Asian Art Collection August 23, 2008

The development of the Asian Collection reflects the increased interest after World War II by American collectors in the art of the Far East. Beginning in the 1940s with a set of 18th-century Chinese porcelain cups, the collection of Asian art grew during the 1950s with the addition of a 19th century scroll depicting a scene from Hell and a wonderful Chinese lacquer stem cup from the Yuan dynasty of the 14th century. The collection expanded significantly during the 1970s with the acquisition of an important sixth-century Chinese bodhissatva from the Northern Wei dynasty, and several objects representing the Japanese Meiji period of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The 2003 donation, a large Han dynasty Barnyard, is an important addition to the collection of Chinese art.