Lothar Ledderose
Encyclopedia
Lothar Ledderose is a German professor of the History of Art of Eastern Asia at the University of Heidelberg and dean of its Philosophical-Historical Faculty. A renowned authority in his field, he received the prestigious Balzan Prize
in 2005.
he studied East-Asian as well as European History of Art, Sinology
and Japanology
at the universities of Cologne, Bonn
, Paris
, Taipei
and Heidelberg.
He did postgraduate research at Princeton University
and Harvard University
(1969–1971) and worked as a translator at Taipei's National Palace Museum
(1971–1972). He then became a researcher at Tokio University's Oriental Cultural Institute (1973–1975) and at the Museum of East Asian Art in Berlin. (1975–1976). He successfully submitted his habilitationsschrift at the University of Cologne in 1976.
He is, as of 1984, a corresponding member of the Deutschen Archäologischen Instituts (German Archeological Institute) and the British Academy
(as of 1996) as well as, since 1986, a full member of the Heidelberger Akademie der Wissenschaften. He has been a board member of the Deutschen Morgenländischen Gesellschaft (German Oriental Society) and, in 1986, president of the ICANAS (International Congress of Asian and North-African Studies) in Hamburg
He was fellow and visiting professor at a great number of academic institutions, among which should be mentioned: Fellow of the Wissenschaftskolleg in Berlin (1983–1984), Senior Mellon Fellow at the Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts in Washington (1990–1991), Slade Professor at the University of Cambridge (1992), Murphy Lecturer at the University of Kansas (1994), visiting professor at the Universities of Chicago (1996), Taiwan (1997) and Kyoto (1997), as well as Mellon Lecturer at the National Gallery of Art
in Washington (1998) and Scholar at the Getty Research Institute
in Los Angeles
(2000–2001).
On the occasion of Ledderose's retirement in 2010, an international conference was held from 10 to 12 July at the Cluster of Excellence "Asia and Europe in a Global Context" at Heidelberg University. Under the title "Living Legacies: The History of East Asian Art Reconsidered", experts from Harvard, Princeton, Cambridge, Oxford and other renowned Universities discuss about theoretical and methodological developments in the History of East Asian Art.
In his "Ten Thousand Things: Module and Mass Production in Chinese Art," Ledderose argues that modular production systems were the basis for a wide range of Chinese art, including bronzes, terra-cotta figurines, lacquer, porcelain, architecture, printing, and painting.
His most important scholarly articles are:
Balzan Prize
The International Balzan Prize Foundation awards four annual monetary prizes to people or organisations who have made outstanding achievements in the fields of humanities, natural sciences, culture, as well as for endeavours for peace and the brotherhood of man.-Rewards and assets:Each year the...
in 2005.
Life
After graduating from the prestigious Apostelgymnasium of CologneCologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
he studied East-Asian as well as European History of Art, Sinology
Sinology
Sinology in general use is the study of China and things related to China, but, especially in the American academic context, refers more strictly to the study of classical language and literature, and the philological approach...
and Japanology
Japanology
Japanese Studies is a term generally used in Europe to describe the historical and cultural study of Japan; in North America, the academic field is usually referred to as Japanese studies, which includes contemporary social sciences as well as classical humanistic fields.European Japanology is the...
at the universities of Cologne, Bonn
Bonn
Bonn is the 19th largest city in Germany. Located in the Cologne/Bonn Region, about 25 kilometres south of Cologne on the river Rhine in the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, it was the capital of West Germany from 1949 to 1990 and the official seat of government of united Germany from 1990 to 1999....
, Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, Taipei
Taipei
Taipei City is the capital of the Republic of China and the central city of the largest metropolitan area of Taiwan. Situated at the northern tip of the island, Taipei is located on the Tamsui River, and is about 25 km southwest of Keelung, its port on the Pacific Ocean...
and Heidelberg.
He did postgraduate research at Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
and Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
(1969–1971) and worked as a translator at Taipei's National Palace Museum
National Palace Museum
The National Palace Museum is an art museum in Taipei. It is the national museum of the Republic of China, and has a permanent collection of over 677,687 pieces of ancient Chinese artifacts and artworks, making it one of the largest in the world. The collection encompasses over 8,000 years of...
(1971–1972). He then became a researcher at Tokio University's Oriental Cultural Institute (1973–1975) and at the Museum of East Asian Art in Berlin. (1975–1976). He successfully submitted his habilitationsschrift at the University of Cologne in 1976.
He is, as of 1984, a corresponding member of the Deutschen Archäologischen Instituts (German Archeological Institute) and the British Academy
British Academy
The British Academy is the United Kingdom's national body for the humanities and the social sciences. Its purpose is to inspire, recognise and support excellence in the humanities and social sciences, throughout the UK and internationally, and to champion their role and value.It receives an annual...
