CHICAGO, Feb. 25 (Xinhua) -- The Art Institute of Chicago has brought together some 180 ancient bronzes from its own holdings as well as leading museums in China and the U.S. to illuminate China's fascinating history.
The exhibition, titled Mirroring China's Past: Emperors and Their Bronzes, opened to public on Sunday, providing viewers with a new understanding of ancient Chinese bronzes and their significance through time.
Many of the objects are from the Palace Museum in Beijing, the Shanghai Museum, and important museums and private collections in the United States, according to the Art Institute of Chicago.
Unlike Greek and Roman bronze sculptures of human and animal forms, most objects from Bronze Age China (about 2000-221 BC) were vessels for ritual use. Beginning with the Song dynasty (960-1279), emperors unearthed these symbolic works and began collecting them, considering them to be evidence of their own authority and legitimacy as rulers.
Among the exhibits, seven bronzes are displayed in a cabinet, not according to the timeline, but aimed at highlighting the different colors of ancient bronzes, said Wang Tao, director of the Department of Asian Art and curator of Chinese Art at the Art Institute of Chicago.
"The first one is in the original yellowish color, the second is with a pale green layer of patina, while the others are either polished to remove the rust, or ornamented with precious stones," Wang explained during an on-line preview of the exhibition on Saturday.
The exhibition, which will run through from Feb. 25 to May 13, explores how these exquisite objects were collected and conceptualized throughout Chinese history and presents a rare opportunity to experience a large number of these works together in the U.S., said the organizer.