Join Carol Cains, Senior Curator of Asian and Pacific Art at the National Gallery of Australia, in launching the Unearthed: Chinese Funerary Ceramics exhibition.

About the exhibition

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.

Unearthed will be on view from 27 July to 30 October 2026 on weekdays with selected weekend viewings.

Visit the exhibition webpage for further information and the latest public program.

Image: Funerary urn (detail), late 11th-early 12th century, stoneware; qingbai glaze. Gift of TT Tsui, Hong Kong, through the National Gallery of Australian Foundation 1995. Image courtesy of the National Gallery of Australia.

Contact the host of Unearthed | Exhibition Opening

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