Silk Roads/China Ships (Exhibition)

Exist Dates

1984 February 17 - 1984 May 12

Biographical or Historical Note

abstract

Exhibition. Opened in February 17, 1984 and closed May 12, 1984. Located in Section 3, Floor 3 in Gallery 3 at the American Museum of Natural History. "Silk Roads/China Ships" was an exhibition of more than 400 artifacts illustrating 2000 years of commerce in goods, technology, art and ideas that travelled along the major trade routes between Europe and the Orient.

Summary

"Silk Roads/China Ships" was an exhibition of more than 400 artifacts illustrating 2000 years of commerce in goods, technology, art and ideas that travelled along the major trade routes between Europe and the Orient. The exhibition included a wide array of trade items such as textiles, chinaware, tobacco and spice accoutrements, tea paraphernalia, navigational instruments, early maps, furniture, paintings and curios. A highlight of the exhibit was the visual exposition of the findings from Edward J. Keall's archaeological dig, from 1975 to 1979, at the site of Qualeh-i Yazdigird, in Iran. The exhibit was organized by the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto and a team of its curators, John E. Vollmer, Dr. Keall, and Evelyn Nagai-Berthrong. The exhibit was chaired by Charles S. Tomsik, Exhibitions Manager of the American Museum. The exhibition curator from the American Museum was Laurel Kendall. Made possible by a grant from the American Express Foundation, the exhibit was on view in Gallery 3 of the American Museum of Natural History from February 17 through May 12, 1984. Afterwards, the exhibition travelled to the Cincinnati Art Museum, the Vancouver Art Gallery, and the Baltimore Museum of Art.

Individuals and institutions involved in the creation of the exhibition: Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto; Charles S. Tomsik; Laurel Kendall; Edward J. Keall; John E. Vollmer; Evelyn Nagal-Berthrong.

Sources

American Museum of Natural History Press Releases, October 19, 1983 and January 16, 1984. Departmental Records, 101; American Museum of Natural History Library Archives.

American Museum of Natural History Silk Roads/China Ships Fact Sheet, January, 1984. Departmental Records, 101; American Museum of Natural History Library Archives.

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Related Corporate, Personal, and Family Names

American Museum of Natural History. Gallery 3.
Location of exhibition.

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