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An Asian man plays a flute in a rough sea

Zhang Jin 張錦 (Chinese, ca. 1450s–1520s), Daoist Immortal Han Xiangzi, late 15th century, hanging scroll, ink and color on silk, Museum Purchase: Gift of the Duke and Duchess of Talleyrand-Perigord, by exchange, 2011.70

New Identity: Through research, the painter of this work was identified as the poorly documented Ming painter Zhang Jin (1450s–1520s), making this his sole extant painting.

An Asian woman in a red dress beside a tall crane

Female Immortal with Crane, China, Ming dynasty (1368–1644), hanging scroll, ink and color on silk, Gift of Dr. Martin Fischer, 1957.383

Conservation: Originally glued to a board, this painting has been removed, cleaned, and remounted as a hanging scroll.

A performer wearing a black mask and an orange outfit with white birds

Sasayama Yoi 笹山養意 (Japanese, d. 1743), Portrait of an Actor with a Black Mask and Bells, Edo period (1615–1868), hanging scroll, ink and color on paper, Gift of Robert F. Blum Estate, 1906.14

Rediscovery: This painting represents a group of 22 scrolls which came into the museum in the early 1900s. They were rediscovered by Curator Hou-mei Sung and finally accessioned in 2006.

An ink painting of a bird on a flowering branch

Kishi Renzan 岸德連山 (Japanese, 1805–1859), Hawk, 19th century, hanging scroll, ink and color on silk, The Thoms Collection; Given by Mrs. Murat H. Davidson in Honor of her Grandfather, Joseph C. Thoms, 1982.21

Conservation: This painting has been conserved and remounted.

A simple green bowl with shell fragment details

Bowl with Shell Attachments, Thailand, 13th century, ceramic, Gift of Widodo Latip, 2019.208

Conservation: Recovered from a 13th century shipwreck in the waters off the coast of Indonesia, this ceramic has unique condition requirements to prevent further degradation.

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Rediscovered Treasures

September 19, 2025 – January 18, 2026

The Thomas R. Schiff Gallery (Gallery 234 & 235)
Free Admission

Rediscovered Treasures features the hidden gems of East Asian art rediscovered through advanced research or conservation in the Cincinnati Art Museum. Most of these 60 highlighted works entered the museum in the late 19th or early 20th centuries when the museum had no staff to identify Asian art. As a result, many were not fully documented or accessioned. The rediscovery of these objects over the past decades and their subsequent accession and conservation have not only changed the identities of many individual art works, but also the overall dynamics of the entire collection. Together, they also shed new light on the early and consequential cultural and artistic exchanges between Cincinnati and East Asia.