East Asia Collections in Scottish Museums

Abstract

• The opportunity to conduct a review of the East Asian collections in Scotland arose alongside the development and opening of a new gallery, Exploring East Asia, at National Museums Scotland. Initial research revealed that, although there were East Asian collections of fine and decorative arts, archaeology and dress across Scotland, many of these collections lacked detailed object records and provenance information. The East Asia Collections Review contributes toward object identification by sharing specialist knowledge and offering Chinese and Japanese language support where needed. An outcome of the Collections Review is this resource, which lists East Asian collections in Scotland, foregrounds important artefacts, highlights the key collectors and donors, and identifies links between collections with East Asian artefacts. The report provides guidelines for future research and is a legacy resource that can be used to support future appraisals of the collections