Gems of Asia
2024-25 Season Subscriptions Reserve a seat for each lecture in this series. Subscribers enjoy the best seats at the best price.
From Hyderabad to Houston
The Nizam’s Sarpech
Tuesday, January 7, 2025, 10:30am
Sharon and Timothy Ubben Signature Event Space
Bradley Bailey, Ph.D., Ting Tsung and Wei Fong Chao Curator of Asian Art, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
The sarpech is a turban ornament often worn by Sikh and Hindu noblemen. In this lecture, you will learn how one of the finest examples was made using dozens of flat-cut Golconda diamonds, used in southern Asia and later exported to the United States.
The Taj Mahal
From Mausoleum to Monument
Tuesday, January 14, 2025, 10:30am
Sharon and Timothy Ubben Signature Event Space
Yael Rice, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Art History and Asian Languages and Civilizations, Amherst College
The tale behind the construction of the ivory-white marble mausoleum known as the Taj Mahal has been called one of history’s greatest love stories. In this lecture, you will learn about the UNESCO World Heritage Monument’s planning, design, political significance and the Mughal emperor who spearheaded its creation for his favorite wife.
Colors of the Universe
Chinese Hardstone Carvings
Tuesday, January 21, 2025, 10:30am
Sharon and Timothy Ubben Signature Event Space
Jason Sun, Ph.D., Brooke Russell Astor Curator of Chinese Art, The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Step back in time to around 4000 BCE, when hardstone carving became an art that required extraordinary imagination and technical virtuosity from its masters. In this presentation, you will view some of the important works created throughout history using stones like jade, agate, amber, quartz and more.
The Art and Narratives of Angkor
Tuesday, January 28, 2025, 10:30am
Sharon and Timothy Ubben Signature Event Space
Vasudha Narayanan, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor, Department of Religion, University of Florida
Learn about the construction, engineering, innovative art, religious significance and history of one of the world’s most breathtaking temples — Cambodia’s Angkor Wat. Completed in 1150, the temple sits on 402 acres and was originally dedicated to the Hindu deity Vishnu before it gradually transformed into a Buddhist temple toward the end of the 12th century.
The Mystery of the Hope Diamond
Chinese New Year Movie and Luncheon
Tuesday, February 4, 2025, 10:30am
Sharon and Timothy Ubben Signature Event Space
Film presentation
How can something so beautiful be so dangerous? Join us for this special Chinese New Year film that uncovers the brilliant details, history and dark legacy of the world’s most captivating jewel.
When Salt Was Gold
Yangzhou — City of Riches and Art
Tuesday, February 11, 2025, 10:30am
Sharon and Timothy Ubben Signature Event Space
Clarissa Von Spee, Ph.D., Chair of Asian Art and Donna and James Reid Curator of Chinese Art, Cleveland Museum of Art
What helped Yangzhou become one of the wealthiest cities in Asia? Find out in this informative lecture that details the city’s bronze mirror production and its distinct painting style that catered to the tastes of merchants and city dwellers.
The Gold and Silver World of Japanese Lacquer
Tuesday, February 18, 2025, 10:30am
Sharon and Timothy Ubben Signature Event Space
Monika Bincsik, Ph.D., Diane and Arthur Abbey Associate Curator for Japanese Decorative Arts, The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Learn about lacquer, one of the most ancient and refined arts to originate in East Asia, during this exciting and informative presentation that will take you back to its beginnings in Neolithic China and then to Japan’s Edo period (1615-1868) where lacquerworks, decorated with precious gold and silver, flourished.
Buddhist Bells and Dragons
Under and Over Water, In and Out of Japan
Tuesday, February 25, 2025, 10:30am
Sharon and Timothy Ubben Signature Event Space
Sherry Fowler, Ph.D., Professor of Japanese Art History, University of Kansas
Nearly every Japanese Buddhist temple has a large bronze bell. In this presentation, you’ll learn about the artistry behind the creation of the bells and how these valuable treasures became wartime booty and targets for thieves.
Top image: Katsushika Hokusai (Japanese, 1760-1859). Under the Wave off Kanagawa (Kanagawa oki nami ura), also known as The Great Wave, from the series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji (Fugaku sanjūrokkei), c. 1830-32. Woodblock print; ink and color on paper, 10 1/8 x 14 15/16 in. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. H. O. Havemeyer Collection, Bequest of Mrs. H. O. Havemeyer, 1929, JP1847. Public Domain. Second image: Tombstone for Sarpech, Indian, Deccan. Sarpech (Turban Ornament), early 18th century. Gold, silver, diamonds, and enamel. 5 3/8 × 9 × 1/2 in. (13.7 × 22.8 × 1.3 cm). Museum purchase funded by the Alfred C. Glassell, Jr. Accessions Endowment Fund, 2021.44. Photo credit: Photography © The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. Third image: Architectural Drawing, Ca: 1820. Made in Dehli. Water color on paper with embossed borders. Height: 12 ccm, Width: 19.5 ccm. Fourth image: Qing dynasty (1644-1911), late 18th–early 19th century. Malachite. 9 x 7 3/4 inches. Bequest of Edmund C. Converse, 1921. 21.175.136. Fifth image: Angkor Wat, Siem Reap. Seventh image: Fang Shishu (1693–1751) and Ye Fanglin (active late 1600s–mid-1700s). The Ninth Day Literary Gathering at Xing’an (detail), 1743. Ink and color on silk. 12 3/4 x 79 3/16 inches. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Severance and Greta Millikin Purchase Fund 1979.72. Eighth image: Japan, Edo period (1615–1868), second half 17th century. Lacquered wood with gold, silver takamaki-e, hiramaki-e, togidashimaki-e, cut-out gold and silver foil application, mother-of-pearl inlay H. 8 7/8 x 8 3/8 x 1 5/8 inches. Purchase, Elinor Meyer Appleby and The William Meyer Family and William R. Appleby Funds, 2023 (2023.226a–g). Ninth image: 19th century print by Kuniyoshi that belongs to the British Museum.