Editing British Museum (section)

===Department of Asia===
[[File:BrMus Amravati.jpg|thumb|Room 33a – [[Amaravati Sculptures]], southern India, 1st century BC and 3rd century AD]]
[[File:Room 95-6752.JPG|thumb|Room 95 – The [[Percival David Foundation of Chinese Art|Percival David collection]] of Chinese ceramics]]
[[File:Lord Shiva Nataraja at the British Museum.jpg|thumb|Statue of Lord Shiva Nataraja.]]

The scope of the Department of Asia is extremely broad; its collections of over 75,000 objects cover the material culture of the whole Asian continent and from the Neolithic up to the present day. Until recently, this department concentrated on collecting Oriental antiquities from urban or semi-urban societies across the Asian continent. Many of those objects were collected by colonial officers and explorers in former parts of the [[British Empire]], especially the Indian subcontinent. Examples include the collections made by individuals such as [[James Wilkinson Breeks]], Sir [[Alexander Cunningham]], Sir [[Harold Arthur Deane|Harold Deane]], [[Walter Elliot (Scottish naturalist)|Sir Walter Elliot]], [[James Prinsep]], [[Charles Masson]], Sir [[John Marshall (archaeologist)|John Marshall]] and [[Charles Stuart (East India Company officer)|Charles Stuart]]. A large number of Chinese antiquities were purchased from the Anglo-Greek banker [[George Eumorfopoulos]] in the 1930s. The large collection of some 1800 Japanese prints and paintings owned by [[Arthur Morrison]] was acquired in the early twentieth century. In the second half of the twentieth century, the museum greatly benefited from the bequest of the philanthropist PT Brooke Sewell, which allowed the department to purchase many objects and fill in gaps in the collection.<ref>{{cite web|author=Babs.Guthrie|url=http://www.untoldlondon.org.uk/collections/SE000073.html|title=Collection page|publisher=Untold London|access-date=4 July 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090921153753/http://www.untoldlondon.org.uk/collections/SE000073.html|archive-date=21 September 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.uk.emb-japan.go.jp/en/japaninfo/culture/britishmuseum.html|title=Embassy of Japan in the UK|publisher=Japan Embassy|access-date=4 July 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110427102637/http://www.uk.emb-japan.go.jp/en/japaninfo/culture/britishmuseum.html|archive-date=27 April 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.britishmuseum.org/the_museum/departments/asia.aspx|title=Department of Asia|work=British Museum|date=14 June 2010|access-date=4 July 2010|archive-date=6 July 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100706200849/http://www.britishmuseum.org/the_museum/departments/asia.aspx|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2004, the ethnographic collections from Asia were transferred to the department. These reflect the diverse environment of the largest continent in the world and range from India to China, the Middle East to Japan. Much of the ethnographic material comes from objects originally owned by tribal cultures and [[hunter-gatherers]], many of whose way of life has disappeared in the last century. Particularly valuable collections are from the [[Andaman and Nicobar Islands]] (much assembled by the British naval officer [[Maurice Vidal Portman|Maurice Portman]]), Sri Lanka (especially through the colonial administrator [[Hugh Nevill]]), Northern Thailand, south-west China, the [[Ainu people|Ainu]] of Hokkaido in Japan (chief among them the collection of the Scottish zoologist [[John Anderson (zoologist)|John Anderson]]), Siberia (with artefacts collected by the explorer [[Kate Marsden]] and Bassett Digby and is notable for its [[Yakuts|Sakha]] pieces, especially the ivory model of a summer festival at [[Yakutsk]]) and the islands of South-East Asia, especially Borneo. The latter benefited from the purchase in 1905 of the [[Sarawak]] collection put together by Dr [[Charles Hose]], as well as from other colonial officers such as Edward A Jeffreys. In addition, a unique and valuable group of objects from Java, including shadow puppets and a [[gamelan]] musical set, was assembled by [[Sir Stamford Raffles]].

The principal gallery devoted to Asian art in the museum is Gallery 33 with its comprehensive display of Chinese, Indian subcontinent and South-east Asian objects. An adjacent gallery showcases the Amaravati sculptures and monuments. Other galleries on the upper floors are devoted to its Japanese, Korean, painting and [[calligraphy]], and Chinese ceramics collections.

