The Eastern Art collection numbers about 6,000 items, mostly from China and Japan.
It holds a Designated status under the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council Designation Scheme, which identifies and celebrates pre-eminent collections of national and international importance held in England’s non-national museums, libraries and archives.
A highlight of the collection is the Schiller bequest of Chinese ceramics and other items (1946), including fine Tang dynasty (618-906 AD) and Song dynasty (960-1279 AD) ceramics. The collection also includes a world-class collection of Chinese glass – the Burrows Abbey bequest of 300 pieces (1950) – recognised as the best collection outside China.
Collections from other Asian countries include items from India, Iran, Thailand, Burma and Korea, Islamic objects from a wide geographic area including Spain, works on paper such as Chinese export paintings, Japanese prints and Indian paintings, and textiles including several hundred pieces of Chinese dress and embroidery.
The Ming dynasty (1368-1644) was one of the most stable and long-lasting dynasties of Chinese history. The Ming dynasty was founded by Han Chinese people, China’s main ethnic group, unlike the preceding Yuan dynasty (1279-1368) which was founded by Mongols, and the following Qing dynasty (1644-1911) which was founded by Manchus. Porcelain was invented in […]
