British Museum, London

Department of Asia

The Department of Asia covers the material and visual cultures of Asia.

This is a vast area covering central, east, south and southeast Asia, and Siberia.

The collection has been enriched by Buddhist paintings from the Dunhuang caves in Central Asia and the Admonitions of the Court Instructress painting, plus one of the best collections of Chinese ceramics in the world.

Our South Asian collections include the celebrated limestone Buddhist reliefs from Amaravati, our extensive Korean collection highlights a number of ornamental works of celadon as well as Goryeo lacquer and metalwork.

The Museum's Japanese collection includes an outstanding range of early Japanese antiquities and later paintings, prints and decorative arts.

The Southeast Asian collections are extraordinarily rich, covering the numerous cultures of the region. The objects range from Hindu and Buddhist sculpture, coins, lacquer, and Thai banner paintings to the material culture of the Dayak people on Borneo and exquisite Javanese theatrical objects.