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The Chinese art collection is one of the finest collections in the West with more than 7,000 works from every phase of China’s artistic activity.

Bronzes and Jades

Ancient Chinese bronzes and jades include celebrated pieces such as a hu wine vessel of the Shang Dynasty (16th century—1046 B.C.E) and a ritual jade disc of the 3rd century B.C.E.

Chinese Painting Collection

The collection of Chinese paintings is one of the most important outside Asia, particularly in the 10th through 13th centuries, and includes masterworks such as Xu Daoning’s Fisherman’s Evening Song, and Li Cheng’s A Solitary Temple Amid Clearing Peaks.

Buddhist Sculpture and Wall Paintings

Buddhist sculpture and wall paintings range from the 5th to 18th centuries.  A jewel of the museum is the Chinese Temple Gallery (Gallery 230), which displays a 12th-century polychrome wooden figure of Guanyin of the Southern Sea, heralded as the finest sculpture of its kind outside China.

Chinese Furniture, Ceramics and Textiles

The museum was a pioneer in the collecting of Chinese furniture and is famed for its Ming (1368–1644) and early Qing (1644–1911) hardwood furniture. The ceramics collection includes tomb sculptures, stonewares and porcelains that chronicle the great epochs of Chinese ceramic innovations. The collection also includes more than 500 silk textiles dating from the 2nd century B.C.E. to the 20th century.

 

Guanyin of the Southern Sea, Chinese, 11th/12th century, Liao (907-1125) or Jin Dynasty (1115-1234).
Guanyin of the Southern Sea, Chinese, 11th/12th century, Liao (907-1125) or Jin Dynasty (1115-1234).
Wood with polychrome, 95 x 65 inches. Purchase: William Rockhill Nelson Trust, 34-10. Gallery 230.
Ritual Disc with Dragon Motifs, (Bi), Chinese, from Jincun, Henan Province, Eastern Zhou Dynasty (771-256 B.C.E.).
Ritual Disc with Dragon Motifs, (Bi), Chinese, from Jincun, Henan Province, Eastern Zhou Dynasty (771-256 B.C.E.).
Jade (nephrite), diam: 6 1/2 inches. Purchase: William Rockhill Nelson Trust, 33-81.
Pair of Fittings, type zun, Chinese, 3rd century B.C.E., Eastern Zhou Dynasty (771-256 B.C.E.).
Pair of Fittings, type zun, Chinese, 3rd century B.C.E., Eastern Zhou Dynasty (771-256 B.C.E.).
Gilt bronze and glass, 12 1/2 x 4 x 2 1/2 inches. Purchase: the Lillian M. Diveley Fund, Menefee D. Blackwell Fund, Hall Family Foundation. Endowment for the Oriental Department, Asian Art Acquisition Fund in memory of Laurence Sickman and Thomas L. Beckett Fund, 2000.15.1.
Canopy Bed with Alcove, Chinese, 16th century.
Canopy Bed with Alcove, Chinese, 16th century.
Huanghuali wood with 19th century painted soft wood base and canopy, silk gauze curtains and silver hooks, 91 x 86 1/4 x 84 1/4 inches. Purchase: William Rockhill Nelson Trust, 64-4/4.
Attributed to: Li Cheng, Chinese (919-967 C.E.) A Solitary Temple Amid Clearing Peaks, Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127).
Attributed to: Li Cheng, Chinese (919-967 C.E.) A Solitary Temple Amid Clearing Peaks, Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127).
Hanging scroll, ink and slight color on silk, Image: 44 x 22 inches. Overall (1-1/2 inches hanging string): 88 x 22 1/2 inches. Purchase: William Rockhill Nelson Trust, 47-71.
Pair of Vases, Chinese, mark of Xuande reign (1426-1435), Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).
Pair of Vases, Chinese, mark of Xuande reign (1426-1435), Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).
Porcelain with underglaze blue decoration, h x diam: 21 3/4 x 11 1/2 inches. Purchase: William Rockhill Nelson Trust, 40-45/1,2.
Offering Procession of the Empress as Donor with Her Court, Chinese, from Longmen, Binyang Central Cave, Henan Province, ca. 522 C.E., Northern Wei Dynasty
Offering Procession of the Empress as Donor with Her Court, Chinese, from Longmen, Binyang Central Cave, Henan Province, ca. 522 C.E., Northern Wei Dynasty
(386-534 cm). Fine, dark-gray limestone, 80 inches x 9 feet 1 1/2 inches. Purchase: William Rockhill Nelson Trust, 40-38.
Flower Vase with Dragon Motif, Chinese, Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127).
Flower Vase with Dragon Motif, Chinese, Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127).
Stoneware decorated in sgraffito technique, h x diam: 22 3/8 x 10 inches. Purchase: William Rockhill Nelson Trust, 35-116.
Model of a Multi-Storied Tower, Chinese, Eastern Han Dynasty (206 B.C.E.–220 C.E.), 1st century C.E.
Model of a Multi-Storied Tower, Chinese, Eastern Han Dynasty (206 B.C.E.–220 C.E.), 1st century C.E.
Earthenware with unfired pigments, 52 x 33 1/2 x 27 inches. Purchase: William Rockhill Nelson Trust, 33-521.
Xu Daoning, Chinese (ca. 970-1051/1052). Fishermen’s Evening Song (section), ca. 1049, Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127).
Xu Daoning, Chinese (ca. 970-1051/1052). Fishermen’s Evening Song (section), ca. 1049, Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127).
Handscroll, ink and slight color on silk, 19 inches x 7 feet 4 3/4 inches. Purchase: William Rockhill Nelson Trust, 33-1559.
Ritual Wine Vessel (hu), Chinese, 12th-11th century B.C.E., Shang Dynasty (ca. 16th century-1046 B.C.E.).
Ritual Wine Vessel (hu), Chinese, 12th-11th century B.C.E., Shang Dynasty (ca. 16th century-1046 B.C.E.).
Bronze, 16 x 11 inches. Purchase: William Rockhill Nelson Trust, 55-52.