The ‘China’ collection, arranged thematically, gives a pretty comprehensive picture of the various disciplines of Chinese art: ceramics, jade, bronze, wood sculpture, wall painting, costumes, painting, calligraphy, furniture and decorative art.
An important and unique feature of this collection is that the greater part of it was assembled locally by Belgian collectors during the 19th and 20th centuries; the first items were acquired in 1854.
Our collections of Japanese art are currently not on view for the public. Normally they are displayed at the Museum of Japanese Art and the Japanese Tower in Laeken, both part of the Museum of the Far East. These sites are closed for renovation until further notice.
The star pieces of the collection are the textiles, whose age, quality and rarity have made them world famous. Highly exceptional is the gold-inlaid helmet of Sultan Ibn Qalawun, dating from ca.1300.
This collection includes a number of Byzantine items, as well as examples of Byzantine art from Greece, Eastern Europe and the Near East, Russia and Ethiopia. Best known internationally is the collection of Coptic textiles (this gallery is closed).
