Known for dynastic rule, Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taosim, this region of Eastern Asia produced a diverse range of art in all mediums for thousands of years.
East Asia encompasses the huge land mass of China, the peninsula of Korea, and the islands of Japan; its peoples have produced an impressively diverse range of artistic production including jades, bronzes, lacquer works, textiles, porcelain, woodblock prints, textiles, ceramics, ink drawings, and paintings for thousands of years from the Neolithic era to the present day. Highlights in Chinese art at Artemis Gallery have included gilt bronze statues of Buddha and meditating Bodhisattvas, refined cast bronze bells, jade bi disks, boxwood netsukes, terracotta funerary tomb attendants, glazed earthenware horses, and handscroll ink paintings presenting Daoist recluses amidst awe-inspiring mountainous landscapes. Our Japanese art holdings have reflected the sublime spiritual world of Buddhist and Shinto traditions, the imaginary worlds conjured by poetry, classic literature such as the Tale of Genji, Kabuki theatre, and the sensual realm of the Geisha and the erotic. Korean art highlights have included Koryo Dynasty celadon and silver wares, bronze mirrors, and Silla Kingdom pottery.