Explore with your class Asian influences on European art in the 18th century. Discover ways to engage your students in the investigation of chinoiserie, the cultural and artistic trend that produced objects and paintings reflecting Chinese subjects and motifs. In its broadest sense, chinoiserie was meant to evoke the spirit and decorative forms of faraway lands as diverse as China, Japan, India, and the Middle East.

The materials in this curriculum are designed for elementary and secondary teachers to prompt classroom discussion and learn about Asian influences in Europe through visual arts, language arts, and social science lessons. Four objects have been chosen from the Getty Museum collection for their potential as teaching tools in the classroom and as representative examples of chinoiserie.

The lesson plans connect to visual arts, language arts, and social science content areas for elementary and secondary students. Connections to California state standards are listed in the lesson plans. Background Information about each object and Questions for Teaching, which can be used to prompt examination and conversation about each piece, are available in the Image Bank.