Media

(Left to Right)

Dean of the Faculty of Arts of HKU Professor Derek Collins, Collector of the McCarthy Collection Mr Robert McCarthy, Consul for Culture, Education and Science of the Consulate General of France in Hong Kong and Macau Ms Anne Denis-Blanchardon, Director of UMAG Dr Florian Knothe

The University Museum and Art Gallery (UMAG) will be working with the McCarthy Collection to display, for the first time in Hong Kong, 41 exquisite selections of Gothic and Renaissance illuminated manuscripts and 7 sculptures.

An opening ceremony of the exhibition was held at UMAG today (December 10, 2015). Officiating guests included the Consul for Culture, Education and Science of the Consulate General of France in Hong Kong and Macau Ms Anne Denis-Blanchardon, Collector of the McCarthy Collection Mr Robert McCarthy, Dean of the Faculty of Arts of HKU Professor Derek Collins and Director of UMAG Dr Florian Knothe.

Illuminated manuscript is a form of miniature painting. European manuscripts are typically Christian texts in which the image illustrates and further explains the word. Decorations in tempera paint, ink and gold on vellum (high-quality parchment) help to both clarify and beautify the text. Long treasured as visual presentations of the Christian Gospel, these miniature paintings give evidence of the talent and culture connected to the art of book illustration.

At a time when large parts of society remained illiterate, both text and image in rare books, such as Bibles and Books of Hours, presented an art form to which only a few community members had access. Books of Hours are Christian devotional books that were popular in the Middle Ages or Medieval Times (5th–14th centuries AD). Being the most common type of surviving medieval illuminated manuscript, they contained prayers appropriate for the various times/hours in the liturgical day. Today, in a flood of visual information, these exceptional documents highlight the important historic and cultural context from which they emerge.

The exhibition and all related activities will be held at 1/F, Fung Ping Shan Building, UMAG, HKU, 90 Bonham Road, Pokfulam

Public guided tours
English:
18 December 2015 (Friday) 13:00 – 13:30
12 & 19 February 2016 (Friday) 13:30 – 14:00

Cantonese:
19 December 2015, 9 January & 27 February 2016 (Saturday) 16:00 – 16:30

Details of the Exhibition
Period: December 11, 2015 (Friday) to February 28, 2016 (Sunday)
Opening Hours:
09:30 – 18:00 (Monday to Saturday)
13:00 – 18:00 (Sunday)
Closed on University and Public Holidays
Venue: 1/F, Fung Ping Shan Building, UMAG, 90 Bonham Road, Pokfulam
Tel/Email: (852) 2241 5500 (General Enquiry) / museum@hku.hk
Admission: Free
Website: www.umag.hku.hk/en/

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About University Museum and Art Gallery of the University of Hong Kong (UMAG)
UMAG was founded in 1953 as the Fung Ping Shan Museum. It was originally established as the Fung Ping Shan Library in 1932 in honour of its benefactor. For more information on UMAG, please click here.

Media enquiries:
UMAG Communication Officer Miss Elena Cheung, Tel: (852) 2241 5512, Email: elenac@hku.hk