The British Museum holds about 1,000 items of Japanese Buddhist material, ranging from the eighth century to the present day. The majority date from the 18th and 19th centuries, and include sculptures, paintings, portable shrines, and ritual and votive objects. Dr Rosina Buckland will introduce a selection of highlights, while considering the routes by which the objects entered the collection.
Eliza Doherty and Alex Owen will present on a recent project to conserve a lacquered wooden sculpture of a bodhisattva. Following a discussion of the conservation treatment, the talk will describe the development of a collaborative decision-making process involving curatorial and conservation teams at the British Museum and colleagues from the sculpture conservation course at Tokyo University of the Arts. This included the re-carving of new votive elements ahead of the sculpture’s display in the Museum’s Mitsubishi Corporation Japanese Galleries.
Organised by Dr Sujatha Meegama, Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Senior Lecturer in Buddhist Art History, The Courtauld, in collaboration with the Royal Asiatic Society, and the Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Art and Culture.
Speakers:
Dr Rosina Buckland is Asahi Shimbun Curator in the Department of Asia, where she heads the Japanese Section. She returned to The British Museum in 2020, having worked there twice earlier in her career. She received a BA degree in Japanese Studies from the University of Cambridge, an MA from SOAS, University of London, and a PhD from the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University. Her publications include Shunga: Erotic Art in Japan (2010), Painting Nature for the Nation: Taki Katei and the Challenges to Sinophile Culture in Meiji Japan (2013), and The Splendour of Modernity: Japanese Arts of the Meiji Era (2024). She has worked at the National Museum of Scotland, where she led the project to deliver an East Asia gallery, and at the Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto. She is currently preparing for a major exhibition (opening February 2026) examining the history and myths of the samurai, stretching from their origins in the 9th century through to their pervasive presence in popular culture today, with an accompanying publication.
Alex Owen is a Senior Conservator in the Organic materials conservation studio at The British Museum. He graduated from City and Guilds of London Art School with a BA in Conservation in 2013 and was the Chair of the ICON furniture and wooden object group from 2015 to 2017. Alex was elected a fellow of the International Institute for Conservation (IIC) in 2024 and is currently studying for an MSc in the Conservation of Contemporary Art and Media at UCL. Prior to joining The British Museum in 2018, Alex developed experience in the treatment of wooden furniture, decorative surfaces, and East Asian lacquer objects at the Victoria & Albert Museum.
Eliza Doherty is an organics conservator at The British Museum. She graduated from City and Guilds of London Art School in 2014 and completed the ICCROM International Course in Wood Conservation Technology in 2021. She has worked for various institutions, including the National Trust, National Portrait Gallery and Guildhall Art Gallery, with an emphasis on wood and decorative surfaces. Since joining the British Museum in 2021, she has developed expertise in a wider range of organic materials and collections.