Highlights of the collections include:<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.britishmuseum.org/the_museum/departments/departments_all_relationships.aspx?Title=Asia&ContentType=Department&PageId=551 |title=Department of Asia – Related Highlight Objects |publisher=British Museum |date=14 June 2010 |access-date=4 July 2010 |archive-date=5 February 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100205075155/http://www.britishmuseum.org/the_museum/departments/departments_all_relationships.aspx?Title=Asia&ContentType=Department&PageId=551 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* The most comprehensive collection of sculpture from the Indian subcontinent in the world, including the celebrated [[Buddhism|Buddhist]] limestone reliefs from [[Amaravati Marbles|Amaravati]] excavated by Sir [[Walter Elliot (Scottish naturalist)|Walter Elliot]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thebritishmuseum.ac.uk/explore/galleries/asia/room_33a_amaravati.aspx |title=Room 33a: Amaravati |publisher=British Museum |date=14 June 2010 |access-date=4 July 2010 |archive-date=25 September 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070925073108/http://www.thebritishmuseum.ac.uk/explore/galleries/asia/room_33a_amaravati.aspx |url-status=live }}</ref>
* An outstanding collection of Chinese antiquities, paintings, and porcelain, lacquer, bronze, jade, and other applied arts
* The {{ill|Frau Olga-Julia Wegener|de|Georg Wegener}} collection of 147 Chinese paintings from the Tang to the Qing dynasties.
* The most comprehensive collection of [[Japanese art|Japanese pre-20th century art]] in the Western world, many of which originally belonged to the surgeon [[William Anderson (collector)|William Anderson]] and diplomat [[Ernest Mason Satow]]

'''East Asia'''
* A large collection of [[Chinese ritual bronzes]], including a wine vessel in the shape of two rams supporting a jar, (1500–200 BC)
* [[Bi (jade)|Jade bi]] or disc with inscription from the [[Qianlong Emperor]], (1500–1050 BC)
* Group of [[oracle bones]] that were used for [[divination]] from the [[Shang dynasty]], China, (1200–1050 BC)
* Intricately designed gold dagger handle from [[Zhou dynasty|Eastern Zhou period]], China, (6th–5th centuries BC)
* [[Huixian Bronze Hu]], an identical pair of bronze vessels from the [[Zhou dynasty|Eastern Zhou period]], China, (5th century BC)
* Japanese antiquities from the [[Kofun period]] excavated by the pioneering archaeologist [[William Gowland]], (3rd–6th centuries AD)
* Three ornate bronze [[Dōtaku]] or bells from the [[Yayoi period]], Japan, (200 BC – 200 AD)
* Gilded and inscribed [[Han dynasty]] wine-cup made from [[lacquer]] and found in [[Pyongyang]], Korea (4 AD)
* [[Gandharan]] architectural wood carvings, furniture and dress accessories from [[Loulan]], Xinjiang, (4th century AD)
* The famous [[Admonitions Scroll]] by Chinese artist [[Gu Kaizhi]], (344–406 AD)
* The colossal [[Amitābha Buddha from Hancui]], China, (585 AD)
* A set of ceramic [[Tang dynasty tomb figures of Liu Tingxun]], ({{circa|728 AD}})
* Silk Princess painting from [[Dandan-oilik]] Buddhist sanctuary in [[Kingdom of Khotan|Khotan]], Xinjiang, China, (7th–8th century AD)
* [[Seated Luohan from Yixian]], one from a set of eight surviving statues, China, (907–1125 AD)
* Hoard of [[Tang dynasty]] silverware from Beihuangshan, [[Shaanxi]], China, (9th–10th centuries AD)
