Mysterious Spirits, Strange Beasts, Earthly Delights

"The artworks documented in this volume are selected from the Arlene and Harold Schnitzer Collection of Early Chinese Art, which has been assembled over the course of some thirty years by these prominent Northwest collectors. Reflecting an empire whose strength and splendor saw few rivals in the world, the sociopolitical, intellectual, and cultural institutions established in this period provided prototypes for later dynasties throughout China's imperial period and even for the republics in modern times. They also had far-reading significance in the rest of East Asia. No other period in China's history has enjoyed similar influence."--Jacket.