The Department of Asia in the British Museum holds one of the largest collections of historical objects from Asia. These collections comprise over 75,000 objects covering the material culture of the Asian continent (including East Asia, South and Central Asia, and Southeast Asia), and dating from the Neolithic age up to the present day. History of the Department The department's collection began with a donation from Sir Hans Sloane, which contained a small number of objects from the Asian continent, including a collection of Japanese material acquired from the family of the German traveller and physician Engelbert Kaempfer (who had led an expedition to Japan). Only a few objects were acquired from Asia between 1753 and the 1820s, but the collection expanded in the late 19th century to become one of the world's largest. This was mainly through a donation of a number of South Asian objects, such as the gilded bronze figure of Tara from Sri Lanka in 1830, the Bridge Collection of East and Central Indian sculpture in 1872, and the Amaravati Collection in 1880. The collection of Asian material was greatly expanded during the tenure of Sir Augustus Wollaston Franks as Keeper of the Department of Antiquities from 1866 to 1896, and in 1921 the Sub-Department of Oriental Antiquities was established. In 1933, the Asian collections of the Prints and Drawings Sub-Department were united with the Department of Oriental Antiquities, forming one of the most significant collections of art and antiquities of Asia in the northern hemisphere. In 2003, the Department of Oriental Antiquities and the Department of Japanese Antiquities merged to become the current Department of Asia. The Keepers of the Department of Asia include: Jessica Rawson, Robert Knox (1994-2006), Jan Stuart (2006-2014) and Jane Portal (2014-). Highlights of the collection Highlights include: The most comprehensive collection of sculpture from the Indian subcontinent in the world, including the celebrated Buddhist limestone reliefs from Amaravati. An outstanding collection of Chinese art and antiquities, paintings, porcelain, lacquer, bronze, jade, and other applied arts. A fine collection of Buddhist paintings from Dunhuang, and the Admonitions Scroll by Gu Kaizhi. A broad range of Islamic art in pottery and tiles, paintings, metalwork, glass, seals, and inscriptions. The most comprehensive collection of pre-20th century Japanese decorative arts in the Western world. The layout and collections of the department Most of the Department of Asia is located in the King Edward's Building,