Skip to content

Our blog

Last news about Asian antiques and Buddha images

Primary Menu
  • HOME
  • Sample Page
  • Home
  • Uncategorized
  • ‘Buddha and Shiva, Lotus and Dragon: Masterworks from the John D. Rockefeller 3rd Collection at Asia Society’ Resumes Museum Tour

‘Buddha and Shiva, Lotus and Dragon: Masterworks from the John D. Rockefeller 3rd Collection at Asia Society’ Resumes Museum Tour

azibaza2 2021-02-22 3 min read

Made in India, Tamil Nadu Shiva as Lord of the Dance (Shiva Nataraja) , Chola period, ca. 970. Copper alloy. Asia Society, New York: Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd Collection, 1979.20 Courtesy American Federation of Arts
Made in China, Jiangxi Province Flask , Ming period, early 15th century (probably Yongle era, 1403 – 24). Porcelain painted with underglaze cobalt blue (Jingdezhen ware). Asia Society, New York: Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd Collection, 1979.160 Court esy American Federation of Arts
Made in Pakistan, Gandhara area Head of Buddha , Kushan period, late 2nd – 3rd century. Schistose phyllite. Asia Society, New York: Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd Collection, 1979.2 Courtesy American Federation of Arts
Made in North China Bottle , Northern Song period, 12th century. Stoneware with graffito design in slip under glaze (Cizhou ware, probably from Xiuwu or Cizhou). Asia Society, New York: Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd Collection, 1979.141 Courtesy American Federation of Arts
Made in China, Henan Province Bowl , Northern Song period, 12th century. Stoneware with glaze with suffusions from copper filings (Jun ware) Asia Society, New York: Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd Collection, 1979.137. Courtesy American Federation of Art

The New Orleans Museum of Art (NOMA) presents Buddha and Shiva, Lotus and Dragon: Masterworks from the Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd Collection at Asia Society, on view March 6 through May 30, 2021. Initially planned for the Spring of 2020, the exhibition was on view for just three days before NOMA had to close its doors at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, in its return to the museum, the exhibition presents nearly seventy of the finest examples of Asian art in the United States.

Buddha and Shiva, Lotus and Dragon showcases the broad range of bronzes, ceramics, and metalwork assembled by John D. Rockefeller 3rd (1906– 1978) and his wife Blanchette Hooker Rockefeller (1909–1992) between the 1940s and the 1970s. With highlights including Chinese vases, Indian Chola bronzes, and Southeast Asian sculptures, the collection reveals great achievements in Asian art spanning more than two millennia. Featuring works from across the Asian continent—Cambodia, China, India, Japan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Tibet, and Vietnam, the selection of masterpieces presented in Buddha and Shiva, Lotus and Dragon illuminates social and artistic histories from across Asia and underscores the visual arts’ capacity to encourage cross-cultural dialogue.

“The stunning range of works selected by Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller represent a multitude of cultures across Asia, showcasing the diversity and complexity of the region,” said Susan Taylor, Montine McDaniel Freeman Director of NOMA. “The collection rarely travels beyond its home at the Asia Society Museum in New York, and never with the range of objects presented in this exhibition. We are delighted to be able to bring this remarkable collection back to New Orleans to be safely enjoyed and admired.”

When Mr. and Mrs. Rockefeller began collecting Asian art in the years after World War II, they chose to prioritize classical masterpieces that represented the great technical skill and creative breadth of Asian artistic practice. In addition to investigating themes of Buddhist sculpture, Hindu sculpture, and ceramics and metalwork, the exhibition also examines the Rockefellers’ collecting and exhibition practices in an age when political and economic circumstances informed the reception and availability of Asian artworks in the United States. With an emphasis on beauty, ingenuity, and tradition, Buddha and Shiva, Lotus and Dragon manifests the dynamic ideas and philosophies that animate histories of Asian art and renews the Rockefellers’ vision of promoting cross-cultural understanding.

