Digital Methodologies for Art Historians: Ancient Chinese Gold
In this seminar we will learn new technologies and study old gold in preparation for an upcoming exhibition of ancient Chinese gold at the Middlebury Museum of Art. Gold objects produced in China during the nearly one thousand years from second century BCE to the mid-eighth century CE bear witness to China’s military expansion and the interconnectedness of the Eurasian continent at the height of the Silk Road. The distribution of these luxury items across the ancient world is mirrored in the modern period by the global trade in Chinese antiquities in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, which brought gold ornaments, horse trappings, and vessels into North American Museum collections. We will explore these captivating objects through readings about Chinese archaeology, goldsmithing, and the history of collecting, while at the same time learning about the latest digital tools for data management, analysis, mapping, and imaging used by curators and art historians. No prior experience with Asian art necessary. 3 hrs. sem