Peering from their high critical bowers, historians maintain that Chinese art has been on the decline ever since 1368, when the Ming dynasty was founded. They describe the art which the Mings favored for almost 300 years as gaudy, flamboyant and imitative. To prove that "exuberance" and "respect for a classical past" are better words for the period, the Detroit Institute of Arts has staged a loan show of some 400 Ming items.
Contemporary with the European Renaissance in art, the Ming (or "Radiant") era was one in which craftsmanship and art were synonymous. It produced a dazzling array of boldly colored...
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