)
Thursday 3 November, 10:00-11:30 AM Japan Time (JST)

What can a single jar tell us about how objects acquired history and meaning within Japanese tea culture? The Freer Gallery recently acquired a tea-leaf storage jar named Chigusa. In so doing, the museum became yet another participant in a seven-century-long process, through which a Chinese jar came to Japan and was transformed into a famous and much-admired container for tea leaves, even acquiring a personal name. Tea masters’ diaries and connoisseur’s handbooks described and ranked it; successive owners endowed it with Chinese brocades, silk cords, inscriptions, documents, and multiple boxes. Chigusa has been described as a “time capsule”— an embodiment of the fascinating and complex process by which tea-related objects accrued meaning and value.

Four scholars gathered in Washington recently—in the inspiring presence of Chigusa—to consider aspects of the jar’s story. They will share their thoughts and discoveries, and then engage in discussion with participants.

More details and technical requirements on how to register and join can be found here.

Event: Tang Treasures at the ArtScience Museum, Marina Bay Sands

Sat, 19 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0800

Read a write-up of the tour by Margaret White here.

A tour of the Belitung cargo by SEACS President Alvin Chia at the ArtScience Museum, Marina Bay Sands.

Read a write-up of the tour here

Lecture: Old Javanese Gold by John Miksic

Thu, 05 May 2011 00:00:00 +0800

7pm, Thursday 5 May 2011
82 Cairnhill Road, Singapore

Gold jewellery is usually assumed to be a decorative art rather than a source of historical information. In Java, an unusually large quantity of ancient gold has been recovered. Some of it comes from prehistoric burials. The largest quantity comes from hoards hidden during the 8th and 9th centuries in the Borobudur area. Some pieces from the Majapahit era, just before the coming of Islam, have also been found. This talk will attempt to give voices to three gold objects, one from each era, to show how gold fitted into the culture of ancient Java.

About the Speaker:

Dr John Miksic served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Malaysia from 1968 to 1972. He received his Ph.D. from Cornell University with a dissertation on Archaeology, Trade, and Society in Northeast Sumatra. He lived in Bengkulu for two years, in Yogyakarta for 6 years, and has lived in Singapore since 1987. He first taught in the Department of History, National University of Singapore, and in 1991 helped found the Southeast Asian Studies Programme, where he is Associate Professor. He has organized archaeological excavations and museum exhibitions in Southeast Asia. In his spare time, he translates scholarly articles into English from Indonesian, French and Dutch. In February 2009, he led the Southeast Asian Ceramic Society’s Study Tour to Central Java.

Treasures Pose Ethics Issues for Smithsonian

Tue, 03 May 2011 00:00:00 +0800

The Smithsonian’s plan to show Chinese artifacts from an Indonesian shipwreck mined by a commercial company raises ethical issues. Read the full article here.

Study Day for Early Career Scholars in Chinese Art

Wed, 11 May 2011 00:00:00 +0800

Click here for the programme and more information.

Lecture: Liu Kang and his Art by Gretchen Liu

Thu, 08 Sep 2011 00:00:00 +0800

Time 7.30pm

Venue 82 Cairnhill Road

Singapore

"Liu Kang and his Art – A tale of Shanghai, Love, Loss and the Founding of the Nanyang Style"

7.30pm, Thursday 8 September 2011
82 Cairnhill Road, Singapore 229684

The National Gallery has organised a major retrospective of Liu Kang's artwork, from the end of July to mid-October at the Singapore Art Museum to coincide with the centenary of his birth.

Daughter-in-law Gretchen Liu will speak about the artist and his times from a more intimate perspective and share rarely seen photographs and sketches with members.

This talk will be open to members and guests.

Event: Show and Tell, Ask & Discover

Thu, 18 Aug 2011 00:00:00 +0800

After a very successful past event on 24 Feb 2011, we continue with our “Show and Tell, Ask and Discover” series.

Members admiring ceramics at previous event
A write-up by Margaret White of it may be found here.

Date: Thursday, 18 August 2011

Time: 7.30pm

Venue: 82 Cairnhill Road, Singapore 229684

Date: Thursday, 18 August 2011

Time: 7.30pm

Venue: 82 Cairnhill Road, Singapore 229684

Come, admire and handle wares (Yuan Dynasty Celadons) from our member’s collection

Hear and learn from our experts

Bring something that you have always wanted to ask about and confirm its authenticity, or just come and enjoy!

