Temporary exhibition
Life in the Midst of Beauty. The World of a Chinese Scholar
Place: National Museum in Warsaw
Past
Project co-financed by the European Union from the European Regional Development Fund
Project co-financed by the European Union from the European Regional Development Fund
Discover the digital collections of the National Museum in Warsaw and explore thousands of works of art — from painting and sculpture to prints, photography and decorative arts. Browse objects, artists and collections, learning their history through detailed descriptions and high-quality reproductions. Visit the site and see the richness of the MNW collections from anywhere, at any time.
14 May – 25 October 2026 Xawery Dunikowski Museum of Sculpture in Królikarnia
17 April – 13 September 2026 The National Museum in Warsaw
Over 160 objects from the National Museum of China collection, including calligraphy, painting, ceramics, jades, bronzes, furniture and textiles, will be on show.
The Chinese literati, often referred to as “scholar-officials” (shidafu), usually served as government officials and at the same time were much admired for great artistic taste. From the Song dynasty (960–1279) onwards, literati painting, as a principal part of Chinese painting, showed scholar-officials’ attitude towards life and art. The fascinating life that scholar-officials lived in many ways reflected their personality and wisdom.
The current exhibition is organized in three sections. The narration begins with the historical and philosophical background of Chinese scholar-officials (I. Scholar or Official: A Choice), followed by aspects of literati lifestyle, such as gatherings, poetry, tea drinking and entertainment. This section is highlighted by a fragment of engraved stone from the Eastern Han dynasty (25–220 AD), which is the earliest official version of Confucian classics, and a scroll by the famous artist Wen Zhengming (1470–1559), entitled At the Zhenshang Studio.
The second section (II. The “Four Arts”) illustrates the artistic cultivation of scholar-officials, that is, music, chess, calligraphy and painting, apart from incense burning, studying scrolls and flower arrangement – all were skills that a qualified scholar-official must master. This section features a rich variety of objects, like the King of Lu’s zither from the Ming dynasty (1368–1644) and the jade carved imperial album of verses of the Qing dynasty (1644–1911).
In the last section (III. Literati Painting and Aesthetics), emphasis is given on literati painting – an artistic way of expression that is very different from Western painting. In the ideals of scholar-officials, the value of paintings lies in self-cultivation and self-expression. Therefore, the literati paintings point to an inner world, a world that brings us closer to the core of unique literati spirit. Here, on display are works not only by Chinese painters like Wang Ze (1759–1842) and Wang Jian (1598–1677), but also by Giuseppe Castiglione (1688–1766), an Italian Jesuit missionary who came to China and served as a court painter for more than 50 years. Castiglione used both Western and Chinese techniques and specialized in human figures and birds and flowers.
This exhibition has connected painting with everyday life. This will help Polish audiences better understand the Chinese scholar-officials, their life and, more importantly, the ancient Chinese painting that they created. It is hoped that the exhibition will arouse more interest in the art and culture from ancient China.
