Art Forms You'll Find in an Asian Museum

Asian museums showcase an extraordinarily diverse artistic heritage spanning millennia and cultures. Major categories include:

1. Painting: Chinese brush (ink/watercolor on silk/paper), Japanese *sumi-e* / *nihonga*, Korean *minhwa*, Indian miniatures (Mughal, Rajput, Pahari), Thai murals, Tibetan *thangka*. Subjects: landscape, figure, bird-flower, narrative, Buddhist.
2. Calligraphy: **Highest art form** in Sinosphere. Chinese (*shufa*), Japanese (*shodo*), Korean (*seoye*), Arabic/Islamic (*khatt*). Brush, ink, paper — rhythm, structure, spirit.
3. Sculpture: Stone (Buddha, Hindu deities, Khmer), Bronze (Chola Nataraja, Chinese ritual vessels, Japanese *butsuzo*), Wood (Japanese *mokuzogan*, Tibetan), Clay (Terracotta Army), Jade, Lacquer.
4. Lacquerware: **Urushi** (Toxicodendron vernicifluum sap) — dozens of layers, polished. *Maki-e* (gold/silver powder), *raden* (mother-of-pearl), *chinkin* (gold inlay). Bowls, boxes, furniture, screens. Japan, China, Korea, Vietnam, Myanmar.
5. Ceramics: **Chinese** (porcelain — Ding, Ru, Jun, Guan, Ge, blue-white, famille rose), **Korean** (celadon *cheongja*, buncheong, white porcelain), **Japanese** (Raku, Hagi, Shino, Oribe, Bizen, Arita/Imari), **Vietnamese** (blue-white, brown), **Thai** (Sawankhalok). Kiln technology, glaze chemistry.
6. Textiles: **Silk** (Chinese *kesi* tapestry, Japanese *nishiki*, Indian *brocade*, *ikat*, *bandhani*), **Cotton** (Indian *khaddar*, *chintz*), **Wool** (Central Asian felts, carpets), **Embroidery** (Chinese *su xiu*, Indian *zardozi*, Japanese *sashiko*), **Batik** (Indonesia, Malaysia).
7. Metalwork: Gold (Scythian, Javanese, Filipino), Silver (Tibetan, Chinese), Bronze (Chinese ritual *ding*, *gu*; Indonesian *kris* fittings), Iron (Japanese *tetsubin*, Indian *wrought*), Cloisonné (Chinese *jingtai lan*). Arms/armor, ritual, adornment.
8. Jade & Ivory Carving: **Jadeite/Nephrite** — Chinese *bi*, *cong*, *ruyi*, pendants; Mesoamerican (not Asia). **Ivory** — historical (now restricted); Chinese puzzles, Japanese *netsuke*, Indian reliefs.
9. Masks & Performing Arts: Japanese *Noh/kyogen*, Korean *talchum*, Balinese *topeng*, Thai *khon*, Chinese *nuo*, Indonesian *wayang* (shadow puppets), costumes, instruments (*gamelan*, *erhu*, *koto*).
10. Contemporary & Modern: Ink abstraction, installation, video, photography, performance — Ai Weiwei, Takashi Murakami, Do Ho Suh, Liu Wei, Bharti Kher, teamLab.

Collections vary by museum focus (national, regional, thematic), but this breadth defines the field.