On April 28, Splendour: Art in the Age of Victoria exhibition officially kicked off at the Guangdong Museum, jointly curated with the UK's National Museums Liverpool. Nearly 100 pieces of British oil paintings, watercolours, sculptures, costumes, jewellery, and porcelain of the 19th century are on display, together with exported works collected by the Guangdong Museum and the Guangzhou Thirteen Hongs Museum.
(Photo provided to GDToday)
The exhibition is divided into four chapters: Victorian Landscape and Life, Painting Trends in the Victorian Age, Costume and Jewellery, and East Meets West in the Victorian Age. Visitors can glimpse the artistic achievements of the Victorian era and the cultural blending between the East and the West.
The Victorian era (1837-1901) saw a flourishing of culture and art. A wide range of artistic ideas and outstanding artists emerged, such as Joseph Mallord William Turner, the master of Romantic landscape painting, and the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, which sought a return to the abundant details, intense colours, and complex compositions of Quattrocento Italian art.
The Wreck Buoy by Joseph Mallord William Turner (Photo provided to GDToday)
A Dog with a Slipper by Edwin Landseer (Photo provided to GDToday)
Waiting: An English Fireside of 1854-1855 by Ford Madox Brown (Photo provided to GDToday)
An Italian Child (Tuscan Girl Plaiting Straw) by William Holman Hunt (Photo provided to GDToday)
Shells by Albert Moore (Photo provided to GDToday)
Faithful unto Death by Edward John Poynter (Photo provided to GDToday)
Confidences by Lawrence Alma-Tadema (Photo provided to GDToday)
A Fisherman's Home by Frank Holl (Photo provided to GDToday)
The Martyr of the Solway by John Everett Millais (Photo provided to GDToday)
Guangzhou and Liverpool were both important hubs for world economic trade and cultural exchange during the Victorian age. Frequent trade shaped numerous artworks with a blend of Eastern and Western characteristics. For example, in William Quiller Orchardson's painting The Chinese Cabinet, the room was furnished with a blue and white porcelain vase.
The Chinese Cabinet by William Quiller Orchardson (Photo: Holly)
European "Chinoiserie" folding fan with figures on openwork and silver and painted European paper fan with Western figures fishing and playing (Photo: Holly)
Ceramic bowls (Photo: Holly)
Meanwhile, the afternoon dress of Queen Victoria, some ornaments, and jewellery are exhibited as well.
Queen Victoria's afternoon dress (Photo: Holly)
"National Museums Liverpool is the cultural heart of the city of Liverpool, and is home to one of the oldest Chinese communities in Europe. Our trade and relationship with China are things that we cherish and are really important to us to continue into the modern day," Laura Pye, Director of National Museums Liverpool, said at the opening ceremony of the exhibition via video link. She wishes the exhibition a great success and hopes to see it in person soon in the future.
Time: 9:00-17:00 (closed on Mondays), April 28 to August 20, 2023
Venue: 3rd floor, Guangdong Museum (广东省博物馆三楼)
Add.: No. 2, Zhujiang East Road, Zhujiang New Town, Tianhe District, Guangzhou (广州市天河区珠江东路2号)
Nearest metro station: Take Guangzhou Metro Line 3 or 5, get off at Zhujiang New Town Station and use the GT Land Plaza Exit.
Author: Holly
Editor: Wing, Steven, Monica, James
