Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara, Nepal, 14th century. Museum no. IM.239-1922
COLLECTIONS
Asia
The Victoria and Albert Museum's Asian collections
include objects from East Asia, South and South-East
Asia, and the Middle East. They are rich in a broad
range of artistic media and illustrate many different
aspects of religious, courtly and everyday life.
Highlight
The Stein Collection
The Victoria & Albert Museum is the custodian of an important collection of textile fragments, ceramic and Buddhist art objects which were brought back from the famous Silk Road region by Sir Marc Aurel Stein (1862-1943) at the beginning of the twentieth century.
Highlight
Jameel Prize
The Jameel Prize, an exhibition of contemporary artists and designers inspired by Islamic traditions of craft and design will now tour to five venues in the Middle East, including the National Museum, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and the Beit ed-Dine Palace, Lebanon, plus venues in Damascus, Casablanca and Istanbul.
Highlight
The Mazarin Chest Project
The Mazarin Chest Project was a major collaborative undertaking involving conservators, curators and scientists from the UK, Japan, Germany and Poland. Its focus was the V&A's Mazarin Chest, an exquisitely decorated piece of Japanese export lacquer made to the very highest of standards in Kyoto in the late 1630s or early 1640s.
Highlight
Buddhist Sculpture, Rooms 17-20
Drawing on the finest depictions of the Buddha from the V&A's renowned Asian collections, this new gallery will explore the major Buddhist sculptural traditions of Asia. Forty-seven Buddhist master works to be displayed in a spacious, naturally-lit environment.