Bring a friend!

Any questions about this event, please contact:
Pauline Ong (Treasurer)
paong@singnet.com.sg
9876 5501

News: Jewel of Muscat to get new home in Singapore

Wed, 27 Jul 2011 00:00:00 +0800

From the Oman Tribune:

A spokesman of the museum said: "The museum is scheduled to be opened in the second half of 2011. Before opening the museum, the sails of Jewel of Muscat, will be raised high to receive the guests. The museum will provide another chance to have a look on the Marine Silk Road history through Malacca Strait, as well as Asia ports and cities during the ninth and 19th centuries when explorers discovered the marine routes and touched their corners."

Read the article here.

Raku Workshop with Delia Prvacki

Sat, 17 Sep 2011 00:00:00 +0800

Taiwan - Hong Kong Study Tour 2011

Sun, 16 Oct 2011 00:00:00 +0800

Special access has been granted to the Society's Members to several prestigious Taiwanese and Hong Kong Museums and private collections.

The tour dates are from 16 to 23 October and is limited to 15 members only. Hurry and book now!

Itinerary

Sunday 16 Oct	CX710 (08:05/12:00 HK) CX564 (13:20/14:55 Taipei)
	Visit to Xi Men Ding old town/ceramics expert Prof Liu's home
Monday 17 Oct	National Palace Museum, Chang Foundation Museum; dinner at Shi Lin night market
Tuesday 18 Oct	Historical Museum, Jiang Guo South Street antique shops; Guang Hua antique market
Wednesday 19 Oct	Yingge ceramics workshop; Yeliu sand sculptures; Jiufen Village; Taipei 101 shopping spree
Thursday 20 Oct	CX469 (10:15/12:00, Hong Kong) visit to Art Museum
Friday 21 Oct	Tiang Ming Lou Foundation (Yuan, Ming, and Qing imperial wares), Hong Kong University Museum
Saturday 22 Oct	Jiu Ru Tang private collection (imperial Song, Five Dynasty, Tang and Han wares), Chinese University of Hong Kong Museum
Sunday 23 Oct	Free and easy, visit to antique shops on Holiwood Street; CX 711 (16:20/20:00 Singapore)

Cost

S$ 1,900.00 for twin share

OR S$ 2,250.00 for single room

Includes:

Air fare S$ 600.00 SIN/HKG/Taipei/HKG/SIN
Hotels 4-star
All meals
Tips
Transfers

The tour is limited to 15 members only.

Contact person: Lim Yah Chiew

Action to take when confirming:

Full payment by cheque payable to Southeast Asian Ceramic Society and post to P.O. Box 317 Tanglin Post Office Singapore 912411. As the experts in HK and Taipei have confirmed their time to be with members and all hotels need to be booked and deposits paid, there will be no refund on cancellation.
Should members choose to book their own flights to Taipei and HK please deduct S$600.00 from the total cost. Please note that if members cannot join in on transfers, meals, accommodation there will be no refund on unused costs.
Please provide passport details name as in passport, expiry date, birthday, passport number.
Travel Insurance to be taken out by members on their own.
Verbal confirmation is not accepted without cheque payment.

Briefing by Lim Yah Chiew at 82 Cairnhill Road on Friday 14 October 2011 at 7pm.

Please bring 3 hard copies of your passport; this is enable quick allocation of rooms upon check-in to hotels.

Members who are keen to learn about the appreciation and authentication of antique Chinese ceramics should treasure this opportunity.

Lecture: Florentine Traders in Asia and the Medici Porcelain Collection, a talk by Maura Rinaldi

Tue, 01 Nov 2011 00:00:00 +0800

Tue 1^st November 2011
7.00 p.m.

82 Cairnhill Road
Singapore

Tel: 6737 3448

For parking please come to the front and someone will help you

In the 16^th and 17^thcenturies Florence was an extremely wealthy city due to its textile industry and banking system. Florentine agencies established in Lisbon often financed or owned many of the ships sent by the Portuguese towards the Indies, in those ships travelled their agents whom not only traded in the oriental products but also kept well informed their masters, the Medici, of what was available in those exotic markets.