Buddha and Shiva, Lotus and Dragon: Masterworks from the Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd Collection at Asia Society is co-organized by the American Federation of Arts and Asia Society. See tour schedule.

Catalogue

Buddha and Shiva, Lotus and Dragon: Masterworks from the Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd Collection at Asia Society is accompanied by a fully illustrated catalogue by Adriana Proser, the former John H. Foster Senior Curator of Traditional Asian Art at Asia Society. Visit the NOMA shop online.

Continue Reading

Previous: Hai Phong pagoda enshrines the Buddha in a cave
Next: 10th century Buddha Vihar discovered in Jharkhand’s Hazaribag

Related Stories

World-renowned Buddha statues grace tranquil Vinh Trang Pagoda. Vietnam
3 min read

World-renowned Buddha statues grace tranquil Vinh Trang Pagoda. Vietnam

2025-05-31
Rare Chinese antiques sell for more than £130k
2 min read

Rare Chinese antiques sell for more than £130k

2025-05-29
British Museum displays a 2,000-year-old Buddha in exploration of Indian religions
2 min read

British Museum displays a 2,000-year-old Buddha in exploration of Indian religions

2025-05-22

Recent Posts

  • World-renowned Buddha statues grace tranquil Vinh Trang Pagoda. Vietnam
  • Rare Chinese antiques sell for more than £130k
  • British Museum displays a 2,000-year-old Buddha in exploration of Indian religions
  • 100-ton stone ‘Buddha’s footprint’ becomes spiritual beacon at Tam Chuc. Vietnam
  • Bengal’s artists reimagine the spirit of Buddha through art. Bangladesh.

Recent Comments

    Archives

    • May 2025
    • April 2025
    • March 2025
    • February 2025
    • January 2025
    • December 2024
    • November 2024
    • October 2024
    • September 2024
    • August 2024
    • July 2024
    • June 2024
    • May 2024
    • April 2024
    • March 2024
    • February 2024
    • January 2024
    • December 2023
    • November 2023
    • October 2023
    • September 2023
    • August 2023
    • July 2023
    • June 2023
    • May 2023
    • April 2023
    • March 2023
    • February 2023
    • January 2023
    • December 2022
    • November 2022
    • October 2022
    • September 2022
    • August 2022
    • July 2022
    • June 2022
    • May 2022
    • April 2022
    • March 2022
    • February 2022
    • January 2022
    • December 2021
    • October 2021
    • September 2021
    • August 2021
    • July 2021
    • June 2021
    • May 2021
    • April 2021
    • March 2021
    • February 2021
    • January 2021
    • December 2020
    • November 2020
    • October 2020
    • September 2020
    • August 2020
    • July 2020
    • June 2020
    • May 2020
    • April 2020
    • March 2020
    • February 2020
    • January 2020
    • December 2019
    • November 2019
    • October 2019
    • September 2019
    • August 2019
    • July 2019
    • June 2019
    • May 2019
    • April 2019
    • February 2017

    Categories

    • Blog
    • Uncategorized

    Meta

    • Log in
    • Entries feed
    • Comments feed
    • WordPress.org

    You may have missed

    World-renowned Buddha statues grace tranquil Vinh Trang Pagoda. Vietnam
    3 min read

    World-renowned Buddha statues grace tranquil Vinh Trang Pagoda. Vietnam

    2025-05-31
    Rare Chinese antiques sell for more than £130k
    2 min read

    Rare Chinese antiques sell for more than £130k

    2025-05-29
    British Museum displays a 2,000-year-old Buddha in exploration of Indian religions
    2 min read

    British Museum displays a 2,000-year-old Buddha in exploration of Indian religions

    2025-05-22
    100-ton stone ‘Buddha’s footprint’ becomes spiritual beacon at Tam Chuc. Vietnam
    2 min read

    100-ton stone ‘Buddha’s footprint’ becomes spiritual beacon at Tam Chuc. Vietnam

    2025-05-20
    Copyright © All rights reserved. | MoreNews by AF themes.