The Journal of the Asian Arts Society of Australia
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VOLUME 17 NO. 2 JUNE 2008 the journal of the asian arts society of australia TAASA Review contents Volume 17 No.2 June 2008 3 EDITORIAL: FINDING A FOCUS TAASA REVIEW Sandra Forbes THE ASIAN ARTS SOCIETY OF AUSTRALIA INC. ABN 64093697537 • Vol. 17 No. 2, June 2008 ISSN 1037.6674 4 DEE COURT, 1944-2008: A TRIBUTE Registered by Australia Post. Publication No. NBQ 4134 Gill Green editorIAL • email: [email protected] 6 TASHI KABUM: A MUSTANG TREASURE REVEALED General editor, Josefa Green Gerry Virtue Editor this issue, Sandra Forbes publications committee 9 THOLING MONASTERY: COOPERATION AND CONSERVATION Josefa Green (convenor) • Melanie Eastburn • Sandra Rong Fan Forbes • Ann MacArthur • Jim Masselos • Ann Proctor Susan Scollay • Sabrina Snow • Christina 12 COLLECTOR’S CHOICE: A TIBETAN DRAGON CHEST Sumner design/layout Todd Sandeman Ingo Voss, VossDesign 13 COLLECTOR’S CHOICE: A MONGOLIAN YAMA printing John Fisher Printing Boris Kaspiev and Richard Price Published by The Asian Arts Society of Australia Inc. 14 TRAVELLER’S CHOICE: POLISH ART DECO IN INDIA PO Box 996 Potts Point NSW 2011 www.taasa.org.au Maria Wronska-Friend Enquiries: [email protected] 15 NEW SOUTH ASIAN GALLERY IN TORONTO TAASA Review is published quarterly and is distributed to members Haema Sivanesan of The Asian Arts Society of Australia Inc. TAASA Review welcomes submissions of articles, notes and reviews on Asian visual and performing arts. All articles are refereed. Additional copies and 16 RAFFLES AND PRAMBANAN subscription to TAASA Review are available on request. Philip Courtenay No opinion or point of view is to be construed as the opinion of The Asian Arts Society of Australia Inc., its staff, servants or agents. 18 DJUWADI: FOLDING THE RELATIONAL INTO ART No claim for loss or damage will be acknowledged by TAASA Alexandra Crosby Review as a result of material published within its pages or in other material published by it. We reserve the right to alter or omit any article or advertisements submitted and require 21 EXHIBITION: MULTIPLE LIVES, PARALLEL TRADITIONS indemnity from the advertisers and contributors against damages Devleena Ghosh or liabilities that may arise from material published. All reasonable efforts have been made to trace copyright holders. 22 REPORT: FUNDING DEVELOPMENTS, ASIAN ARTS TAASA MEMBERSHIP RATES $60 Single 23 INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON BUDDHIST ART $90 Dual Ann MacArthur $90 Single overseas (includes postage) $30 Concession (students/pensioners with ID) 24 TAASA MEMBERS’ DIARY $95 Libraries (overseas, $95 + $20 postage) $195 Corporate/institutional (up to 10 employees) 25 RECENT TAASA ACTIVITIES $425 Corporate/institutional (more than 10 employees) $650 Life membership (free admission all events) 26 WHAT’S ON: JUNE – AUGUST 2008 advertising RATES TAASA Review welcomes advertisements from appropriate companies, institutions and individuals. Rates below are GST inclusive. Back page $850 Full inner page $725 Half page horizontal $484 Third page (vertical or horizontal) $364 Half column $265 COVER Insert $300 Two RAjpuT pRinceS, INdIA (JOdhPUR, RAJASThAN), c. 1910. Opaque watercolour WITh GOLd, silver ANd MIcA ON cotton, 75.6 x 91 cM. cOLLEcTION National Gallery Of AUSTRALIA, For further information re advertising, including cANBERRA (1992.1374); ShOWN IN ThE REcENT ExhIBITION InTImate encounTeRS at ThE discounts for regular quarterly advertising, please contact [email protected] ART Gallery Of NEW SOUTh WALES. SEE P. 23 ThIS ISSUE. The deadline for all articles A FULL Index of articles published in TAASA Review since its beginnings for our nexT issue is 1 JULY 2008 in 1991 is available on the TAASA WEB SITE, WWW.taasa.org.au The deadline for all aDvertising for our nexT issue is 1 AUGUST 2008 2 TAASA C O M M I T T E E EDITORIAL: FINDING A FOCUS Sandra Forbes Judith Rutherford • President People everywhere have been appalled and Asia and the Himalayas. Some core articles Collector and specialist in Chinese textiles saddened at the loss of life caused by the were submitted – for example, Gerry Virtue’s Gill Green • VIcE President recent natural disasters in Burma and China. about his adventures in Mustang – others Art historian specialising in Cambodian culture The scale of destruction been so horrifying were commissioned because they seemed ANN GUILD • TREASURER Former Director of the Embroiders Guild (UK) that even to think about whether works of art appropriately contingent. And there you are. KATE JOHNSTON • SEcRETARY and architecture will have survived or might Intellectual property lawyer with be restored seems heartless or even irrelevant. Maybe this South Asia leaning was in some an interest in Asian textiles But of course it is not irrelevant. The world’s subtle way due to our wish in this issue to JOCELYN CHEY history and civilisation is recorded in its arts. celebrate the life of the beautiful Dee Court, Visiting Professor, Department of Chinese Studies, whose gift for friendship combined with her University of Sydney; former diplomat As is clear from a number of articles in