Inami Japanese Woodcarving Talk + Live Demo
Learn about Inami woodcarving firsthand with master woodcarver Nambu Hakuun, one of the leading artisan craftsmen of this tradition.
Inami woodcarving (井波彫刻) is a craft tradition from Toyama prefecture, Japan, renowned for its extraordinarily intricate carving techniques. It originated over 250 years ago with the restoration of the local Zuisen-ji Temple following a major fire. The tradition flourished alongside temple architecture and the development of ranma (transoms) used in traditional Japanese homes, and it persisted despite the impacts of rapid global modernization. Today, Inami’s carvers apply their masterful techniques, rooted in a rigorous five-year apprenticeship system, to a wide range of creative works, from traditional commissions to contemporary designs.
Nambu Hakuun will introduce the history of Inami woodcarving, the lineage of his own workshop, and some of his key works across Japan.
Then, he will demonstrate the traditional creation process step by step—from washi paper sketching to…
Venue: Asian Art Museum, East Building. Building: East Building. Event Location: Flex Space, Gallery 27. Cost: Free. Register in advance (recommended). Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1970367323706?aff=oddtdtcreator. Categories: Demonstrations. Lectures & Discussions. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, December 6, 2025, 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM.
Sneak Peek | Picture Perfect: Hamida Banu Begum’s Portraits of Power
In an empire where visual representation meant power, Hamida Banu Begum (ca. 1527–1604) achieved something remarkable—her image appears in at least nine surviving Mughal court paintings from her lifetime. As wife of Emperor Humayun (r. 1530–56 with interruptions) and mother of his successor Akbar (r. 1556–1605), she played a prominent role in the political and cultural landscape of the subcontinent.
In this online talk, Professor Mika Natif examines Hamida Banu’s visual representations as records of her projected status and the empire’s political dynamics. Analyzing her portraits alongside primary sources reveals Hamida Banu’s role as co-sovereign—a Padishah begum—to her son Akbar. Yet, the paintings appear only in illustrated court chronicles and albums, restricting their viewing to limited and selected audiences. This raises questions about patronage and Hamida Banu’s cultural agency. The research for this talk comes from Natif's current book project dedicated to the portraits and patronage of Hamida Banu.…
Event Location: Zoom. Cost: Free. Register in advance (required). Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonian.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_1Nwm_MFdQfiNDbnVcXVmRw. Categories: Webcasts & Online. Lectures & Discussions. Accessibility: Captioning.
Tuesday, December 9, 2025, 12:00 PM – 12:40 PM.
Conservation Cart Talk | Crafting Ritual Weapons in Ancient China
How were ceremonial weapons crafted in China over 3,000 years ago? Join conservator Ariel O’Connor to learn about the tools, materials, and techniques used by Shang dynasty artisans. Examine samples of jade, bronze, and turquoise, and explore replica tools and casting models that help recreate ancient methods. See how imaging technologies like CT scans and X-rays reveal how these intricate objects were designed, assembled, and decorated. Department of Conservation and Scientific Research.
Venue: Asian Art Museum, West Building. Building: West Building. Event Location: Gallery 19. Cost: No registration or tickets (walk-up only). Categories: Lectures & Discussions. Gallery Talks & Tours. Related Exhibition: Afterlife: Ancient Chinese Jades. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible. Assisted listening devices.
Friday, December 12, 2025, 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
Before the Word, There Was Clay: Painted Ceramics in Fifth-Millennium Susa, Iran
Founded in the fifth millennium BCE, Susa is one of the most significant archaeological sites in southwestern Iran and has yielded the largest known assemblage of painted pottery from the Chalcolithic period (ca. 5500–3300 BCE). This corpus, commonly referred to as “Susa I ceramics,” originates primarily from a vast burial site, where over a thousand complete painted vases were excavated by the French archaeologist Jacques de Morgan beginning in 1906. Crafted from highly refined clay, these vessels feature black-on-buff intricate geometric and figural designs that suggest a society with a complex symbolic tradition.
Recently, the Louvre discovered in its storerooms sealed crates originally received in 1908 that contained hundreds of unpublished “Susa I” vases. This unexpected find initiated a critical reassessment of the entire corpus. In this lecture, Dr. François Bridey will introduce new hypotheses on the production and usage of the vases as well as the symbolic significance of their painted motifs.
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Event Location: Zoom. Cost: Free. Register in advance (required). Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonian.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_fzxlenOaT0yLzpSsri5gYA. Categories: Lectures & Discussions. Webcasts & Online. Related Events: Past annual Moghadam lectures. Accessibility: Captioning.
Tuesday, December 16, 2025, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM.