Galleries

Nearly 1100 years ago, an Arab ship bearing a precious cargo of ceramics, gold, silver set sail from the port of Canton. Just off the shores of Sumatra, near the island of Belitung, the ship sank, and remained untouched until discovered by chance in 1998.

For thousands of years, the cultures of Asia have traded, interacted, and exchanged ideas. Many works of art in this section show global demand and evidence of shifting tastes as traders moved from region to region. It also tells us how special objects were eagerly sought in lands far away, and how new works of art were created through the blending of different sources.

Masterpieces of sculpture, painting, and ritual objects trace the spread of the grand religions of India – Buddhism, Hinduism, and Jainism, across trade routes from India to China, and on to Southeast Asia.

Ancestors and Rituals examines the ancestral and ritualistic beliefs of traditional societies, including some of the most remote communities in Southeast Asia. The objects on display include some of ACM’s oldest collections – originally in the old Raffles Library and Museum.

As Christianity spread across Asia, new works of art were required to convey Christian stories, embellish churches, and motivate new converts.

Exquisite works of religious art produced by and for Islamic faithful across Asia, with a main focus on Southeast Asia, show how global notions of Islamic art were adapted across the region to create unique visual forms that reflect indigenous influences.

For centuries, the scholar represented an ideal in Chinese culture. Great respect was accorded to individuals who could read classical texts, write and paint, play music, pursue academic studies, and demonstrate elegance and grace. Whether a civil servant, a successful merchant, or an overseas Chinese, learned individuals played a key role in Chinese culture.

Chinese Ceramics, from objects made for ritual burial in tombs to wares destined for the emperor’s dining table, will be displayed in this gallery. The objects inspire stories of how they were made, used, traded, and valued in the history of China. A special display will show the creamy white porcelain made in the Dehua kilns in Fujian province, which was highly coveted by Europeans and others outside of China. The ACM has one of the finest collections of these largely figural porcelain wares.