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Asia and the Indian subcontinent are the source of a multicultural civilization that has evolved and lasted for thousands of years. Its arts are as rich, complex and diverse as those of Europe, Africa, or the Pre-Columbian Americas. This small focus collection includes fine works from China, Afghanistan, and India, which span more than two thousand years.
This collection presents sublime Hindu, Buddhist, Muslim, and Jain objects and images from across Asia and the Indian subcontinent.
Not only do these works highlight the indigenous arts that flourished in China, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India, but also the remarkable stylistic developments that emerged when artists of one culture were exposed to others.
From the earliest work in our Asian collection - a Chinese Warring States period (403-221 B.C.E.) earthenware vase - to perhaps the most mysterious - stoic Afghani ancestor figures from more than a century ago - we see that the arts of Asia were and are by no means limited to temples and palaces. Objects created for domestic use and for use in the rural village often held great beauty and aesthetic power.
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Colossal Head of Jain Tirthankara from Rayasthan, North India, tenth century, Indian sandstone, 29 x 22 x 19 inches. Permanent Collection 2001.292. Gift of Marilyn Rosov
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