Time in Circulation
Lecture on a rare 18th-century Chinese staff, with Bruno Alexandre Morais
This presentation/session focuses on the history of a rare and fascinating enamel-on-copper staff, decorated with a perpetual runic calendar and produced in China in the 18th century for the Western market. Only five staffs of this type are known to exist worldwide, all similarly decorated with complex timekeeping systems, zodiac signs, and references to religious and secular celebrations. These hybrid objects testify to the transcontinental circulation of knowledge and the materialization of Scandinavian traditions of time in prestigious objects of the early modern period.
General Information
Schedule: 21.02, 16:00–17:00
Language: Portuguese
Age: Adults
Capacity: 25 participants
Free activity upon presentation of a valid museum admission ticket. Subject to capacity. Registration can be completed via the website or at the on-site ticket office.
About Bruno Alexandre Morais
Bruno Alexandre Morais is a researcher at Jorge Welsh Research & Publishing. His research interests focus primarily on the European presence in Africa and Asia and the artistic production resulting from these cultural interactions, with particular emphasis on ceramics and furniture. Since beginning his collaboration with Jorge Welsh Research & Publishing in 2011, he has contributed to numerous publications, including: Ko-sometsuke: Chinese Porcelain for the Japanese Market (2013); China of All Colours: Painted Enamels on Copper (2015); Turn of the Sea: Art from the Eastern Trade Routes (2017); Animalia: Chinese Export Porcelain Animal-Form Tureens (2024); Asian Lacquer: A Lasting Story of Fascination and Inspiration (2025). He also contributed to volume VI of the RA series: The RA Collection of Cross-Cultural Works of Art: A Collector’s Vision (2022).