* Seventeen examples of extremely rare [[Ru ware]], the largest collection in the West, (1100 AD)
* A fine assemblage of Buddhist scroll paintings from [[Dunhuang]], western China, collected by the British-Hungarian explorer [[Aurel Stein]], (5th–11th centuries AD)
* [[Percival David Foundation of Chinese Art|Pericival David]] collection of Chinese ceramics, (10th–18th centuries AD)
* Ivory stand in the form of a seated lion, Chos-'khor-yan-rtse monastery in [[Tibet]], (13th century AD)
* Copy of a hanging scroll painting of [[Minamoto no Yoritomo]], first [[Shogun]] of Japan, (14th century AD)
* Handscroll silk painting called 'Fascination of Nature' by Xie Chufang depicting insects and plants, China, (1321 AD)
* Ornate Sino-Tibetan figure of Buddha [[Sakyamuni]] made of gilded bronze, China, (1403–1424 AD)
* Large [[Cloisonné]] jar with dragon made for the [[Ming dynasty]] Imperial Court, paired with another in the [[Rietberg Museum]], Zürich, Beijing, China, (1426–35 AD)
* Pair of ceramic [[Kakiemon elephants]] from Japan, (17th century AD)
* [[Moon jar]] from the [[Joseon Dynasty]] collected by the potter [[Bernard Leach]], Korea, (18th century AD)
* Japanese prints including [[The Great Wave off Kanagawa]], (1829–32 AD)
* Illustrations for the Great Picture Book of Everything, rare album of drawings by the celebrated Japanese artist [[Hokusai]], (1820–1840 AD)

'''South Asia'''
* Excavated objects from the [[Indus Valley civilisation|Indus Valley]] sites of [[Mohenjo-daro]], and [[Harappa]], [[Ancient India]] (now in [[Pakistan]]), (2500–2000 BC)
* Hoard of [[Copper Hoard Culture]] celts, plaques and disc from Gungeria, [[Madhya Pradesh]], India, (2000–1000 BC)
* Assembly of [[Prehistory|prehistoric]] artefacts from the [[Nilgiri Mountains|Nilgiri Hills]] in southern India, (10th century BC – 2nd century AD)
* Hoard of [[Iron Age]] metal weapons excavated at the Wurreegaon&nbsp;barrow&nbsp;near [[Kamptee]] in [[Maharastra]], India, (7th – 1st centuries BC)
* Sandstone fragment of a [[Pillars of Ashoka|Pillar of Ashoka]] with [[Brahmi]] inscription from [[Meerut]], Uttar Pradesh, India, (238 BC)
* The [[Kulu Vase]] found near a monastery in [[Himachal Pradesh]], one of the earliest examples of figurative art from the sub-continent, northern India, (1st century BC)
* [[Taxila copper plate|Copper plate]] from [[Taxila]], with important Kharoshthi inscription, [[Ancient India]] (now in [[Pakistan]]), (1st century BC – 1st century AD)
* Indo-Scythian sandstone [[Mathura lion capital|Mathura Lion Capital]] and [[Sanchi Yakshi Figure|Bracket figure]] from one of the gateways to the Great Stupa at [[Sanchi]], central India, (1st century AD)
* [[Bimaran casket|Bimaran Casket]] and [[Wardak Vase]], reliquaries from ancient stupas in Afghanistan, (1st–2nd centuries AD)
* Hoard of gold jewellery with precious stones found under the Enlightenment Throne at the [[Mahabodhi Temple]], Bodh Gaya, eastern India, (2nd century AD)
* Relic deposits from [[stupa]]s at [[Ahin Posh]], Ali Masjid, [[Gudivada]], [[Manikyala]], Sonala Pind, [[Sanchi]] and [[Taxila]], (1st–3rd centuries AD)
* Seated [[Hārītī]] and [[Seated Buddha from Gandhara|Buddha statues]] and other [[Gandhara]] sculptures from [[Kafir Kot]], [[Jamal Garhi]], [[Takht-i-Bahi]] and [[Yusufzai]], Pakistan, (1st–3rd centuries AD)
* [[Hephthalite silver bowl]] with hunting scenes from the [[Swat District]], Pakistan, (460–479 AD)
