M emorials

ART HISTORY

Memory
Connecting with Chinese Tomb
and Sculptures on view in Buried
Treasures of the Silk Road

Most museums have much larger collections than they have

space to exhibit. That’s why Buried Treasures of the Silk Road,
on view at the Bruce Museum through June 2, is so interesting.
This exhibition highlights some of the most important works in
the Museum collection, many of which have never been exhibited
before, while narrating the fascinating story of the Silk Road and
ancient Chinese burial traditions. In China during the Han and
Tang dynasties 1,000 or more years ago, families would bury their
dead with representations of the things they needed and loved
in life. From meals and
beverages to music
and transport, all
the pleasures and
necessities of life
would accompany the
dead to the afterworld.
These days, we may
not feel the need to
literally “take it all
Bactrian Caravan Camel, Tang Dynasty (618-906)
Sancai glazed pottery, green. Early 8th c. with us,” but these
21 ½ x 19 ½ x 7 in
Gift of Fred and Jane Brooks buried treasures are
Bruce Museum Collection
a reminder that while
times change, our love
and respect for our

You Try It! families stay the same.

What do you think you would need in the afterlife? An extra charger for your
cell phone? An unlimited supply of corn chips? A Roomba to keep your tomb
Lokapali, Tang Dynasty (618-906)
clean? Make a list of everything you think you Sancai glazed pottery, early 8th c.
35 ½ x 15 x 7 in.
would need in the afterlife, assuming the afterlife Gift of Fred and Jane Brooks
is just like our world but with better lighting. What Bruce Museum Collection

will you eat and drink, how will you travel, what will
you do for entertainment? The sculptures in Buried
Treasures are representations of real-life objects
made of ceramic so that they would last an eternity.
Share your list with your grownups
and ask if you can use air dry clay
or play dough to make your tomb
sculptures. Today many Buddhists
BRUC E M USEU M
use paper representations of the 1 Museum Drive • Greenwich, CT

things they will need in the afterlife, Masterpieces from the Museum of Cartoon Art,
on view through April 20, 2019
so if you don’t have clay, paper and
pencil will do!

GET
Creative!
Common Core State Standard:
ELA: Literacy: R.L. 3.3-5.3, R.L. 3.7-6.7, R.L.
3.1-5.1, R.L. 6.4-8.4, R.H. 6-8.4, R.H. 6-8.7