A specialist in Asian art at Sotheby's, Mason presents a very useful introduction to a complicated subject. He begins with an essay on the history of Asia, which despite its brevity will be useful for the collector targeted by this book. Individual chapters range from ceramics and metalwork to prints, paintings, and textiles; the chapter on "The Artisan and Craftsman" examines the quality, condition, and authenticity of works in areas such as arms, armor, glass, ivory, and jewelry. The book contains appendixes of chronological tables and major marks on Chinese and Japanese works of art, as well as an index and a fine bibliography. The narrative does not confuse readers new to the subject with excessive detail, and the photographs are clear and very instructive. A beautiful book at a reasonable price, this volume contains an amazing wealth of information on a very broad subject. Recommended for both public and academic libraries.-Martin Chasin, Adult Inst., Bridgeport, CT Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

This book begins with the understanding that, in addition to its aesthetic qualities, Asian art and material artifacts are expressive of cultural realities and constitute a 'visible language' with messages that can be read, interpreted, and analyzed. Asian art and artifacts are understood in their contexts, as 'windows' into cultures, and as such can be used as a powerful pedagogical tool in many academic disciplines. The book includes essays by scholars of Asian art, philosophy, anthropology, and religion that focus on objects held in ASIANetwork schools. The ASIANetwork collections are reflective of Asian societies, historical and religious environments, political positions, and economic conditions. The art objects and artifacts were discovered sometimes in storage and were sometimes poorly understood and variously described as fine art, curiosities, souvenirs, and markers of events in a school's history. The chapter authors tell the stories of the collections, and the collections themselves tell stories of the collectors. This volume is intended for use in many disciplines, and its interpretive structures are adaptable to other examples of art and artifacts in other colleges, universities, and museums. An online database of some 2000 art objects held in the ASIANetwork schools' collections supplements this book.

The Chinese art collection in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, is one of the finest outside East Asia, with particularly superb holdings of paintings and ceramics, along with important sculptures, bronzes and examples of the decorative arts. Some 100 objects have been selected here to represent its riches, arranged to explore themes such as religion or the scholar tradition throughout China's long history. The works featured in Arts of China range from Neolithic tomb artifacts to contemporary painting and include exquisite porcelains, paintings, sculptures, lacquerware and metalwork created for worship, court life, foreign trade or everyday use. Many reflect engagement with earlier traditions or with cultures outside China, including those of Central Asia and India as well as Europe and America. Enhanced with illuminating essays, this book offers an ideal introduction to the breathtaking beauty and variety of Chinese art.