Buddhism In China

From Neolithic ceramics to contemporary prints, paintings and calligraphies, the Chinese collections present a panorama of 7000 years of uninterrupted artistic evolution. Traditions such as pottery tomb figures, imperial porcelains, Buddhist sculptures and later paintings are particularly well represented. The displays are organised both to highlight the strengths of the collection and to reflect the forces and values that have shaped the arts of China, in particular the importance of ritual and ceremony, trade, the influence of the powerful yet capricious imperial courts, and an enduring reference to the past. Buddhist art of China is on display in Faiths of Asia in the upper gallery. The Chinese collections have been shaped by a small number of local benefactors Sydney Cooper, who in 1962 donated a larger part of his Chinese collection Hepburn Myrtle, a distinguished collector of imperial porcelains Laurence Harrison, a collector of celadon wares and Edward and Goldie
As the Bronze Age faded, attitudes began to change and by the Han dynasty the custom of furnishing tombs instead with potter y facsimiles of the objects and people who served the deceased during life was firmly established. Ranging form buildings and animals to servants, attendants, soldiers, guardians, officials, entertainers and courtesans, these remarkable models provide us with a colourful and informative panorama of courtly life in ancient China. The tomb sculpture tradition reached its zenith in the Tang dynasty, when the use of lead glazes, often in combinations of three colours, further enriched these compelling imitations of earthly life. Additional detail, such as facial features and jewellery, was applied with colour pigments and occasionally