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The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK)’s Art Museum is staging the exhibition Sparkle and Charm: Canton Enamels of the Qing Dynasty, Hong Kong’s first art promotion project supported by the China National Arts Fund, from 17 September 2022 to 27 March 2023; it also collaborates with the jewellery design workshop Loupe, holding a contemporary enamel art show at PMQ. The two exhibitions showcase a host of world-class painted enamelware of the Qing dynasty and innovative contemporary enamel artworks, presenting the first comprehensive overview of Canton enamels in Hong Kong. All members of the public are welcome. Admission is free.

Sparkle and Charm: Canton Enamels of the Qing Dynasty features more than 170 sets of Canton enamels of the Qing dynasty along with complementary porcelain and paintings, providing the public with more insights into this artistic craft by illustrating the distinctive tradition and history of enamelware, and advanced enamelling techniques such as the use of colours and methods of painting.

Painted enamelware, a translucent or opaque substance made from glass and other materials that is applied as ornament to the surface of materials including metals, porcelain and glass, was introduced from Europe to China during the late 17^th century (the early Qing dynasty). It enthralled the Kangxi Emperor, who instructed the imperial workshops to develop the enamelling technology, reproduce the enamels and apply them to metals, porcelain, and glass. In the process, craftsmen from Canton, now Guangzhou, and Western missionaries who were familiar with enamelling techniques, glass making and painting skills were recruited into the imperial workshops to produce enamel works.

These painted enamels with Chinese and Western elements were mainly for the emperors’ use and for imperial gifts, as well as for export and home markets. Rarely do these ancient artefacts from the past centuries reach a wide audience these days, apart from a few exhibits at the China’s palace museums and other museums in Guangzhou and Hong Kong.

To preserve the legacy of enamel art and raise the public’s interest in it, CUHK’s Art Museum and Loupe will organise a series of DIY workshops and talks alongside the exhibitions. Details of the programmes will be released later via the Art Museum’s website and social media platforms.

Details of the exhibition

Sparkle and Charm: Canton Enamels of the Qing Dynasty

Visiting details of the Art Museum

For exhibition poster and images of the exhibit highlights, please scan the QR code below or download them from https://bit.ly/3d8iEpb