This is a hybrid lecture – both in person and online over Zoom – to be delivered by Tony Miller on his new book The Missing Buddhas: The mystery of the Chinese Buddhist statues that stunned the Western art world.

Book Details

In the early 1900s, as chaos reigned in China, a group of life-size glazed terracotta Buddhist monks started appearing on the antiques market and caused a sensation in the West, being both exquisite and completely unlike anything else ever seen in Chinese art. Museums and collectors around the world competed for them, but who made them and when? And where had they been hidden before they suddenly emerged into the light?
 
The Missing "Buddhas" tells the story of these statues and unravels the question of their origins. For the past century, scholars, curators and connoisseurs have seemed mesmerized by the myth created by a German dealer that the monks were hidden in inaccessible caves southwest of Beijing to save them from barbarian invaders. But Tony Miller takes a scalpel to this tall tale and both debunks the myth and discovers their true history. In doing so, he opens a window on a fascinating period in Chinese history and introduces an extraordinary cast of characters as he leads the reader clue by clue to the real origins of these beautiful enigmas.

The Speaker

Tony Miller is a long-time resident of Hong Kong and a former President of the OCS, with a keen interest in Chinese painting, porcelain, jade and the conversations across borders that have influenced art and style through the ages. In 2005-06, he and his wife Nga-ching co-organized the exhibition Elegance in Relief – Carved Porcelain from Jingdezhen of the 19th to early 20th Century at the Art Museum of the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

This event will take place in person in Cafe 8, as well as broadcasting the presentation online over Zoom. When signing up to this event, please let us know if you want the Zoom link or would like to sign up to the in-person event.

Time: 7:00 - 8:00 pm Hong Kong Time, Reception for Café 8 opens at 6:30pm

Venue: Café 8, Rooftop Hong Kong Maritime Museum Pier 8, Central/ Online on Zoom

Admission: RAS Members $150; Non-members $200 ( drink and snacks included)/ Free on Zoom

Booking: Please email membership@royalasiaticsociety.org.hk in advance to register your attendance

Where to find the book: https://bookazine.com.hk/products/9789888552924