The Medici, rulers of Florence and one of the most influential families in Europe, were refined connoisseurs and collectors, by the mid 16^th century they already owned 1.250 pieces and by the end of the 17^th century their collection amounted to several thousand pieces, including Japanese wares. This talk will illustrate the Chinese porcelain pieces, almost certainly owned by the Medici, now housed in the Museo degli Argenti in the Pitti Palace in Florence.

Maura Rinaldi

Maura Rinaldi is an independent scholar, international lecturer and author of several publications including Kraak Porcelain - A Moment in the History of Trade (1989); The Ceramic Cargo of the Concepcion Wrecked in 1638 (1990); Ceramics in Scholarly Taste, catalogue of the exhibition held jointly by the SEACS and the National Museum (1993) and several articles in different journals. Mrs. Rinaldi has lived in Singapore from 1980 to 1996 when she was involved with the Friends of the Museum in several capacities including being their President in 1983 and with SEACS being their Vice-President for several years. She now resides in Rome, Italy where her interest has now evolved from porcelain to the role played by the Florentines in the Portuguese conquest of the Indies.

"The Wanli Shipwreck and its Ceramic Cargo" by Sten Sjostrand

Fri, 30 Dec 2011 00:00:00 +0800

Sten Sjostrand has made a gift to the Society of his new book, The Wanli Shipwreck and its Ceramic Cargo.

The book is currently housed at Art Forum, 82 Cairnhill Road. Members are welcome to browse it from 10am to 6pm, Monday to Saturday. Or contact Marjorie Chu, the Society's Vice-President, for an appointment: 6737 3448.

Details: 27 X 27 cm, 360 pages. More than 650 color photographs, sketches, tables and maps. Total weight of the book is 2.5 kilo. Hardcover book at USD 38.00.

If you like the book(s) signed by Sten Sjostrand, the main author, send a message to Sten Sjostrand.

The book is available for purchase here.

Launch of SEACS' new E-Museum of Southeast Asian Ceramics

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 00:00:00 +0800

The Southeast Asian Ceramic Society (SEACS) is proud to present to you its latest endeavour:

the E-Museum of Southeast Asian Ceramics!

Our E-Museum launches on 1^st December 2011

at 7pm, the POD, National Library Board of Singapore

The famous French author André Malraux spoke about a “museum without walls”, and it is appropriate that this descriptive reference becomes a harbinger of a new form of repository of knowledge, the Southeast Asian Ceramic Society’s (SEACS) new E-Museum.

This electronic museum is a veritable mine of past and current knowledge of Southeast Asian ceramics, extended and enhanced by information, photographs, and links to various resources. We hope it will bestow on those who wish to scour the ancient past the ability to know more about Southeast Asian ceramics and allied subjects.

Our Guest of Honour is none other than Prof. John Miksic, editor of our 2009 publication Southeast Asian Ceramics: New Light on Old Pottery, who has this to say about our new E-Museum:

SEACS has a distinguished record of publication covering over 40 years. During these four decades, huge changes have taken place in the way people send and receive information. Electronic media have seized a central role in the lives of most human beings.

Museums were at first tentative in their approach to the internet, fearing that it would reduce their visitorship, but this has not happened. Instead the reverse effect has been observed: the more people see on the computer or their iPad, the more attracted they are to the real thing. Thus virtual museums have shown themselves to be a useful adjunct of traditional institutions.

The creation of this new e-museum opens up many possibilities for new understanding of the field. It is hoped that the website will be visited by many people who would otherwise remain unaware of the importance of pottery, a seemingly humble material, in the economic history of the region and attain a better understanding of the material culture of Southeast Asia.

Refreshments will be served, so do RSVP by 25 November 2011.

Please call Marjorie Chu, Vice-President of the Society, at: 6737 3448 to do so. Alternatively, you can write to us: Tanglin P.O. Box 317, Singapore 912411. Or RSVP by email: ceramic@seaceramic.org.sg

Mark the date in your calendar and join us and our guests. We are all excited about this extraordinary event! Come join us!

This E-Museum has been built with the support of

Special Discounted Rate for Arts of Asia Magazine

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0800

Robin Markbreiter, the Director of Arts of Asia, the world's leading fine magazine of Asian art, has very kindly and generously offered a special discounted subscription rate to all members of the Southeast Asian Ceramic Society.

Download the form here. When the page has loaded, simply right click and save the file to your computer, then send it off today!

SEACS E-Museum now live

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 00:00:00 +0800

The link below leads to our new E-Museum. Click it and bookmark it!

museum.seaceramic.org.sg

Sample of home page:

A post-launch report can be read here.

