The Secret Garden: Symbols of Nature in Wood, Silver and Gold
Pair of brush pots, China, 17th century, Zitan, Diameter 9cm x height 13cm
Set of salt holders, Lyubavin, Russia, 1896, Silver-gilt, filigree and enamel, Diameter 3cm
Compact, around 1925, Gold, diamonds and enamel, 6 x 4.5 x 0.9cm
Hong Kong – Liang Yi Museum is delighted to announce its exhibition The Secret Garden: Symbols
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of Nature in Wood, Silver and Gold, opening on September 1 2016 and running until March 2017.
Featuring over two hundred objects from the museum’s three permanent collections - antique
Chinese furniture from the Ming (1368–1644) and Qing (1644–1912) dynasties, European silverware
from the eighteenth to twentieth century and European vanities dating from the 1900s to today – the
exhibition will be the largest showcase of the collection to date. It examines the significance of nature
as a theme in art among different cultures, as well how craftsmen working in various mediums found
ways to express nature through a visual language understood by all.
The museum is home to one of the most comprehensive collections of antique Chinese furniture from
the Ming and Qing dynasties, made of two highly-prized Chinese hardwoods, huanghuali and zitan,
which have for centuries been in short supply. Carefully selected highlights from the collection will
introduce visitors to the meanings behind symbols of nature used on this exquisite furniture, such as
pines, which are associated with bravery; bamboo, which symbolises perseverance and modesty; and
plums, which flower in the coldest days of winter and represent integrity and resilience. Real and
imagined animals like bats and dragons have their own hidden meanings, many of which have
changed over time and may come as a surprise to even those familiar with Chinese art.
Liang Yi’s growing collection of European silver examines a different but no less visually rich design
language. Over eighty works from France, England, Italy, Denmark, and Russia dating to the
eighteenth to twentieth century explore how images of plants, flowers and animals were used as a
visual accompaniment to devotional icons of saints and figures from mythology. Each demonstrates
how motifs from nature were adapted by craftsmen working in different styles – such as the scrolling
acanthus patterns of antiquity that were applied with renewed vigour on eighteenth century English
and French tea services and elaborate trophies.
The exhibition closes with a selection of vanities from the Liang Yi Museum collection – one of the
largest and most complete in the world. Starting from the turn of the century, they reflect a period of
rapid artistic development, in which nature served as a unifying theme. Objects in the Art Nouveau
style, influenced by British artists such as William Morris and John Ruskin, show how butterflies,
insects, lilies, irises inspired by Japanese and Medieval European art found new expression, while
works from the Art Deco period show how these motifs conformed to match the requirements of the
age of mass production and industrialisation, as well as demonstrating a taste for African and Asian
art that characterised the period.
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To visit the exhibition, visitors are asked to email or telephone the museum to book tickets, which will
include a guided tour by one of the Museum’s knowledgeable docents in English, Mandarin or
Cantonese. This provides an intimate and personalised museum experience, during which visitors
are encouraged to interact with the collection on display.
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Notes to Editors
Exhibition dates
1 September 2016 to March 2017
Liang Yi Museum
By appointment only
Opening hours: Tuesday to Saturday, 10am to 6pm; Closed on Sundays, Mondays and Public
Holidays
Tel: +852 2806 8280
Location: 181-199 Hollywood Road, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong
www.liangyimuseum.com
www.facebook.com/LiangYiMuseum
Instagram: liangyimuseum
WeChat: liangyi
About Liang Yi Museum
Opened in March 2014, Liang Yi Museum is Hong Kong’s largest private museum, located on
Hollywood Road, in the heart of the historic district. Housing a world-class collection of Chinese
antique furniture from the Ming and Qing dynasties, as well as the world’s most extensive collection of
European vanities, Liang Yi Museum is a significant addition to the arts, heritage and cultural
landscape of the city.
Visits to the Liang Yi Museum is by appointment only, and bookings are now available by calling +852
2806 8280. Admission is HK$200 per person including a guided tour, or HK$300 including a guided
tour and a catalogue of the current exhibition.
Catalogue
The Secret Garden: Symbols of Nature in Wood, Silver and Gold is accompanied by a lavishly
illustrated catalogue with essays on classical Chinese furniture, European silver, and vanities
(HK$200).
Media Interviews
Lynn Fung (Director, Liang Yi Museum) can be interviewed about The Secret Garden: Symbols of
Nature in Wood, Silver and Gold upon request.
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Media Preview Tour of the Exhibition
4 – 6pm, Wednesday 31 August 2016
*RSVP Essential*
For media enquiries and high-res images with full captions, please contact:
Eleanor Porter | SUTTON
[email protected] | +852 2528 0792
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