Accumulating Culture
The Collections of Emperor Huizong

Features the cultural side of Chinese imperial rule and of the court as a patron of scholars and the arts. This book offers glimpses of the magnificence of the collections Emperor Huizong (1082-1135) formed and the disparate fates of the objects after they were seized as booty by the Jurchen invaders in 1127.

The acts of inclusion, exclusion, and sequencing that they performed allowed them to influence how people thought of the collection, and to attempt to promote or demote particular artists and styles.This book will be of interest to scholars and students of Chinese art history, social history, and culture, as well as art collectors. Patricia Buckley Ebrey is professor of history at the University of Washington and author of "The Cambridge Illustrated History of China" and "The Inner Quarters: Marriage and the Lives of Chinese Women in the Sung Period".