Unearthed: Chinese Funerary Ceramics from the National Gallery of Australia

Unearthed: Chinese Funerary Ceramics from the National Gallery of Australia

出入幽冥：澳洲國立美術館藏中國隨葬陶瓷器展

Exhibition dates: 27 July–30 October 2026

Opening hours: Weekdays by appointment; book via ciw@anu.edu.au
Non-booking visits at discretion of the office; closed on public holidays

Burial customs of early China provide a rare window into life in the ancient world. Elaborate tomb furnishings reflected evolving understandings of the living realm and the hereafter. Over the centuries, personal objects placed in tombs to accompany the dead were gradually replaced by representations of everyday objects and specialised forms. This ultimately led to the more formalised production of funerary ceramics for use in burial.

This exhibition presents a selection of Chinese funerary art from the collection of the National Gallery of Australia. This rarely exhibited burial paraphernalia dates from formative periods of Chinese history, from the Han dynasty (206 BCE–220 CE) to the Song dynasty (960–1279). These objects offer a glimpse into the cultural practices and beliefs surrounding life and death, as well as insight into the craftsmanship of the funerary market and the spatial arrangement of Chinese tombs.   

The Australian Centre on China in the World acknowledges the National Gallery of Australia, the Drill Hall Gallery, theMuseum of Australian Democracy, and the Asian Art Museum of  San Francisco for their support of the exhibition.

Image: Funerary jar (detail), 10th century, stoneware; celadon glaze. Gift of TT Tsui, Hong Kong, through the National Gallery of Australian Foundation 1995. Image courtesy of the National Gallery of Australia.