The Chinese collections

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 large part of his Chinese collection; Hepburn Myrtle, a distinguished collector of imperial porcelains; Laurence Harrison, a collector of celadon wares; and Edward and Goldie Sternberg, whose passion for Chinese art ranged from the spectacular Han dynasty tower to Ming porcelains and calligraphies.