Warner graduated from Harvard College in 1903 with a specialty in Buddhist art and an interest in archeology. After several field trips to Asia, he returned to Harvard, where he taught the university's first courses in Japanese and Chinese art. The Smithsonian Institution sent him to Asia in 1913, and he spent more than a year there, but World War I interrupted his work. In 1922 the Fogg Museum again sent him to China.[4]
Frescoes at Dunhuang and controversy over the removal of antiquitiesEdit
Langdon Warner bookplate
Langdon Warner's work in China is the subject of much controversy among art historians. On the one side, there are those who say that he pillaged sites in Asia of their art, in particular, frescos from the Mogao caves at Dunhuang.[5][6] In 1922, the Fogg Museum sent Warner to China to explore western China. [7] He arrived at the Mogao Caves in Dunhuang in January 1924 and, armed with a special chemical solution for detaching wall-paintings, he removed twenty-six Tang dynasty masterpieces from caves 335, 321, 323 & 320. Warner first applied the chemical solution (strong glue) to the painting on the cave wall. He then placed a cloth against it. The cloth was then pulled away from the fresco and then he applied plaster of Paris on the back of the painting and transferred the painting to the plaster surface. Warner had found evidence that the caves were the object of vandalism by Russian soldiers and reached an agreement with the local people to purchase the frescoes and remove them in order to save them for posterity. Unfortunately, the removal process resulted in some damage to the site itself. Luckily, frescoes he framed with glue but were unable to remove are still on display in the caves today. Only five of the 26 fragments of murals that he removed are in good enough condition to be exhibited now in the Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, Massachusetts.[8][9][10]
The views of the Chinese government towards Warner have varied as intensively as the government itself over the last century. In 1931, the National Commission for the Preservation of Antiquities declared that archeological objects could only be taken from the country if there is no one in the country "sufficiently competent or interested in studying or safe-keeping them." Otherwise, the Commission concluded, it is no longer scientific archeology but commercial vandalism." Warner himself viewed his work as a heroic act of preserving art from destruction. He defended taking fragments from the Longmen Grottoes, saying "If we are ever criticized for buying those chips, the love and labor and the dollars we spent on assembling them should silence all criticism. That in itself is a service to the cause of China bigger than anyone else in this country has ever made." [11] It is worth noting, though, that most of the destruction was done to fill orders placed by western collectors using images provide by the buyers.
Today the caves in Dunhuang are favored as tourist stops to showcase the Chinese view that the Americans pillaged their heritage.[citation needed] Certain members of the family have requested that the Museum return the pieces to Dunhuang.[citation needed] The Museum's position is that since they have a bill of sale indicating that Warner legitimately purchased the artwork, they have no obligation to return them.[citation needed] The Warner family acknowledges both points of view on the matter and seeks resolution.[citation needed]
He has been given credit by some for advising against firebombing and the use of the atomic bomb on Kyoto, Nara, and Kamakura and other ancient cities to protect cultural heritage of Japan. There are monuments erected in Kyoto, Hōryū-ji (outside the western edge of Hōryū-ji temple), and Kamakura (outside Kamakura JR Station) in his honor for this reason. However, Otis Cary has argued that the credit for sparing Japan's cultural heritage sites belongs not to Langdon but to the U.S. Secretary of War, Henry L. Stimson.[13]
Major worksEdit
The Long Old Road in China (1926)
The Craft of the Japanese Sculptor (1936)
Buddhist Wall-Paintings: A Study of a Ninth-Century Grotto at Wan Fo Hsia (1938)
The Enduring Art of Japan (1952)
Japanese Sculpture of the Tempyo Period: Masterpieces of the Eighth Century (1959)
^"Langdon Warner Photographs from the 1924 Dunhuang Expedition". Harvard Library. from the original on 2020-03-13. Retrieved 2021-02-23.
^Foltz, Richard C. Foltz, Religions of the Silk Road: Overland Trade and Cultural Exchange from Antiquity to the Fifteenth Century (New York, NY: St. Martin's Griffin, 1999), 4.