Press Release: Sackler Gallery on "Shipwrecked" exhibition

Wed, 14 Dec 2011 00:00:00 +0800

A press release from the Sackler Gallery of the Smithsonian Institution about the Shipwrecked: Tang Treasures and Monsoon Winds exhibition which they were supposed to host next year, but put on hold because of outcries from some archaeologists and cultural heritage experts over the issues of exhibiting artefacts taken from a commercial salvage operation. The exhibition was on display this year at the ArtScience Museum in Singapore, and is now in storage.

Click here to access the page.

SEACS E-Museum Launch, 1st Dec 2011

Tue, 13 Dec 2011 00:00:00 +0800

The Society held a launch for its latest project, the E-Museum of Southeast Asian Ceramics, at the POD, on the 16th level of the National Library of Singapore, on 1st Dec 2011. The Guest of Honour was Prof. John Miksic, Singapore’s foremost and most renowned archaeologist.

It was a lovely evening in a remarkable venue which provided a stunning view of the city, accompanied by exquisite music as well as delectable hors d’oeuvres and wine to whet the appetite of the attendees, all organised by our Vice-President, Marjorie Chu.

Ice sculpture featuring ceramic sherds from Kensoon Gallery	Faizal on the guzheng
SEACS President Alvin Chia (at right) with Ms. Elaine Ng, CEO of NLB, and Prof. Wang Gungwu	Pre-launch discussions with (from left) Marjorie Chu, Prof. Wang Gungwu, Dr. Leedom Lefferts from the Smithsonian, and Prof. John Miksic

The launch started at 7.30pm with an introduction to the E-Museum by our President, Alvin Chia, who talked about the Society’s motivations and aims for the project, as well as the features that are currently available. If you have not yet visited our E-Museum, click here!

President Alvin Chia giving his speech to a rapt audience

Prof. John Miksic talking about technology and how it affects culture

Next, our Guest of Honour, Prof. John Miksic enthused about the future of the E-Museum. He suggested many avenues for international collaboration, such as with Cambodian archaeologists and the discoveries of the Phnom Kulen sites (sponsored by SEACS with funds from Lee Foundation), with Myanmar or Indonesia (former SEACS President’s AP Rajah’s Collection), as well as with Dr. Leedom Lefferts and curator Louise Cort of the Smithsonian on their ethnological research on pottery making in Thailand.

Prof. Miksic added that, locally, partnerships could be made with the NUS Museum to resume a relationship with an institution of higher learning which was at the root of the Society’s founding 40 years earlier. He also noted that the Bakau wreck at the Maritime Experiential Museum & Aquarium on Sentosa still remains to be studied extensively, and that the Belitung cargo needed a database, which the E-Museum could host. Finally, a website that managed and presented information on shipwrecks and underwater archaeology in the region is still lacking. The Society has indeed planned to address this last and other issues, in its forthcoming activities for the E-Museum in 2012.

After his speech, Prof. Miksic was presented with a gift, as was Ms. Elaine Ng of the NLB which has been a staunch supporter of the Society and its activities, and the E-Museum officially launched to great applause.

President Alvin Chia presenting Prof. John Miksic with his gift, with Ms. Ingrid Hanson, the MC for the evening, assisting		Alvin presenting Ms. Elaine Ng of NLB with SEACS’ last publication, “Southeast Asian Ceramics: New Light on Old Pottery”
E-Museum being launched		Alvin with staff and members of NLB and NHB

Thus concluded an evening filled with promise for the future…

We look forward to 2012 and hope that that our members and friends from around the world will support us in our endeavours!

For more information on how to join our Society as it leaps into the 21st century, click here, or write to us at ceramic@seaceramic.org.sg!

This event was supported by Hi2P and NHB

Pot-making in mainland Southeast Asia

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0800

Pots and how they are made in mainland Southeast Asia

A talk by Louise Allison Cort and Leedom Lefferts

Friday, 17 February 2012

7 to 8.30pm

Ngee Ann Auditorium, Asian Civilisations Museum

More details here.

SEACS 43rd AGM & William Willetts Lecture 2012

Fri, 30 Mar 2012 00:00:00 +0800

Time: 6.45pm

Date: Friday, 30 March 2012

Venue: The POD, Level 16, National Library Board, Victoria Street

Refreshments will be served from 6.30pm.

