The Asian Scrolls collection is composed of 56 facsimile handscrolls and books of Japanese and Chinese origin. The scrolls depict landscapes, animals, and scenes from famous works and stories. Among the scrolls are examples of the calligraphy of famous artists, such as Kobo-Daishi. The original scrolls were created throughout the Tang, Sung, and Ming dynasties. This collection contains copies of the Japanese work “Ippen Shomin Ekotoba” and “Letter to Saicho” and the Chinese work “Admonitions of the Instructress of the Ladies in the Palace." As these scrolls are reproductions, the originals are housed in other institutions such as the British Museum, Beijing’s Palace Museum, and Honolulu’s Academy of Arts. Four of the scrolls are of Chinese artwork but have been reproduced by the Japanese, and therefore, the artist’s names have been translated differently.
Mixed within the collection is a series of approximately five books. The leaves of the books are connected in an alternating format, creating an accordion style book. While many of the books contain artwork depicting scenes of natures and scenes from famous works, one book contains photographs of bronze Chinese objects. The photographs have titles but the book is untitled.
In Asian culture it was common to paint artwork onto rolls of paper or silk and store these as scrolls. The paintings often depicted stories or important events. The scrolls were stored in wooden boxes and meant to be unrolled slowly, displaying only a portion of the artwork at a time. The scrolls in this collection are facsimiles but the originals were created between the Tang and Qing dynasties (618-1912 C.E.), with the exception of the album of Chinese Bronzes, which was created during the Zhou dynasty (1100 B.C.E.- 256 B.C.E.). The majority of the scrolls were created during one of two periods, the Kamakura period (12-13th centuries) and the Edo period (the 18th to 19th centuries). Many of the original scrolls have been lost due to their fragile nature and those that still exist, such as “The Admonitions Scroll of Gu Kaishi” at the British Museum, are stored in controlled environments, as exposure to light or touch would lead to further deterioration. For this reason, facsimiles are produced, allowing researchers and the public to study and enjoy these famous works of art.
