“In Xanadu did Kubla Khan/a stately pleasure-dome decree”. This famous opening line of the Coleridge poem that also opened “Citizen Kane” used to be pretty much all I knew about the great Khubilai Khan. Then I went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and all that changed. “The World of Khubilai Khan” exhibit was an amazing and comprehensive view of life in China during the Yuan Dynasty. I learned this year in my History and Civilization of Islam class that Mongol Empire brought together formerly isolated cultures under one rule, specifically Chinese and Persian. This is brought to life in the exhibit that features every possible form of art found in archeological digs.
For example, this is a picture of a tombstone written on one side in Arabic and the other side in Chinese.
The religious part of the tombstone is written in Arabic, reflecting the Muslim Mongols living in China. The other side lists official name and ranking of the deceased in Chinese, signifying the specific location and culture of the region. For more interesting information on this piece check out the exhibit website.
I thought that this exhibit was spectacular for two reasons. One was the obvious pairing of history and art, which seems a to reflect a larger curatorial theme in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. All throughout the museum there is this sense of art being celebrated for both its aesthetic
and historical significance. Each piece in this exhibit was explained in both its historical and artistic context. The significance of the specific style of calligraphy piece was described in great detail to ensure the utmost clarity.
This leads to me to the second reason for my deep admiration. I was totally blown about by the deep attention to detail employed by the curator, James Watt (also known as Qu Zhiren). The exhibit is organized into different comprehensive categories. The sections each make up their own room and are then divided by subcategory. The sections are made up of Daily Life, Religious Life, Paintings and Calligraphy, Decorative Arts and Textiles.
The exhibit is running until January 2nd. I highly recommend it for anyone interested in art, history or Eastern culture.
