The Rinaldi Donation: A Collection of Chinese Art

This volume presents the Chinese section of the Rinaldi Collection, donated to the Museo Orientale “Umberto Scerrato” of the Università di Napoli L’Orientale in September 2024. Comprising eighty works dating from the tenth to the twentieth century, the catalogue offers a broad overview of Chinese decorative art through a selection of ceramics and objects of remarkable historical and technical interest. Conceived as a reasoned catalogue, the volume is organised into thematic introductory sections that explore the main production centres and typologies represented in the collection – from Tang (618–907) funerary statuettes to celadon and black- or blue-glazed stoneware, from qingbai and kraak porcelains to lacquerware, silver, and items from the scholar’s studio. The donation, the result of Maura Rinaldi’s expertise and lifelong passion, significantly enhances the Museo Scerrato’s collections and provides a valuable resource for research and teaching, while opening new perspectives on the history of collecting and the global circulation of Chinese art. This volume presents the Chinese section of the Rinaldi Collection, donated to the Museo Orientale “Umberto Scerrato” of the Università di Napoli L’Orientale in September 2024. Comprising eighty works dating from the tenth to the twentieth century, the catalogue offers a broad overview of Chinese decorative art through a selection of ceramics and objects of remarkable historical and technical interest. Conceived as a reasoned catalogue, the volume is organised into thematic introductory sections that explore the main production centres and typologies represented in the collection – from Tang (618–907) funerary statuettes to celadon and black- or blue-glazed stoneware, from qingbai and kraak porcelains to lacquerware, silver, and items from the scholar’s studio. The donation, the result of Maura Rinaldi’s expertise and lifelong passion, significantly enhances the Museo Scerrato’s collections and provides a valuable resource for research and teaching, while opening new perspectives on the history of collecting and the global circulation of Chinese art.