Minerva - January/February 2015

A prince’s progress

The Prince of Wales’ 19th-century Grand Tour of the Middle East is traced through antiquities he collected en route and atmospheric photographs taken by Francis Bedford. Alessandro Nasini

The celestial empire

The artistic achievements of the Han Dynasty are highlighted in a new show at the Musée Guimet in Paris. Nicole Benazeth

The Homer of painting

Classical scenes portrayed by the luscious brushstrokes of Rubens went on to influence generations of later painters. Nico van Hout

Eastern promise

Talking to Michael Teller IV, Director of TK Asian Antiquities, about his lifelong love of China – and gold artefacts. Lindsay Fulcher

The curious case of the Caucasian mummies

Several expeditions to set up wild camel reserves in north-west China led to the discovery of artefacts linked to archaeological excavations made by Sven Hedin in 1934. John Hare

The coins of the Kushans

The Kushan empire once rivalled the greatest in the ancient world, but it is often only the images on its coins that tell us about its kings and gods. David Jongeward

Along the Silk Road

From the desert expanses of Xinjiang to the wide grasslands of Kyrgyzstan, journeying along this age-old trade route still taxes the most adventurous traveller today. Dalu Jones

The adventures of Wendell Phillips

An exhibition devoted to the ‘American Lawrence of Arabia’, the pioneering archaeologist who went in search of the Queen of Sheba, is on show at the Sackler Gallery in Washington. Howard Kaplan