After the Northern Song period, the flourishing of the arts and letters peaked again in China during the 1560s-1670s. While this period was wrought with political instability and dynastic change, Jiangnan remained the most affluent region, where scholars and gentry cultivated and aspired to an elegant lifestyle. In addition to collecting art, merchants and professionals also created and designed works of art. The pursuit of “eccentric 奇” and “quaint 趣” art objects encouraged artists and craftsmen to break free from--or appropriate--ancient traditions and create expressive works. A kaleidoscope of styles emerged, from the nuanced paintings by the learned scholars to the florid textiles for the ostentatious consumers and everything in between. Further contributing to this vibrant scene were the export items destined for overseas, the market for which was constantly growing in an era of trade.

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The exhibition features 193 precious art objects from the CUHK Art Museum and Shanghai Museum, as well as other prominent local and foreign collections to reveal the texture of life in late Ming Jiangnan.