The Fitzwilliam Museum possesses a unique, diverse and generally extremely high quality collection of Asian art, and a small sample of that can be seen in this gallery.
Our Chinese collections include exquisitely carved jade items; ancient ritual bronzes; nearly 500 snuff bottles in various materials; imperial lacquers and glass; textiles; and a large quantity of imperial and export porcelain.
The entrance to the gallery is dominated by the recently conserved thirteenth-century Song dynasty Bodhisattva. Conservation treatment included some structural work on the collar of the cloak, consolidation of flaking paint and surface cleaning.
The arts of Japan are variously represented with netsuke, tsuba (decorative sword fittings), some Japanese bladed weapons, inro and lacquer and a Japanese ceramic collection.
Gallery data
- Ground floor
Selected objects in gallery Gallery 28: Arts of the Far East
Seated Bodhisattva
O.13-1930