Shorter contributions on a variety of themes, serious or otherwise.

ARCHIVE

LETTER FROM JAPAN (31 January 2002)
Each July, a spectacular group of antique carpets, tapestries and textiles can be seen adorning the Yama and Haka floats of Kyoto's Gion Matsuri celebration. The month-long event offers a rare chance to see such a diverse group of weavings in one festive setting. But for those in search of a more intimate experience with rugs and textiles, our author introduces two museums in Kobe, Japan, which are completely dedicated the art.

A CHANCE ENCOUNTER (19 November 2001)
When the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) received the Frum Collection, they got more than just 77 superb African sculptures, as Tony Luppino quickly discovered on a recent visit with the Canadian benefactor, Dr Murray Frum.

A FAMILY AFFAIR (19 September 2001)
The Gallery of Antique Costume and Textiles, founded by Lionel Segal, has become something of an institution for designers and decorators. Nick Purdon meets the man who started the business as a hobby more than 20 years ago.

FROM ASIA WITH LOVE (9 August 2001)
The Museo Nazionale d'Arte Orientale in Rome contains an enormous range of objects from across the vast continent, along with the important archives of the well-known Tibetologist, Giuseppe Tucci. This is the first in a series of articles profiling Italian museums with significant holdings of Asian art. Filippo Salviati reports.

RATS, CELADONS AND BRAIN SURGERY (1 June 2001)
The first ever international conference on the archaeology of the United Arab Emirates brought some interesting facts to light and also confirmed the advanced state of knowledge of this region of the Arabian Peninsula's archaeology. Geoffrey King reports.

A MAVERICK COLLECTOR (20 March 2001)
Asian art enthusiast Leo Haks has held an avid interest in collecting since his teens, and is about to exhibit his extensive collection of Cantonese Opera Costumes in The Hague (7 April - 9 September 2001). Kunang Helmi Picard reports.

EXPLODING THE MYTHS (2 March 2001)
After 30 years at the Museum of Mankind in Piccadilly, the British Museum's magnificent collections of African art are finally returning to Bloomsbury. Amber Daines spoke to the curator of the new Sainsbury African Galleries.

CONSERVING CHINA'S FIBROUS HISTORY (26 February 2001)
The Chinese Centre for Textile Identification and Conservation (CCTIC), China's first centre devoted to the study and conservation of textiles, opened in October 2000 in Hangzhou. Filippo Salviati spoke to the Director.

TALE OF A SHADOW PUPPET MASTER (17 January 2001)
American Larry Reed has made a career out of the ancient Asian tradition of shadow puppets. Kunang Helmi-Picard reports.

GREEK DIPLOMATS' BEQUEST TO ASIAN ART MUSEUM (18 October 2000)
The recently reopened Museum of Asian Art on Corfu island is comprised mainly of Greek diplomats' collections. Our author, Filippo Salviati, discusses its history and reorganisation.

A QIANLONG THRONE IN KENT (18 September 2000)
On a recent visit to the Royal Engineers Museum in Chatham, Kent, our author 'discovered' a throne originally from the Imperial Summer Palace outside Beijing. Robin Banerji discusses how it likely came to reside here.

A MODERN CLASSIC (25 August 2000)
New York dealer, Martha Sutherland, has dedicated her gallery to modern Chinese classical paintings. She spoke to Amy Page during her opening show in March 2000.

PALM LEAF PERFECTION (17 August 2000)
The Vredenburg Manuscript in London's Victoria and Albert Museum is perhaps the most perfectly conceived palm leaf manuscript produced during the reign of Ramapala (1077-1120), the last important king of India's Pala Dynasty (8th-12th century). Angela Bliss admires the exemplary naturalism and illusionism of its pages.

BROKEN CHAIR, BROKEN PROMISES (3 August 2000)
The issues of museum security and visitor education are contemplated after a Ming dynasty chair at the Minneapolis Museum of Art was badly damaged in June 2000 by a visitor who broke it in three. By Sandra Sheckter.

ANCIENT CHINA: REVAMPED AND REVISITED (10 July 2000)
The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts has renovated and reinstalled its Chinese Art Gallery to showcase around 150 works, including several new acquisitions. Dr Jason Sun, formerly the curator of the collection, reports.

THE MINI-MING RENAISSANCE (31 March 2000)
Hong Kong's Imperial Pleasures, under the guidance of Robert Piccus, has established itself as a leading manufacturer of miniature classical Chinese furniture. Piccus is the son of well-known collectors, Alice and Robert Piccus, who sold their entire Chinese furniture collection at Christie's in 1997.

SACRED AND SECULAR (3 March 2000)
The arts of the book are celebrated in a permanent display of illuminated manuscripts at the British Library's new home in St Pancras. The John Ritblat Gallery includes a selection of Qur'ans and other works showing the quality and diversity of Islamic and Indian miniature painting.

TOWN AND COUNTRY (25 February 2000)
While little is known about Moroccan rugs from the beginning of the 19th century, the mixed technique weavings of Salé, a town in the country's north-west, provide a hint of the tradition's former glory.

RECONSTRUCTING BERLIN (1 February 2000)
Two installations at the Berlin Museum of Ethnology reveal a splendid selection of African and Amerindian art, much of which had been hidden in storage since World War II.

THE MEMORIAL: A MASTERPIECE OF ABORIGINAL ART (27 September 1999)
The Aboriginal Memorial has left Australia for the first time to spend four months at the éMuséepique, as an official part of the program for the Olympic Festivals of arts of the Sydney Olympic Games in 2000. Amber Daines reports

THE HERMITAGE GOES DIGITAL (10 September 1999)
The Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg have teamed up with IBM to create a website giving the general public access to its three million works.

A MUSEUM FOR THE MILLENNIUM (9 July 1999)
The Crow Collection is a new museum in Dallas, devoted to Asian art. Near perfect presentation coupled with professional curatorship look set to bring the collection to the attention of enthusiasts everywhere.

TOO PRETTY BY FAR (2 July 1999)
The controversial Asad Khan Yomut carpet, illustrated and discussed by Alan Marcuson.

WHO WOULD HAVE BELIEVED IT? (16 June 1999)
Fustat fragments at Bonhams - you must be joking. Alan Marcuson reports on two extremely unusual carpet fragments,

ANDREA FIUCZYNSKI - PRECISELY (10 June 1999)
Few auctioneers these days have what it takes to make a lasting impression on the marketplace. Sotheby's Bill Ruprecht was one such; Andrea Fiuczynski is another. Alan Marcuson reports on one of Christie's leading lights.

SURFACE IS ILLUSION (But So is Depth) (10 June 1999)
Donald Dinwiddie takes another look at David Hockney's video lecture on a 17th century imperial handscroll and relishes an extraordinary piece of art criticism.