Cabinet Q: Shelf 3

Selections from the Ellen and Richard Laing Collection

The art collection of Drs. Richard and Ellen Laing was donated to the Museum in 2006. It consists of painting, calligraphy, prints, ceramics, and other decorative arts, reflecting their diverse interest in East Asian culture. What makes the Laing Collection unique is its focus on Chinese folk culture and art. Dr. Ellen Laing, a renowned scholar of Chinese painting and prints, and her husband Richard traveled to Taiwan and China in the 1960s and 70s, collecting objects used in everyday life. In this period just before many hand-made artifacts began to be mass produced, they were also made from natural materials rather than plastic. These fascinating objects, which had mostly disappeared by the late twentieth century, are characterized by sensible utilitarian design and intricate motifs based on folk beliefs.

Among them are many lacquered boxes and containers; these were often used to hold precious gifts and other items as part of the trousseau or dowry of a bride. The red color, used often in folk artifacts, is considered auspicious and believed to summon good fortune. Many of the decorative motifs seen here convey good omens and good wishes through pictorial motifs. Bats, for example, connote luck because the pronunciation of the character fu (bat) is identical to that for blessing. Because many motifs from the Chinese pictorial vocabulary were transmitted to the Korean peninsula, where people adopted the written Chinese language, the same bat motif also can be seen on lacquer objects from Korea.

Rectangular woven three-tiered picnic basket with a rectangular shaped handle.
Chinese
Rectangular Woven Three-tiered Picnic Basket
woven bamboo
18 1/2 in. x 4 3/16 in. x 3 7/16 in. ( 47 cm x 10.6 cm x 8.7 cm )
Gift of Ellen and Richard Laing
A stone carving of a tortoise pendant.
Chinese
Animal Pendant, Tortoise
hardstone
2 7/16 in x 13/16 in x 1/16 in (6.2 cm x 2 cm x 0.2 cm);2 7/16 in x 13/16 in x 1/16 in (6.2 cm x 2 cm x 0.2 cm)
Gift of Ellen and Richard Laing
Thai
Round Lacquer box
wood with cinnabar, yellow and green lacquer
3 1/2 in. x 4 7/8 in. x 4 7/8 in. ( 8.89 cm x 12.38 cm x 12.38 cm )
Gift of Ellen and Richard Laing
A white earthenware box where the cover and the body are almost identical in form, the entire vessel of a short cylindrical from with flat top, with subtle articulation at the shoulder, on a shallow footring.  It is covered in blue, amber, and green glazes applied in a splotchy manner. 
Chinese
Box
earthenware with sancai glaze
1 3/16 in x 2 1/2 in x 2 1/2 in (3.02 cm x 6.35 cm x 6.35 cm);1 3/16 in x 2 1/2 in x 2 1/2 in (3.02 cm x 6.35 cm x 6.35 cm)
Gift of Ellen and Richard Laing
A round three-tiered wooden box with black, red, and gold lacquer. It has geometric and animal designs.
Chinese
Round Three-Tiered Box
black, red and gold lacquer on wood
10 11/16 in. x 12 5/8 in. x 12 5/8 in. ( 27.2 cm x 32 cm x 32 cm )
Gift of Ellen and Richard Laing

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Part of 1 Learning Collection

Cabinet A: Shelf 1
<p>Selections from the Bohlen Wood Art Collection ...

Cabinet A: Shelf 2
<p>Selections from the Bohlen Wood Art Collection ...

Cabinet A: Shelf 3
<p>Selections from the Bohlen Wood Art Collection ...

Cabinet B: Shelf 1
<p>Selections from the Bohlen Wood Art Collection ...

Cabinet B: Shelf 2
<p>Selections from the Bohlen Wood Art Collection ...

Cabinet B: Shelf 3
<p>Selections from the Bohlen Wood Art Collection ...

Cabinet C: Shelf 1
<p>Selections from the Bohlen Wood Art Collection ...

Cabinet C: Shelf 2
<p>Selections from the Bohlen Wood Art Collection ...

Cabinet C: Shelf 3
<p>Inkwells </p>

Cabinet D: Shelf 1
<p>Selections from the Bohlen Wood Art Collection ...

Cabinet D: Shelf 2
<p>Inkwells </p>

Cabinet D: Shelf 3
<p>Inkwells </p>

Cabinet E: Shelf 1
<p>Selections from the James Marshall Plumer Collec...

Cabinet E: Shelf 2
<p>Selections from the James Marshall Plumer Collec...

Cabinet E: Shelf 3
<p>Selections from the James Marshall Plumer Collec...

