Silk Roads – British Museum’s Latest Exhibition Unwraps the History of this Ancient Trade Route

Silk Roads, the British Museum’s latest major exhibition, opened last month and showcases a wealth of dazzling objects from the length of the ancient trading network. The carefully chosen selection of artefacts includes everything from beautiful Tang Chinese ceramics, to silk panels and Buddha figurines.

The Silk Road was an ancient network of trade routes connecting Asia, the Middle East, and Europe. Established around the 2nd century BCE, it facilitated the exchange of goods, ideas, and culture between East and West.

Spanning over 4,000 miles, it was named after the lucrative Chinese silk trade, though many goods such as spices, precious metals, and textiles were transported along it. Traders, merchants, and caravans braved harsh deserts, mountains, and political barriers, often for rich rewards.

Whether you’re already a lover of all things oriental, or want to discover more about the extensive trade networks which extended across Europe, Asia and Africa for millennia, this stunning exhibition is the perfect opportunity to view fascinating and incredibly beautiful objects, carefully chosen to portray the development and extent of the Silk Roads. With this in mind, we thought we’d take a look at some of the wonderful examples of Chinese decorative objects and furniture available here at Shimu.

From Silks to Cookware and Spices

There was so much more to the Silk Road than just transporting silk, as this ancient trading route was used to trade and transport an incredible range of items including weapons, marble, gemstones and books. Because the extent of the Silk Roads was not limited to one single route but covered whole regions, this meant that objects such as Buddha figures could end up travelling from China or India via the Middle East, to all over the area covered by modern Europe.

Nowadays we’re so used to being able to find and buy objects from across the globe that it’s hard to comprehend the lengths that the Silk Road’s traders and merchants would go to in order to obtain and then sell their wares. Offering an important reminder that although the way we transport and exchange items may have changed beyond all recognition, buying or collecting decorative pieces from other cultures has always been a part of our past, and will continue long into the future.

From Chinese Antiques to Oriental Silk Pictures

Here at Shimu we’re very proud to offer one of the largest ranges of original Chinese antique furniture and accessories available here in the UK. From stunning chests and cabinets, to ceramics and more, our collection includes carefully chosen pieces sourced directly from China.

Furniture from China would have originally been transported along the Silk Roads, bringing a touch of beautiful oriental design to European homes. If you too love the look of traditional Chinese furniture, you’ll find that our ever-changing collection offers a wide selection of stunning pieces, from richly decorated hand-painted sideboards, to rustic farmhouse tables, antique screens and ornately carved wooden panels.

Our Chinese antique accessories offer an elegant way to enhance your home with a touch of oriental design. Vintage ceramic storage jars, once used to store foodstuffs such as cooking oil, now make stunning vases. Traditional bamboo birdcages make wonderful decorative pieces, whilst our selection of wooden document boxes, wooden rice baskets and buckets are perfect for adding a Chinese design element to your interiors.

Shimu also have a range of original and limited-edition wall art which includes stunning embroidered silk pictures, antique carved panels, and replica ancestor paintings, alongside a collection of Chinese and oriental Buddha statues, bronze vases, vessels and figurines.