^"Book of Members, 1780-2010: Chapter W" (PDF). American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Retrieved 15 April 2011.
^Sanchita Balachandran: Object Lessons: The Politics of Preservation and Museum Building in Western China in the Early Twentieth Century. International Journal of Cultural Property (2007), 14 : 1-32 Cambridge University Press
^Ueno, Rihoko (October 29, 2012). "Monuments Men in Japan: Discoveries in the George Leslie Stout papers". Archives of American Art. Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved 20 September 2013.
^Otis Cary (1975). Mr. Stimson's "pet city": the sparing of Kyoto, 1945. Amherst House, Dōshisha University. Retrieved 23 September 2013.
ReferencesEdit
Theodore Robert Bowie, ed., Langdon Warner Through His Letters. Bloomington: Indiana U. P., 1966
Fan, Shuhua (2014). The Harvard-Yenching Institute and Cultural Engineering: Remaking the Humanities in China, 1924-1951. Lanham, MD: Lexington. ISBN9780739168509.
Meyer, Karl E.; Brysac, Shareen Blair (2015). The China Collectors: America's Century-Long Hunt for Asian Art Treasures. ISBN9781137279767.
langdon, warner, this, article, includes, list, general, references, lacks, sufficient, corresponding, inline, citations, please, help, improve, this, article, introducing, more, precise, citations, april, 2011, learn, when, remove, this, template, message, 18. This article includes a list of general references but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations April 2011 Learn how and when to remove this template message Langdon Warner 1881 1955 was an American archaeologist and art historian specializing in East Asian art He was a professor at Harvard and the Curator of Oriental Art at Harvard s Fogg Museum 1 He is reputed to be one of the models for Steven Spielberg s Indiana Jones 2 As an explorer agent at the turn of the 20th century he studied the Silk Road He was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1927 3 Langdon Warner medallion on stele in Kamakura Contents 1 Career 2 Frescoes at Dunhuang and controversy over the removal of antiquities 3 World War II 4 Major works 5 See also 6 Notes 7 References 8 External linksCareer EditWarner graduated from Harvard College in 1903 with a specialty in Buddhist art and an interest in archeology After several field trips to Asia he returned to Harvard where he taught the university s first courses in Japanese and Chinese art The Smithsonian Institution sent him to Asia in 1913 and he spent more than a year there but World War I interrupted his work In 1922 the Fogg Museum again sent him to China 4 Frescoes at Dunhuang and controversy over the removal of antiquities Edit Langdon Warner bookplateLangdon Warner s work in China is the subject of much controversy among art historians On the one side there are those who say that he pillaged sites in Asia of their art in particular frescos from the Mogao caves at Dunhuang 5 6 In 1922 the Fogg Museum sent Warner to China to explore western China 7 He arrived at the Mogao Caves in Dunhuang in January 1924 and armed with a special chemical solution for detaching wall paintings he removed twenty six Tang dynasty masterpieces from caves 335 321 323 amp 320 Warner first applied the chemical solution strong glue to the painting on the cave wall He then placed a cloth against it The cloth was then pulled away from the fresco and then he applied plaster of Paris on the back of the painting and transferred the painting to the plaster surface Warner had found evidence that the caves were the object of vandalism by Russian soldiers and reached an agreement with the local people to purchase the frescoes and remove them in order to save them for posterity Unfortunately the removal process resulted in some damage to the site itself Luckily frescoes he framed with glue but were unable to remove are still on display in the caves today Only five of the 26 fragments of murals that he removed are in good enough condition to be exhibited now in the Harvard Art Museums Cambridge Massachusetts 8 9 10 The views of the Chinese government towards Warner have varied as intensively as the government itself over the last century In 1931 the National Commission for the Preservation of Antiquities declared that archeological objects could only be taken from the country if there is no one in the country sufficiently competent or interested in studying or