William Willetts Lecture 2012

This year's lecture, tentatively entitled “Art of Angkor: Monuments and their Dating”, will be given by Prof. Kwa Chong Guan, author of the book, 700 years of Singapore History.

The lecture begins with William Willetts’ interest in Angkor monuments. The lecture proceeds to discuss the challenges of dating the Angkor monuments and how the art historian Philip Stern developed a “method” of attempting it in the late 1920’s, which later influenced a whole generation of French scholars – P Dupont, J Bosselier, M Bernstein, among others – down to today. The talk will broadly cover the wider issue of dating art by its style and not get too technical on art history methodologies and Angkor art. A more developed lecture will be delivered to archaeology students who are currently now doing a field trip in Siem ReapSummary of lecture

The lecture begins with William Willetts’ interest in Angkor monuments. The lecture proceeds to discuss the challenges of dating the Angkor monuments and how the art historian Philip Stern developed a “method” of attempting it in the late 1920’s, which later influenced a whole generation of French scholars – P. Dupont, J. Bosselier, M. Bernstein, among others – down to today. The talk will broadly cover the wider issue of dating art by its style and not get too technical on art history methodologies and Angkor art. A more developed lecture will be delivered to archaeology students of the Nalanda-Sriwijaya Centre's Archaeological Unit who are currently doing a field trip in Siem Reap, Cambodia.

Prof. Kwa is a Member of the National Heritage Board and Chairman of its National Archives Board. He is also a member of the Asian Civilisations Board and chairs its Acquisition sub-committee. His association with oral history and museums started in the mid-1980’s when he was seconded to reorganize the Oral History Center and concurrently the old National Museum, which he led through a strategic planning process to expand it to its current three museums and their consolidation under the National Heritage Board. He was also founding Chairman of the Singapore Philatelic Museum and consultant to the Malay Heritage Foundation on the establishment of their museum. More recently, Prof. Kwa helped the Singapore Armed Forces plan and develop their Army Museum. He has also taught history at the National Institute of Education and the National University of Singapore as a member of their adjunct staff. He serves as Head of External Programmes at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies at the Nanyang Technological University where he is involved in various regional security projects ranging from energy and security to policy analysis for regional security crisis management.

Longquan Celadon Talk

Tue, 06 Mar 2012 00:00:00 +0800

Longquan Celadon: Site visits and museum opening
A talk by Ingrid Hanson

7pm, Tuesday 6 March 2012
at 82 Cairnhill Road, Singapore 229684

Celadon has long been prized for its jade-like appearance, and kilns in Longquan are believed to have manufactured imperial wares in the late Song period. Recent kiln excavations have yielded sherds of such high quality that scholars argue that Longquan was the source of Imperial Song celadon. Furthermore, there is evidence that the source of Ge ware, one of the five types of Song imperial ware, may also be Longquan.

Several SEACS members attended the annual conference of the China Antique Ceramics Research Society based in the Beijing National Palace Museum in November 2011. (SEACS Council member, Lim Yah Chiew organized the group visit.) Ms Wang Li Ying succeeded Mr Geng Bao Chang as the new president of the Society this year. During the conference, the Longquan Museum officially opened. The museum co-organized the function with the financial support of the Longquan Municipal Government. The speaker will show photographs of the Southern Song Dynasty Guan Kiln Museum, Zhejiang Provincial Museum, Dayao and Xiaomei kiln sites, and the newly opened Longquan Museum.

Clockwise from top left: Song Ge octagonal bowl, Longquan Celadon Museum; View of the interior of the newly opened Longquan Celadon Museum; Southern Song Water Dropper in the shape of Belon Arris at the Longquan Celadon Museum; View of the excavated kiln site at the Southern Song Dynasty Guan Kiln Museum

About the Speaker:

Ingrid Hanson has been a permanent resident of Singapore for 26 years. She moved to Asia as a post-graduate fellow to the Baptist University in Hong Kong. Ingrid has been a fund-raiser, and supporter of the arts for over 20 years. She was a docent at the Singapore Art Museum and Singapore History Museum for 8 years, and chaired the music education committee for the SSO. She worked on the Tang Cargo acquisition team, and then, decided to pursue her interest in ceramics at SOAS where she completed her MA in 2009. She is currently adding a shipwreck subsection to the SEACS E-Museum.