Monks and Merchants: Silk Road Treasures from Northwest China

Accompanying an exhibit at New York's Asia Society, Monks and Merchants: Silk Road Treasures from Northwest China explores this busy region in the period between the Han and Tang Dynasties, the third through seventh centuries C.E. Annette L. Juliano, Professor of Chinese Art at Rutgers University, and art historian Judith A. Lerner present detailed looks at 120 objects (375 illustrations, 232 in full color), including bronze belt buckles excavated from the tomb of a sixth-century husband and wife, a five-stone beige sandstone pagoda with relief carving from the fifth century and a gilt bronze seated Buddha with parasol from circa 400 C.E. The authors describe the pivotal role played by the Silk Road as a site for commerce and cultural exchange with the West, carried out by Buddhist monks, foreign missionaries and nomadic tribes. (Dec.)