* Three sandstone carved sculptures of the Buddha in [[Gupta Empire|Gupta]] style from [[Sarnath]], eastern India, (5th–6th centuries AD)
* [[Aphsad inscription of Ādityasena]] with important record of the genealogy of the [[Later Gupta dynasty]] up to king Ādityasena, [[Ghosrawan]], Bihar, India, (675 AD)
* The [[Buddhapad Hoard]] of bronze images from southern India, (6th–8th centuries AD)
* Small bronze figure of [[Buddha Shakyamuni]], Bihar, eastern India, (7th century AD)
* Stone statue of Buddha from the [[Sultanganj Buddha|Sultanganj]] hoard, Bihar, eastern India, (7th–8th centuries AD)
* Earliest known figure of the dancing four-armed god [[Shiva Nataraja]], [[Pallava dynasty]], southern India (800 AD)
* [[Statue of Tara]] from Sri Lanka and the [[Thanjavur Shiva]] from Tamil Nadu, southern India, (8th century & 10th century AD)
* Standing [[Pala Empire|Pala]] statue of Buddha from [[Kurkihar hoard|Kurkihar]], Bihar, India, (9th century AD)
* Several wooden architectural panels from the [[Kashmir Smast]] caves, northern Pakistan, (9th–10th centuries AD)
* Hoard of Buddhist terracotta sealings from the [[Pala Empire|Pala period]] found at the [[Nālandā]] Monastery, Bihar, eastern India, (10th century AD)
* [[Ambika Statue from Dhar|Statue]] of the [[Ambika (Jainism)|goddess Ambika]] found at [[Dhar]] in central India, (1034 AD)
* Foundation inscription of the [[Ananta Vasudeva Temple]] in [[Bhubaneswar]], Odisha, eastern India, (1278 AD)
* [[Jade]] dragon cup that once belonged to Sultan [[Ulugh Beg]] from [[Samarkand]], Uzbekistan, (1420–1449 AD)
* Foundation inscription with Arabic inscription in [[Naskh script]] in the name of Sultan [[Shamsuddin Yusuf Shah|Yusufshah]] from [[Gauda (city)|Gauda]], Bengal, eastern India, (1477 AD)
* Large standing gilded copper figure of the [[Bodhisattva]] [[Avalokiteśvara]], Nepal, (15th–16th centuries AD)

'''Southeast Asia'''
* Earthenware [[tazza (cup)|tazza]] from the [[Phùng Nguyên culture]], northern Vietnam, (2000–1500 BC)
* Pottery vessels and sherds from the ancient site of [[Ban Chiang]], Thailand, (10th–1st centuries BC)
* Bronze [[Klang Bell|bell]] from [[Klang (city)|Klang]] and iron socketed axe (tulang mawas) from [[Perak]], western Malaysia, (200 BC–200 AD)
* Group of six [[Buddhist]] clay votive plaques found in a cave in Patania, [[Penang]], Malaysia, (6th–11th centuries AD)
* The famous [[Sambas Treasure]] of buddhist gold and silver figures from west Borneo, Indonesia, (8th–9th centuries AD)
* Three stone Buddha heads from the temple at [[Borobodur]] in Java, Indonesia, (9th century AD)
* Granite [[Kinnari]] figure in the shape of a bird from Candi [[Prambanan]] in Java, Indonesia, (9th century AD)
* Sandstone [[Champa]] figure of a rampant lion, Vietnam, (11th century AD)
* Gilded bronze figure of [[Śiva]] holding a rosary, Cambodia, (11th century AD)
* Stone figure representing the upper part of an eleven-headed [[Avalokiteśvara]], Cambodia, (12th century AD)
* Bronze figure of a seated Buddha from [[Bagan]], Burma, (12th–13th centuries AD)
* Hoard of [[Southern Song dynasty]] ceramic vessels excavated at Pinagbayanan, [[Taysan]] Municipality, Philippines, (12th–13th centuries AD)
* Statue of the Goddess Mamaki from [[Candi Jago]], eastern Java, Indonesia, (13th–14th centuries AD)
* Glazed terracotta tiles from the Shwegugyi Temple erected by king [[Dhammazedi]] in [[Bago, Myanmar|Bago]], Myanmar, (1476 AD)
