China
UEA 298 - Seated figure of a Bodhisattva, China |
UEA 407 - Dancing female tomb figure, China |
UEA 1157 - Mythical beast, China |
The Chinese material in the Sainsbury Collection consists of ceramics and small sculptures from the Neolithic (c. 6500 - 5000 BC) to the fourteenth century, with an emphasis on sculptural form rather than surface decoration.
Tomb figures dating from the Tang dynasty (7th � 8th century) were intended to accompany and entertain the deceased in the next world. There are also Chinese Buddhist works such as a seated figure of a Bodhisattva or enlightened being. Mythical animals and creatures play an important part in the collection, with small bronze sculptures depicting crouching deer, a recumbent boar, a seated lion and mythical beasts.