This exhibition showcases objects from the MCH Foundation's Hammonds Collection of Asian fabrics, which was presented to the museum as a permanent loan and which has filled one of the most striking gaps in the museum's permanent collection of East-Asian art.

Luxurious costumes from Nô performances, colourful robes and elaborately patterned obi belts originally worn by elegant ladies, exquisite drapes for altars, stoles and mantles crafted for Japanese Buddhist priests, and rare textiles from China will all go on show to the public for the first time. The fabrics provide a fascinating insight into the technical sophistication and diverse ornamentation in East-Asian textile arts. Numbering in excess of fifty objects, the collection was compiled by the deceased concert pianist, diplomat's wife, and world traveller, Magdalene C. Hammonds (1903-1995), who acquired most of the objects in East Asia in the period between 1935 and 1955.

The exhibition is accompanied by a catalogue, edited by Walter Bruno Brix, featuring contributions from Alan Kennedy and Clarissa Gräfin von Spee.