Art of Asia Acquired by North American Museums, 2008–2009

This section is devoted to works of Asian art recently acquired by public collections in the United States and Canada. These works are reproduced in order to illustrate general trends of acquisition, as well as to present selected objects of outstanding interest; the dating, provenance, and descriptions are those supplied by the owners. Arranged alphabetically by name of museum, this list includes the names of senior curators or of staff members responsible for Asian collections.

The Art Institute of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

Dr. Janice Katz, Roger L. Weston Associate Curator of Japanese Art

Dr. Madhuvanti Ghose, Alsdorf Associate Curator of Indian, Southeast Asian, Himalayan and Islamic Art, Dept. of Asian and Ancient Art

1.

Artist unknown. Female Shinto Deity. Japan. Heian period (794–1185). 12th c. Wood with traces of polychrome; 25 × 17 × 10.8 cm. Art Institute of Chicago, 2008.159. Purchased with funds provided by the Weston Foundation.

2.

Artist unknown. God Vishnu. Cambodia. Angkor period (802–1431). 11th c. Sandstone; 65.1 × 25.4 × 11.5 cm. Art Institute of Chicago, 2008.697. James W. and Marilynn Alsdorf Collection.

3.

Artist unknown. Four-Armed Dancing God Ganesha with His Rat Mount. Nepal. 16th/17th c. Gilt bronze repoussé; 50.9 × 39.9 × 14 cm. Art Institute of Chicago, 2008.701. James W. and Marilynn Alsdorf Collection.

Asian Art Museum of San Francisco

San Francisco, California

Melissa Rinne, Associate Curator of Japanese Art

Forrest McGill, Chief Curator and Wattis Curator of South and Southeast Asian Art

Cheeyun Kwon, Curator of Korean Art

Saleema Waraich, Assistant Curator of South Asian Art

Michael Knight, Senior Curator of Chinese Art

4.

Artist unknown. Samurai-class Woman's Formal Summer Robe (koshimaki) with Design of Myriad Treasures. Japan. Edo period (1615–1868). 1800–1868. Silk and gold metallic thread embroidery on silk plain weave (nerinuki); 147.3 × 124.5 cm. Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, 2008.2. Acquisition made possible by Mrs. Genevieve Spiegel with additional funding by Mr. Katsuta Shinpyo.

5.

Artist unknown. Ceremonial Bowl with Zoroastrian Themes. Burma; made for the Indian market. Ca. 1875. Silver; h. 20.3 × diam. 34.3 cm. Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, 2009.25. Acquisition made possible by the Zarthosti Anjuman of Northern California, Rati Forbes, Betty N. Alberts, and members of the board of the Society for Asian Art in honor of Past President Nazneen Splied.

6.

Artist unknown. Jar with Dragon Design. Korea. Joseon dynasty (1392–1910). Approx. 1750–1850. Porcelain with underglaze cobalt decoration; h. 44.5 × diam. 33.0 cm. Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, 2008.63. Acquisition made possible by the Connoisseurs' Council with additional funding from Koret Foundation.

7.

Artist unknown. The Emperor Akbar and His Troops Leave a Fortress: a page from an Akbarnama, mounted on a page from the Farhang-i Jahangiri. Northern India or Pakistan. Painting 1603–04; underlying page with border 1608–1623. Opaque watercolors and gold on paper; 34.3 × 22.5 cm. Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, 2008.64. Acquisition made possible by Richard and Kim Beleson; The George Hopper Fitch Bequest and Dr. Mary Hunt, with additional funding from Paul and Kathleen Bissinger; Hok Pui and Sally Yu Leung; Fred M. and Nancy Livingston Levin—The Shenson Foundation; Rhoda and Richard Mesker; Anne and Tim Kahn; Betty and Bruce Alberts; Dr. Stephen A. and Merrill Randol Sherwin; Robert L. Speer and John Wong; and museum purchase.

8.

Yang Ji. Dream Journey Among Streams and Mountain. China. Ming dynasty (1368–1644). Probably 1420 or 1480. Handscroll; ink and colors on paper; image h. 21.9 × w. 172.7 cm.; overall h. 25.4 cm. Asian Art Museum of...