Court ladies preparing newly woven silk

Court ladies preparing newly woven silk. Chinese, Northern Song dynasty, early 12th century. Ink, color, and gold on silk. Attributed to Emperor Huizong (Chinese, 1082–1135, ruled 1100–1125). Accession number 12.886. Courtesy of Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

The Chinese Collection at MFA Boston

The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, which opened to public in 1876, is one of the world’s most comprehensive art museums and home to one of the country’s best Chinese art collections. Of the museum’s nearly 450,000 works of art, one-fourth come from Asia, including paintings, prints, sculpture, ceramics, and metalwork. The Chinese collection is highlighted by sculpture and paintings, especially those of earlier periods. The museum houses a number of outstanding Chinese master paintings attributed to artists of the Tang, Five Dynasties, and Song eras, such as The Thirteen Emperors, attributed to Yan Liben (Tang dynasty); Five-colored Parakeet on a Blossoming Apricot Tree, by Emperor Huizong (Northern Song dynasty); and Winter Landscape with Travelers, traditionally attributed to Li Cheng (Southern Song dynasty), and other works attributed to masters like Xia Gui, Su Hanchen, and Ma Hezhi. In addition, the museum is justly famous for its Japanese, Islamic, and Himalayan and Southeast Asian art.