safe keeping them Otherwise the Commission concluded it is no longer scientific archeology but commercial vandalism Warner himself viewed his work as a heroic act of preserving art from destruction He defended taking fragments from the Longmen Grottoes saying If we are ever criticized for buying those chips the love and labor and the dollars we spent on assembling them should silence all criticism That in itself is a service to the cause of China bigger than anyone else in this country has ever made 11 It is worth noting though that most of the destruction was done to fill orders placed by western collectors using images provide by the buyers Today the caves in Dunhuang are favored as tourist stops to showcase the Chinese view that the Americans pillaged their heritage citation needed Certain members of the family have requested that the Museum return the pieces to Dunhuang citation needed The Museum s position is that since they have a bill of sale indicating that Warner legitimately purchased the artwork they have no obligation to return them citation needed The Warner family acknowledges both points of view on the matter and seeks resolution citation needed World War II EditWarner s archaeological career was interrupted by the United States entry into World War II and he became part of the Monuments Fine Arts and Archives MFAA Section of the U S Army He was brought on as an advisor to the MFAA Section in Japan from April to September 1946 12 He has been given credit by some for advising against firebombing and the use of the atomic bomb on Kyoto Nara and Kamakura and other ancient cities to protect cultural heritage of Japan There are monuments erected in Kyoto Hōryu ji outside the western edge of Hōryu ji temple and Kamakura outside Kamakura JR Station in his honor for this reason However Otis Cary has argued that the credit for sparing Japan s cultural heritage sites belongs not to Langdon but to the U S Secretary of War Henry L Stimson 13 Major works EditThe Long Old Road in China 1926 The Craft of the Japanese Sculptor 1936 Buddhist Wall Paintings A Study of a Ninth Century Grotto at Wan Fo Hsia 1938 The Enduring Art of Japan 1952 Japanese Sculpture of the Tempyo Period Masterpieces of the Eighth Century 1959 See also EditCaleb Warner his son List of Directors of the Philadelphia Museum of ArtNotes Edit Langdon Warner Photographs from the 1924 Dunhuang Expedition Harvard Library Archived from the original on 2020 03 13 Retrieved 2021 02 23 Foltz Richard C Foltz Religions of the Silk Road Overland Trade and Cultural Exchange from Antiquity to the Fifteenth Century New York NY St Martin s Griffin 1999 4 Book of Members 1780 2010 Chapter W PDF American Academy of Arts and Sciences Retrieved 15 April 2011 Fan 2014 p 6 Peter Hopkirk Foreign Devils on the Silk Road Amherst University of Massachusetts Press 1984 c1980 Sanchita Balachandran Object Lessons The Politics of Preservation and Museum Building in Western China in the Early Twentieth Century International Journal of Cultural Property 2007 14 1 32 Cambridge University Press Fan 2014 p 7 9 From the Harvard Art Museums collections Eight Men Ferrying a Statue of the Buddha from Mogao Cave 323 Dunhuang Gansu province Eight Men Ferrying a Statue of the Buddha Eight Men Ferrying a Statue of the Buddha MeyerBrysac 2015 p 100 Ueno Rihoko October 29 2012 Monuments Men in Japan Discoveries in the George Leslie Stout papers Archives of American Art Smithsonian Institution Retrieved 20 September 2013 Otis Cary 1975 Mr Stimson s pet city the sparing of Kyoto 1945 Amherst House Dōshisha University Retrieved 23 September 2013 References EditTheodore Robert Bowie ed Langdon Warner Through His Letters Bloomington Indiana U P 1966 Fan Shuhua 2014 The Harvard Yenching Institute and Cultural Engineering Remaking the Humanities in China 1924 1951 Lanham MD Lexington ISBN 9780739168509 Meyer Karl E Brysac Shareen Blair 2015 The China Collectors America s Century Long Hunt for Asian Art Treasures ISBN 9781137279767 External links EditWorks by or about Langdon Warner at Internet Archive Works by Langdon Warner at LibriVox public domain audiobooks Cultural officesPreceded byEdwin Atlee Barber Director of the Philadelphia Museum of Art1917 1923 Succeeded byFiske Kimball Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Langdon Warner amp oldid 1086405853, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
