Turin's Museum of Oriental Art opened on 5th December 2008, uniting several collections housed in the city and adding new acquisitions to enrich its variety and cover a wide range of oriental art in terms of time and geography.
The museum is housed in Palazzo Mazzonis, an aristocratic 17th century dwelling, which was acquired in the 19th century by Paolo Mazzonis, Baron of Pralafera, a rich textile industrialist. His son Federico placed the commercial headquarters of the Manifattura Mazzonis in this building, which had meantime been listed as an important artistic and historical edifice. It was later modified and enriched by his heir, Ottavio Mazzonis, but in 1968 the manufacturing activity ceased and the fine headquarters remained unused until taken over in 1980 by the Turin Municipality. For a few years it was used by the nearby Court for additional magistrates' offices, then finally in the 21st century, the Turin architect Andrea Bruno was given the task of adapting the building for the new Museum of Oriental Art.
During a short visit to Turin, you might overlook this museum, attracted perhaps by the more iconic Museum of Cinema, housed in the famous Mole Antonelliana, a familiar landmark on the Turin skyline. Or you might dedicate all your attention to the former Royal Palaces, and Palazzo Madama where the first Senate of a newly united Italy met in 1861.
You will undoubtedly want to visit the Museum dedicated to Ancient Egypt, said to be second only to the one in Cairo.
But Turin's Museum of Oriental Art is also worth seeing. Being newly and modernly refurbished, the collection has gained in accessibility and simplicity for the visitor. Its over 1500 exhibits make this museum an engrossing one, so those with time on their hands can take one or two sections a day, aided by the lay-out, with each of the five different sections being self-sustaining.
The five sections correspond to the following areas:
- South East Asia, consisting of subsections: Gandhara, India, Other (Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar)
- Japan
- China
- Himalayas (Tibet, Nepal)
- Islamic Art
The South-East Asia Section
The section devoted to Ghandara has been enriched by various Italian archeological missions to Berikot in the Swat valley and the excavation of the Butkara Stupa. Ghandara is the name attributed to the Indo-Grecian Kingdom of Alexander the Great, an area coverning Northwest Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Northern India, centre of the diffusion of Indian Buddhism. There are interesting examples of Greek influence in some of the exhibits.
The Japanese Section
Unlike other oriental art museums, such as the Chiossone Museum in Genoa, the Japanese section is not predominant over others. The Museum periodically rotates exhibits of screens and "kesa" (ceremonial capes worn by Buddhist monks), for space or more likely conservation reasons. The 19th century "Kesa" currently on display all have predominatly floreal designs with river or waterfall themes, whereas one also has dragons and shows Chinese influence.
Among many other delicate paintings and drawings, you can appreciate two "emakimono", or traditional painted rolls to be followed as they unroll from right to left.
The Chinese Section
This section is enriched with neolithic vases from the Giovanni Agnelli collection. The late Giovanni Agnelli, magnate of Turin's FIAT automobile company, appreciated many forms of art, including ancient and modern Chinese art.
There are some fine small exhibits of white pottery from the Xing kilns and some captivating figures from the Henan - Tang dynasty (second half of the 7th century). A man and woman on horseback are notable in that they show the woman dressed much like the man, and riding astride her pony, not side-saddle. Apparently Tang dames could wear male clothes not only for riding but also at court, and sometimes wore hats with veils to hide their faces, combined with low necklines.
Since January 23rd 2012, the "Chinese New Year" which brought in the Year of the Dragon, the museum exhibits a small Tang-period statue of a human wearing the elegant clothes of a courtly lady, with a dragon head. This will be replaced by a new appropriate figure, when the next year comes round.
The Himalayan Section
This section is devoted to Tibet and Nepal, and some effort is made to recreate the atmosphere of a Tibetan Buddhist monastery. Wooden and metal statues, paintings, and religious utensils are rather overshadowed by beatiful painted wooden protection covers for holy books. The Nepalese section illustrates how Buddhist and Hindu traditions have lived side by side, with some intense exchanges between cultures.
The Section devoted to Islamic Art
This section opens with Ottoman velvets and Persian carpets. For the rest the exhibits are composed of ceramic art, with various dishes and tiles from 8th to 17th century, and magnificent examples of calligraphic art. The concept of Islamic art is wider than that of Oriental art, but here a choice has been made to include only items from Asia.
This Museum aims to provide an overview of oriental art. Turin is a city with a sizeable immigrant population, and one aim of the curators is to provide first and second generation immigrants from the East with a place where they can observe some of their heritage, and share some of it with their friends and companions. "Syncretism" is a word that appears in various contexts.
When I visited the Museum there were school parties visiting, and the quality of their "guided tour" impressed me. Touch screens give detailed information about each exhibit and the youngsters seemed to be enjoying themselves.
Valerie Wilson - Valerie Wilson has lived, studied and worked in Scotland, Germany and Italy; mainly employed in multi-national companies in shipping ...