* Inscribed bronze figure of a Buddha from [[Fang District]], part of a large SE Asian collection amassed by the Norwegian explorer [[Carl Bock (explorer)|Carl Bock]], Thailand, (1540 AD)
* Large impression of the Buddha's foot made of gilded stone (known as Shwesettaw Footprints) donated by Captain [[Frederick Marryat]], from Ponoodang near [[Yangon]], Myanmar, (18th–19th centuries AD)

<gallery widths="190" heights="190">
File:Poids cubiques harappéens - BM.jpg|Room 33 - Cubic weights made of [[chert]] from [[Mohenjo-daro]], Pakistan, 2600-1900 BC
File:Periodo degli zhou dell'est, coppia di vasi rituali hu. V sec. ac. 01.JPG|Room 33 - One of the [[hu (vessel)|hu]] from Huixian, China, 5th century BC
File:CrystalGoose.JPG|Room 33 - A [[hamsa (bird)|hamsa]] sacred goose vessel made of [[crystal]] from Stupa 32, [[Taxila]], Pakistan, 1st century AD
File:Death of the Buddha BM.jpg|Room 33 - Stone sculpture of the death of Buddha, Gandhara, [[Pakistan]], 1st-3rd centuries AD
File:Ku K'ai-chih 001.jpg|Room 91a - Section of the [[Admonitions Scroll]] by Chinese artist [[Gu Kaizhi]], China, c. 380 AD
File:Denesar Khera Buddha.JPG|Room 33 - Gilded bronze [[Dhaneswar Khera Buddha image inscription|statue of the Buddha]], Dhaneswar Khera, India, 5th century AD
File:Amitabha Buddha Statue, British Museum - panoramio.jpg|The [[Amitābha]] Buddha from Hancui on display in the museum's stairwell, China, 6th century AD
File:Luóhàn at British Museum.jpg|Room 33 - The [[arhat|luohan]] from Yixian made of glazed stoneware, China, 907-1125 AD
File:Goddess Ambika from Dhar.JPG|Sculpture of [[Ambika (Jainism)|Goddess Ambika]] found at [[Dhar]], India, 1034 AD
File:Tirthankaras.jpg|Sculpture of the two Jain tirthankaras [[Rishabhanatha]] and [[Mahavira]], [[Orissa, India]], 11th-12th century AD
File:British Museum Kang Hou Gui Top.jpg|Room 33 - Western Zhou bronze ritual vessel known as the "[[Kang Hou Gui]]", China, 11th century BC
File:Seated Avalokiteshvara BM OA 1985.5-11.1.jpg|Room 33 - A crowned figure of the [[Bodhisattva]] Khasarpana Avalokiteśvara, India, 12th century AD
File:British Museum Asia 2 (cropped).jpg|Room 33 - Covered hanging jar with underglaze decoration, Si Satchanalai (Sawankalok), north-central [[Thailand]], 14th-16th centuries AD
File:Hu-shaped altar vessel BM 1989.0309.1.jpg|Room 33 - [[Hu (vessel)|Hu]]-shaped altar flower vessel, Ming dynasty, China, 15th -16th centuries AD
File:Judge assistant hell BM OA1917.11-16.1 n02.jpg|Room 33 - An assistant to the Judge of Hell, figure from a judgement group, [[Ming dynasty]], China, 16th century AD
File:British Museum Asia 41-2.jpg|Room 33 - Statue of Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, gilded bronze. [[Nepal]], 16th century AD
File:Indischer Maler um 1615 (I) 001.jpg|Portrait of Ibrâhîm 'Âdil Shâh II (1580–1626), [[Mughal Empire]] of India, 1615 AD
File:Utagawa Toyoharu (attributed to), Courtesans of the Tamaya House.jpg|Room 90 - Courtesans of the Tamaya House, attributed to Utagawa Toyoharu, screen painting; Japan, [[Edo period]], late 1770s or early 1780s AD
File:SFEC BritMus Asia 027.JPG|Room 33 - Large statue of [[Buddha]] made of [[lacquer]] from Burma, 18th-19th century AD
File:Seated.Lama-01-British.Museum.jpg|Room 33 - Figure of seated Lama; of painted and varnished papier-mâché, [[Ladakh]], India, 19th century AD
</gallery>