(as of 1996) as well as, since 1986, a full member of the Heidelberger Akademie der Wissenschaften. He has been a board member of the Deutschen Morgenländischen Gesellschaft (German Oriental Society) and, in 1986, president of the ICANAS (International Congress of Asian and North-African Studies) in Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
He was fellow and visiting professor at a great number of academic institutions, among which should be mentioned: Fellow of the Wissenschaftskolleg in Berlin (1983–1984), Senior Mellon Fellow at the Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts in Washington (1990–1991), Slade Professor at the University of Cambridge (1992), Murphy Lecturer at the University of Kansas (1994), visiting professor at the Universities of Chicago (1996), Taiwan (1997) and Kyoto (1997), as well as Mellon Lecturer at the National Gallery of Art
National Gallery of Art
The National Gallery of Art and its Sculpture Garden is a national art museum, located on the National Mall between 3rd and 9th Streets at Constitution Avenue NW, in Washington, DC...
in Washington (1998) and Scholar at the Getty Research Institute
Getty Research Institute
The Getty Research Institute , located at the Getty Center in Los Angeles, California, is "dedicated to furthering knowledge and advancing understanding of the visual arts". A program of the J...
in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
(2000–2001).
Work
Professor Ledderose is editor of various academic journals, including "Arts Asiatiques" in Paris, "Meishushi yanjiu jikan" in Taipei , "Bulletin of the Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities" in Stockholm and "Scuola di Studi sull'Asia Orientale" in KyotoOn the occasion of Ledderose's retirement in 2010, an international conference was held from 10 to 12 July at the Cluster of Excellence "Asia and Europe in a Global Context" at Heidelberg University. Under the title "Living Legacies: The History of East Asian Art Reconsidered", experts from Harvard, Princeton, Cambridge, Oxford and other renowned Universities discuss about theoretical and methodological developments in the History of East Asian Art.
In his "Ten Thousand Things: Module and Mass Production in Chinese Art," Ledderose argues that modular production systems were the basis for a wide range of Chinese art, including bronzes, terra-cotta figurines, lacquer, porcelain, architecture, printing, and painting.
Selected bibliography
An author of more than 170 books and articles, among Ledderose's most notable works are:- Die Siegelschrift (chuan-shu) in der Ch'ing-Zeit. Wiesbaden, 1970;
- Mi Fu and the Classical Tradition of Chinese Calligraphy. Princeton University Press, 1979;
- Im Schatten hoher Bäume. Malerei der Ming- und Qing-Dynastien (1368-1911) aus der Volksrepublik China. Baden-Baden, Köln, Hamburg, 1985;
- Palastmuseum Peking. Schätze aus der Verbotenen Stadt. Berlin, Wien (authored with Herbert Butz), 1985;
- Studien zur Kalligraphie der Jin und Tang Dynastie. Ein deutscher Gelehrter spricht über Chinesische Kalligraphie, Peking, 1990;
- Jenseits der Grossen Mauer. Der erste Kaiser von China und seine Terrakotta-Armee. Dortmund (authored with Adele Schlombs), 1991;
- Japan und Europa: 1543-1929. Berlin (authored with Doris Croissant), 1993;
- Orchideen und Felsen: Chinesische Bilder im Museum für Ostasiatische Kunst Berlin. Berlin, 1998;
- Ten Thousand Things: Module and Mass Production in Chinese Art. Princeton University Press, 2000.
His most important scholarly articles are:
- "Subject Matter in Early Chinese Painting Criticism." Oriental Art, New Series, vol. 19, n° 1, p. 69-83, 1973;
- "Some Observations on the Imperial Art Collection in China." Transactions of the Oriental Ceramic Society, vol. 43, p. 33-46, 1978/79;
- "The Earthly Paradise: Religious Elements in Chinese Landscape Art." Theories of the Arts in China. Edited by Susan Bush and Christian F. Murck, p. 165-183. Princeton University Press, 1983;
- "Some Taoist Elements in the Calligraphy of the Six Dynasties." T’oung Pao, 70, p. 246-278, 1984;
- "Chinese Calligraphy: Its Aesthetic Dimension and Social Function." Orientations, p. 35-50, (October, 1986);
- "Die Gedenkhalle für Mao Zedong: Ein Beispiel von Gedächtnisarchitektur." Kultur und Gedächtnis, Jan Assmann und Tonio Hölscher (eds.), p. 311-339. Frankfurt, 1988;
- "Chinese Influence on European Art: Sixteenth to Eighteenth Centuries." China and Europe. Edited by Thomas H.C. Lee, p. 221-249. Hong Kong, 1991;
- "Carving Sutras into Stone before the Catastrophe." Proceedings of the British Academy, vol. 125, p. 381-454 (2004).