Dreams of the Kings: A Jade Suit for Eternity

Treasures of the Han Dynasty from Xuzhou

Featured objects include exquisite vessels fashioned from solid jade, a full suit of iron armor, a spectacular solid gold belt buckle and a magnificent, 2,000-year-old, life-sized jade and gold burial suit that is the finest to have survived from ancient China. The objects were excavated from a group of monumental tombs of the Kings of Chu that were carved into rocky hillsides in an area midway between Beijing and Shanghai.

In adjacent galleries will be displayed a selection of 90 pieces from the museum’s celebrated collection of early Chinese art from the Shang (16th century—ca. 1046 B.C.E.) to the Han (206 B.C.E.—220 C.E.) dynasties. The display will include the world-famous jade bi ritual disc and many other exceptional pieces.

Exhibition Resource

Learn more about jade and it’s importance in Chinese culture with our Library Reading Guide. Visit Spencer Art Reference Library in the Bloch Building for more information.

Dreams of the Kings: A Jade Suit for Eternity—Treasures of the Han Dynasty from Xuzhou is organized by the China Institute Gallery and the Xuzhou Municipal Museum. Curated by Li Yinde.

In Kansas City the exhibition is supported by the Estelle S. and Robert A. Long Ellis Foundation, the Stern Foundation for the Arts, the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation, and the Blakemore Foundation.

Image: Life-Size Jade Burial Suit with Gold Thread, China, Western Han Dynasty (206 B.C.E.-9 C.E.). Excavated from the tomb of the King of Chu at Shizishan, Xuzhou in 1995. 69 x 26 13/16 inches.