Evening Lecture
Reception 6:30pm
Presentation 7:00pm
Close 8:30pm  

Over 700 years after Marco Polo’s world famous overland journey from Venezia in Italy to the Far East (1272-1295), this reconstruction focuses mainly on Central Asia and China, and from a western perspective on various pioneering cultural discoveries and encounters. This lecture will not only explore and identify Marco Polo’s itinerary to modern-day Beijing — as well as to places like Hangzhou, Suzhou, and other cities — it will also discuss fact and fiction, cartographic problems, early text editions, and documents. This presentation is illustrated by many rare and unknown images, including those of the most beautiful 15th century illuminated manuscript on Marco Polo’s travels. 

Michael Henss, living in Switzerland, is an art historian with a Ph.D in Asian art history specializing in Tibetan Buddhist and Central Asian cultures. His latest book, The Cultural Monuments of Tibet (2014, see review in ORIENTATIONS, September 2015, p.12 —122), is a major two-volume reference work on the art and architecture in present-day Tibet. He is the author of more than 100 publications, including the book Tibetan Buddhist Art — New Insights on Ancient Treasures. His Marco Polo studies were also presented years ago in Beijing and at Tianjin Nankai University.

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