The “Silk Road” refers to the trade routes that facilitated the movement of people, religious beliefs, technologies, and goods across the Eurasian continent from around 130 BCE until 1453 CE. However, this term was coined in the 1800s by Europeans who hauled away vast amounts of the regions’ artistic heritage.
With points as far east as Nara, Japan, the Silk Road route connected East Asia to Central Asia, South Asia, and regions around the Caspian and Mediterranean Seas. Works created from this global exchange are featured across the museum’s collections.