Find something on display: Travellers to the East

In Buddhism the elephant symbolises strength of mind, embodying calm majesty and noble gentleness. This Buddha has the hands arranged in ‘touching the earth’ pose.

The silver Buddhas are posed in the attitude of meditation. The carved alabaster Buddha, in ‘touching the earth’ pose, has small wings. All are probably from domestic shrines.

The child’s shoe was given to the museum with a stone inside to keep its shape.

This building is modelled on a Shenist folk temple to nature gods and patron gods. The Chinese text on the pillars can be translated as ‘Fiction or reality, we revisit our ancestors with these figures’.

It was probably made at a workshop called Rui Yuan in Shiwan, Fo Shan City, Guangdong province, a well-known centre for ceramics production of this type. The ceramic used is known as stoneware because of its durability. Shiwan was famous for making architectural ceramics and ceramic figures during the Ming and Qing dynasties (14th to early 20th centuries).

Thank you to our visitors and members of the community who helped The Beaney redefine this object as a model of a theatre in the style of a temple.

Pagodas are tiered buildings in Asia, originally with a religious function and often sited near temples. The word ‘pagoda’ comes from the Portuguese pagode, meaning ‘temple’.

In 1885, British Forces overthrew King Thibaw in Myanmar (then Burma). It is likely that this panel was part of a building that was ransacked and looted after the battle.

The junk is a traditional South-East Asian boat. Each shipyard builds junks in a slightly different way so there are many varied types. Models like this were made for international exhibition.

Thank you to visitors and members of our community for indicating that the sails of the junk face the wrong direction. The junk came to the Museum in this condition.

This is a faithful model of a house built on stilts, near water or in areas subject to flooding. The roof tiles are of finely split wood planks.

Like the Chinese junk, this model of a canoe is made with care to detail of the oars, planks and construction of the full-size equivalent.

The shoes have a raised sole to keep the embroidered fabric above dust and dirt on the ground.

The purse has a drawstring moneybag inside the eggshell-like
segments, which are held together by tassels.

A shield carved with an integral handle on the reverse from the same piece of wood. Split cane has been added during construction for strength.

The Kris is a traditional Malay knife. One or several of these may the Kris knives given to the museum after their seizure from the forces of Tipu Sultan, ruler of Mysuru, at Seringapatam, South India, in 1799.