The Ann Paludan Archive of Historical Chinese Sculptures

Anna Paludan (1928-2014) was a writer and art historian, who created an exceptional photographic archive of historical sculptures in China, accompanied by extensive research ana analysis embodied in three major books.

The archive represents over thirty years of work by Ann in a subject area largely unrecognised at the time, and provides us with unique insights into an overlooked facet of Chinese art.

The archive comprises about 10,000 photographic prints and slides from over 200 sites and museums in China, together with materials associated with Ann's research. It was donated to National Museums Scotland by Ann Paludan herself in 2014. Thanks to the generous support of her family, the prints and slides were digitised between 2017-2019, and made available online to all for research and study.