statue near the museum entrance
Crow Museum of Asian Art of The University of Texas at Dallas

Tending the Afterlife: Chinese Tomb Art from the Neolithic Period to the Ming Dynasty

Saturday, September 27, 2008 - Monday, August 17, 2009

Title: Caparisoned horse Culture/Country: China Period: Tang dynasty, 8th century Medium: Earthenware and sancai glaze Dimensions: 27 1/4 x 27 1/2 in. Collection Title: Crow Collection of Asian Art Accession Number: 1986.16
Title: Buddhist Disciple Culture/Country: China Period: Ming dynasty, 16th century Medium: Earthenware and sancai glaze Dimensions: 29 3/4 x 9 x 11 1/2 in. Collection Title: Crow Collection of Asian Art Accession Number: 1960.8 (b)
Title: Bactrian Camel Culture/Country: China Period: Tang dynasty, 8th century Medium: Earthenware and sancai glaze Dimensions: 22 x 5 1/4 x 14 in. Collection Title: Crow Collection of Asian Art Accession Number: 1986.16
Title: Court Official Culture/Country: China Period: Ming dynasty, 16th century Medium: Earthenware and sancai glaze Dimensions: 29 ¾ x 9 x 11 1/2 in. Collection Title: Crow Collection of Asian Art Accession Number: 1960.8 (a)
Title: Sancai Figure of Horse Culture/Country: China Period: Tang dynasty, 8th century Medium: Earthenware and sancai glaze Dimensions: 21 x 6 x 19 in. Collection Title: Crow Collection of Asian Art Accession Number: 1987.8

This exhibition showcases a spectacular selection of objects from the permanent collection of the Crow Collection of Asian Art and works on loan from the Collection of Penn and Margarida Williamson in Houston and the Collection of John L. and Rosemarie in San Antonio. Covering almost six millennia of Chinese visual culture—from the Neolithic period (c. 10,000 B.C.–c.1600 B.C.) to the Ming dynasty (1368–1644)—these objects represent the artistic creativity and technical virtuosity achieved by the Chinese artisans. Being included in tombs as burial furnishings, these objects would ensure that, in another world, the soul of the deceased could continue to possess the wealth, power, and religious tranquility enjoyed in his or her previous life.