The Hong Kong Jockey Club Series: A History of the World in 100 Objects from the British Museum

1/F Thematic Galleries 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5
18 May 2019 – 9 September 2019

Jointly presented by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department and the Trustees of the British Museum
Jointly organised by Hong Kong Heritage Museum and the British Museum
Solely sponsored by The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust

The exhibition originated from a popular radio programme of the BBC with the British Museum, telling the story of human civilisation using 100 objects selected from the encyclopedic collections of the British Museum. Unlike traditional narratives that focus on selected periods or cultural zones, this exhibition reviews the common stories of human development in a new perspective. Tracing human activity from 2 million years ago to the present, the stories behind the objects reveal how mankind in various areas and cultures shared similar aspirations and development in aspects of power, belief, art, trading and technology. Through this broadened vision, visitors may gain new inspiration about the world we live.

Exhibits are selected from various geographical areas, showing man-made objects, not only exquisite art pieces, but a larger proportion being daily utensils and implements, currency, scientific instruments and ritual items that have been used. Highlights include the first human stone tool from Africa, the evidence of first city from Iraq's The Standard of Ur, Fifty Manillas involved in the slave trade, Ship's Chronometer from HMS Beagle of Darwin's world voyage, Japanese artist Hokusai's famous woodblock print Under the Wave off Kanagawa from the series "36 Views of Mt Fuji", and the issue of LGBT rights conveyed in the work of David Hockney, a famous contemporary artist. Each object tells a story that invites you to travel in time and to a curious corner of the world.

Special Programmes in association with the Exhibition "The Hong Kong Jockey Club Series: A History of the World in 100 Objects from the British Museum"

Exhibit Highlights

The Standard of Ur c. 2500 BC Shell, lapis lazuli, red limestone and bitumen Iraq © The Trustees of the British Museum

Statue of Mithras AD 100 – 200 Marble Rome, Italy © The Trustees of the British Museum

Arabian Bronze Hand AD 100 – 300 Bronze Yemen © The Trustees of the British Museum

Carving from the Great Stupa of Amaravati AD 200 – 240 (carving) Limestone Amaravati, Andhra Pradesh, India © The Trustees of the British Museum

Lewis Chessmen c. 1150 – 1175 Walrus Ivory Found on the Isle of Lewis, probably made in Norway © The Trustees of the British Museum

Hebrew Astrolabe 1345 – 1355 Brass Probably Spain © The Trustees of the British Museum

Hokusai's Under the Wave off Kanagawa 1831 Woodblock print on paper Japan © The Trustees of the British Museum

Afghan War Rug 1979 – 1985 Wool Afghanistan Donated by Graham Gower © The Trustees of the British Museum

Fiel Dos Santos' Mother 2011 Metal, plastic, bone and wood Maputo, Mozambique © Fiel Dos Santos

Inca Gold Llama 1400 – 1550 Gold Peru © The Trustees of the British Museum

Plate Showing a Sasanian King Hunting AD 309 – 379 Silver Probably made in Iran © The Trustees of the British Museum

Shiva and Parvati Sculpture 900 – 1000 Basalt Gaya District, Bihar, India © The Trustees of the British Museum

Benin Plaque: The Oba with Europeans 1500 – 1600 Brass Benin City, Nigeria © The Trustees of the British Museum

Reliquary Casket Showing the Three Magi 1200 – 1230 Copper with gilding, enamel Limoges, France © The Trustees of the British Museum

Revolutionary Plate 1921 Glazed ceramic St Petersburg, Russia © The Trustees of the British Museum

The Karpathos Lady 4500 – 3200 BC Limestone Found on Karpathos, Greece © The Trustees of the British Museum

Ship's Chronometer from HMS Beagle 1795 – 1805 Brass, steel and mahogany London, England © The Trustees of the British Museum