passion for South and Central Asian art to Philip Courtenay this issue of TAASA Review, the protection provide wonderful experiences for so many Former Professor and Rector of the Cairns Campus, James Cook University, with a special interest in and conservation of Asian works of of people. A tribute to Dee is, appropriately, our Southeast Asian ceramics art, particularly in situ, continues to be a lead article in this issue. MELANIE EASTBURN significant problem. For example, Rong Fan Curator of Asian art, National Gallery of Australia describes the restoration of murals at Tholing While Dee’s principal fascination and Sandra Forbes Monastery, western Tibet, where the temple expertise in recent years was with the Islamic Editorial consultant with long-standing interest in South and Southeast Asian art was used as a barn during the Cultural arts (particularly the textiles) of Central Asia, Josefa Green Revolution; Philip Courtenay’s paper on she also loved the decorative arts of the General editor of TAASA Review. Collector of Chinese Prambanan in Java mentions the significant Indian sub-continent. She would have loved ceramics, with long-standing interest in East Asian damage inflicted by an earthquake in 2006. the two Rajasthani princes who appear on the art as student and traveller GERALDINE HARDMAN cover of this issue, and would have analysed Collector of Chinese furniture and Burmese lacquerware Museums and public and private foundations the details of their garments and jewellery ANN PROCTOR play a major role in both protection of meticulously – including their watches, of Lecturer in Asian Art, Sydney University sites and conservation of objects for future which they are so proud that they wear them and the National Art School, Sydney generations. Therefore I’m sure that TAASA outside their cuffs. She would have enjoyd ANN ROBERTS members will be pleased to read in this the exhibition Intimate Encounters, in which Art consultant specialising in Chinese issue (p. 22) about increased interest among this painting was recently shown, and have ceramics and works of art SABRINA SNOW Australian public galleries and museums in appreciated Devleena Ghosh’s review here. Has a long association with the Art Gallery of New funding the arts of Asia. The National Gallery Dee would have been pleased to know that South Wales and a particular interest in the arts of China of Victoria has recently launched a new Asian a new South Asian gallery has opened in CHRISTINA SUMNER Art Acquisition Fund; VisAsia at the Art Toronto, and would have enjoyed knowing Principal Curator, Design and Society, Gallery of NSW is behind an increasing more about the Umaid Bhawan Palace at Powerhouse Museum, Sydney number of events and acquisitions; the Jodhpur in Rajasthan – which is not far from state representatives Director of the National Gallery of Australia where she died. has announced that his Gallery’s central AUSTRALIAN Capital Territory priority will be to purchase Australian and Our cover painting was obviously influenced Robyn Maxwell Visiting Fellow in Art History, ANU; Asia-Pacific works; the Art Gallery of South by photography, which has in itself played Senior Curator of Asian Art, National Gallery of Australia Australia is building a significant collection a vital role in recording Asian art, history Northern Territory of Islamic Art (ref. TAASA Review December and civilisation. The next (September 2008) Joanna Barrkman 2007); and Queensland’s new GoMA focuses issue of TAASA Review, guest edited by Dr Curator of Southeast Asian Art and Material Culture, on the contemporary arts of the region. Jim Masselos, will focus on photography. It Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory Private collectors, too, play an important is timed to coincide with the internationally QUEENSLAND part in the preservation of art objects. It’s significant exhibition Picture Paradise: the first Suhanya Raffel always stimulating when a collector wants century of Asia-Pacific photography 1840s to Head of Asian and Pacific Art, Queensland Art Gallery to enthuse about their love object, and two 1940s at the National Gallery of Australia, SOUTH AUSTRALIA do so in this issue, writing about an energetic and other associated exhibitions to be held in James Bennett Curator of Asian Art, Art Gallery of South Australia Mongolian bronze Yama and a spectacular Canberra. See our What’s On section for more Victoria Tibetan dragon trunk respectively details. And don’t forget to book for TAASA’s Carol Cains seminar on Beijing (Sydney and Melbourne, Curator of South and Southeast Asian Art, Sometimes, without any particular initial in July and August). National Gallery of Victoria International intention, an issue of TAASA Review TASMANIA seems naturally to develop a focus on a Kate Brittlebank particular subject or geographic area. That Lecturer in Asian History, School of History and Classics, University of Tasmania has happened with this issue, where the majority of articles concern the arts of South 3 DEE COURT, 1 9 4 4 - 2 0 0 8 : A TRIBUTE Gill Green DEE COURT (R) WITh hELEN Perry (L) ANd GILL GREEN (c) at ThE TAASA TExTILE GROUP'S ENd Of YEAR party, 2006.