Cabinet F: Shelf 1
<p>Mortuary Art from China </p>

Cabinet F: Shelf 2
<p>Mortuary Art from China</p>

Cabinet F: Shelf 3
<p>Mortuary Art from China</p>

Cabinet G: Shelf 1
<p>Mortuary Art from China</p>

Cabinet G: Shelf 2
<p>Mortuary Art from China</p>

Cabinet G: Shelf 3 
<p>Mortuary Art from China</p>

Cabinet H: Shelf 1
<p>Mortuary Art from China</p>

Cabinet H: Shelf 2
<p>Mortuary Art from China </p>

Cabinet H: Shelf 3
<p>Mortuary Art from China</p>

Cabinet I: Shelf 1
<p>Art of Islam</p>

Cabinet I: Shelf 2
<p>Art of Islam</p>

Cabinet I: Shelf 3
<p>Art of Islam</p>

Cabinet J: Shelf 1
<p>Art of Islam</p>

Cabinet J: Shelf 2
<p>Art of Islam</p>

Cabinet J: Shelf 3
<p>Art of Islam</p>

Cabinet K: Shelf 1
<p>Religious Sculpture from India</p>

Cabinet K: Shelf 2
<p>Religious Sculpture from India</p>

Cabinet K: Shelf 3
<p>Art of Islam</p>

Cabinet L: Shelf 1
<p>Blue-and-White Porcelain and Stoneware</p>

Cabinet L: Shelf 2
<p>Blue-and-White Porcelain and Stoneware</p>

Cabinet L: Shelf 3
<p>Blue-and-White Porcelain and Stoneware</p>

Cabinet M: Shelf 1
<p>Selections from the Dora and William Hunter Coll...

Cabinet M: Shelf 2
<p>Selections from the Dora and William Hunter Coll...

Cabinet M: Shelf 3
<p>Blue-and-White Porcelain and Stoneware</p>

Cabinet N: Shelf 1
<p>Selections from the Margaret Watson Parker Colle...

Cabinet N: Shelf 2
<p>Selections from the Margaret Watson Parker Colle...

Cabinet N: Shelf 3
<p>Celadon Wares in Asia</p>

Cabinet O: Shelf 1
<p>Celadon Wares in Asia</p>

Cabinet O: Shelf 2
<p>Celadon Wares in Asia</p>

Cabinet O: Shelf 3
<p>Celadon Wares in Asia</p>

Cabinet P: Shelf 1
<p>Celadon Wares in Asia</p>

Cabinet P: Shelf 2
<p>Celadon Wares in Asia</p>

Cabinet P: Shelf 3
<p>Celadon Wares in Asia</p>

Cabinet Q: Shelf 1
<p>Selections from the Ellen and Richard Laing Coll...

Cabinet Q: Shelf 2
<p>Selections from the Ellen and Richard Laing Coll...

Cabinet Q: Shelf 3
<p>Selections from the Ellen and Richard Laing Coll...

Cabinet Q: Shelf 4
<p>American Plaster Casts</p>

Cabinet R: Shelf 1
<p>American Plaster Casts</p>

Cabinet R: Shelf 2
<p>Apostle Spoons and American Silver</p>

Cabinet R: Shelf 3
<p>Modernist Glass and American Art Pottery</p>

Cabinet R: Shelf 4
<p>American Plaster Casts</p>

Cabinet S: Shelf 1
<p>American Silver</p>

Cabinet S: Shelf 2
<p>Tiffany Glass</p>

Cabinet S: Shelf 3
<p>American Silver</p>

Cabinet T: Shelf 1
<p>American Art Pottery</p>

Cabinet T: Shelf 2
<p>American Art Pottery</p>

Cabinet T: Shelf 3
<p>Native American Art</p>

Cabinet U: Shelf 1
<p>American Art Pottery</p>

Cabinet U: Shelf 2
<p>American Art Pottery</p>

Cabinet U: Shelf 3
<p>Native American Art</p>

Cabinet V: Shelf 1
<p>The Human Figure in African Art</p>

Cabinet V: Shelf 2
<p>African Miniature Masks</p>

Cabinet V: Shelf 3
<p>African Masks and Masquerades</p>

Cabinet W: Shelf 1
<p>The Head in African Art</p>

Cabinet W: Shelf 2
<p>Selections from the Helmut Stern Collection</p>

Cabinet W: Shelf 3
<p>Selections from the Helmut Stern Collection</p>

Cabinet W: Shelf 4
<p>African Masks and Masquerades</p>

Cabinet X: Shelf 1
<p>Modern Sculpture</p>

Cabinet X: Shelf 2
<p>Modern Sculpture</p>

Cabinet X: Shelf 3
<p>Modern Sculpture</p>

Cabinet X: Shelf 4
<p>Modern Sculpture</p>

Cabinet Y: Shelf 1
<p>Selections from the Fusfeld Art Collection</p>

Cabinet Y: Shelf 2
<p>Contemporary Art</p>

Cabinet Y: Shelf 3
<p>Contemporary Art</p>

Cabinet Y: Shelf 4
<p>Contemporary Art</p>

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Last Updated

June 8, 2020 1:18 p.m.

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