Golden miracle from the Ming Dynasty: Exhibition opened in Gotha!

Golden miracle from the Ming Dynasty: Exhibition opened in Gotha!

Gotha, Deutschland - From today, June 21, 2025, a remarkable cultural event will be celebrated in Gotha: The exhibition "China's Gold and Gothas treasures" opens its doors in the Ducal Museum in Friedenstein Castle. This exciting show presents a selection of 145 exquisite gold objects from the Ming Dynasty, which comes from the collection of Peter Viem Kwok in the Museum of Beautiful Arts Qujiang in Xi’an. The objects, mostly from the 16th century, impress with their artistic manual work and include gold wire baskets and splendidly with sapphires, jade and rubies decorated vessels that impressively reflect the fine goldsmith's art of this era.  Süddeutsche.de that does not report that the exhibition is not only displays objects, but also the prelude to a valuable cultural exchange between Thuringia and China.

Thuringia's Prime Minister Mario Voigt emphasizes the idea that art and culture build bridges and contribute to communication. A special Highlight of the exhibition is the view of a counter exhibition with Gothaer, which is to be presented in Xi’an next year.

a unique encounter

The exhibition will be shown in the exhibition cabinet of the Ducal Museum Gotha from June 22, 2025 to January 11, 2026. The thematic focus is on the encounter between the fine goldsmith's work of the Ming Dynasty and the Ernestine treasures from Gotha. In addition to the exciting objects from China, some of the oldest preserved works of the silver treasure and significant European goldsmiths can also be admired, including the Vasa Sacra from the Augustinian Church.

Overall, the exhibition includes around 75 groups of work, which are not only a feast for the eyes for art lovers, but also to promote an international dialogue about borders and cultures. The exhibits, which were previously shown in the Musée Guimet in Paris, are tailored to the valuable treasures of the Kunstkammer at Friedenstein Castle. As the Friedenstein Foundation explains, this exhibition sets an important milestone in the year of the 2025 city anniversary. Foundation Friedenstein emphasizes that the exhibition makes the attempt to connect and examine the cultural contexts of the different epochs.

model for further exhibitions

In Cologne, however, a separate but thematically connected show is presented: The exhibition "Mythos Ming" in the Museum of East Asian art is moving the art-historical and technical development of the blue and white porcelain during the Ming dynasty. Here visitors can admire around 80 exhibits that were collected from various collections, including significant loans from Peter and Irene Ludwig Foundation. kölntourismus describes that under the objects is an outstanding blue-white shell that is considered the earliest secure Ming-Porzellan in Germany illuminated between Europe and China.

Thus, both exhibitions impressively show how deeply rooted the cultural exchange between the east and west has been over the centuries and which treasures have come to light. A visit to Gotha or Cologne therefore promises to become a real experience for art and historical enthusiasts.