Guimet Museum

Guimet Museum

The museum in December 2013
Location within Paris
Established	1879
Coordinates	48°51′55″N2°17′38″E
Type	Asianart
Website	www.guimet.fr(in French)

TheGuimet Museum(full name inFrench:Musée national des arts asiatiques-Guimet;MNAAG;abbr.Musée Guimet) is anart museumlocated at 6, place d'Iéna in the16th arrondissementofParis,France. Literally translated into English, its full name is theNational Museum of Asian Arts-Guimet,orGuimet National Museum of Asian Arts.

The museum has one of the largest collections ofAsian artoutside of Asia.

History

Panoramic view of the library in the Guimet Museum

Ground floor of the museum.

Founded byÉmile Étienne Guimet,an industrialist, the museum first opened atLyonin 1879but was later transferred to Paris, opening in the place d'Iéna in 1889.Devoted to travel, Guimet was in 1876 commissioned by the minister of public instruction to study the religions of theFar East,and the museum contains many of the fruits of this expedition, including a fine collection of Chinese and Japaneseporcelainand objects relating not merely to the religions of the East, but also to those of ancientEgypt,GreeceandRome.One of its wings, thePanthéon Bouddhique,displaysBuddhist artworks.

Some of the museum's artifacts, originating from Cambodia, are connected with the studies conducted by the first scholars to be interested in Khmer culture,Louis DelaporteandEtienne Aymonier.They sent examples of Khmer art to France at a time when museums were not existing in Southeast Asia, with the agreement of the King of Cambodia, to show to Europe the high level of the ancient Khmer culture.

From December 2006 to April 2007, the museum harboured collections of theKabul Museum,with archaeological pieces from theGreco-Bactriancity ofAi-Khanoum,and theIndo-Scythiantreasure ofTillia Tepe.

Works of art of the museum

Greco-Buddhist art

• 
  GandharaBuddha, 1st–2nd century CE
• 
  Hellenistic decorative scrolls fromHadda,northern Afghanistan
• 
  Standing Buddha, ancient region ofGandhara,northernAfghanistan,1st century
• 
  Stone paletteof aNereidsea-goddess riding aKetossea-monster,Sirkap,2nd century BCE
• 
  Wine-drinking and music,Hadda,1st–2nd century CE
• 
  A Corinthian capitol with a Buddha at its center, 2nd century, Surk Kotal,Afghanistan
• 
  The Greek godAtlas,supporting a Buddhist monument,Hadda
• 
  TheBodhisattvaMaitreya,2nd century,Gandhara
• 
  Scene of the life of the Buddha. 2nd–3rd century.Gandhara
• 
  Portraits from the site ofHadda,3rd century
• 
  Statuette excavated from theDharmarajika Stupasite atSirkap,Pakistan

Serindian art

• 
  "Heroic gesture of theBodhisattva",6th–7th centuryterracotta,Tumshuq (Xin gian g)
• 
  Head of a Bodhisattva, 6th–7th centuryterracotta,Tumshuq (Xin gian g)

Chinese art

• 
  Han dynastyHorse (1st–2nd century)
• 
  Buddha triad,Eastern Wei(534–550), China
• 
  Tang dynastyForeign Merchant
• 
  Northern Qidepiction ofSogdians
• 
  One of theGroup of glazed pottery luohans from Yixian,c. 1000
• 
  A sittingceladonlion, dated 11th to 12th century,Song dynasty
• 
  A porcelain vase with design of men fighting on horseback, from theJiajing reign period(1521–1567),Ming dynasty
• 
  A roundsancaidish from theTang dynasty,8th to 9th century
• 
  PaintingBodhisattva Who Leads the WayfromMo-kao caves,900–950 A.D.

Indian art

• 
  An aniconic representation ofMara's assault on the Buddha, 2nd century,Amaravati style,eastern India
• 
  TheBodhisattvaMaitreya,2nd century,Mathura
• 
  A Buddha, 2nd century, Mathura
• 
  Buddha of theGuptaperiod, 5th century, Mathura
• 
  Head of a Buddha, Gupta period, 6th century
• 
  Rishabhanatha,sandstone, Madhya Pradesh,Chandelaperiod, 10th–11th century
• 
  Buddha andBodhisattvas,11th century,Pala Empire
• 
  Vishnu,Madhya Pradesh,11th–12th century
• 
  ShivafromTamil Nadu,Cholaperiod, 11th century
• 
  Rishabhanatha,11th–12th century, Orissa

Southeast Asian art

• 
  Head ofBuddhataken fromBorobudur,c. 8th–9th century Central Java, Indonesia
• 
  Agastya,c. 8th–9th century Central Java, Indonesia
• 
  Hindu deityBrahma,Cambodia
• 
  Brahma 10th century,Khmer art,Cambodia
• 
  ShivafromVijayapura,Vietnam
• 
  VishnuonGaruda,Champaart, Vietnam
• 
  Ganesha, Siem Reap, Cambodia, c. 12th–13th century
• 
  MonsWheel of the Law (Dharmacakra), art ofDvaravati,c. 8th century
• 
  A Cambodian Buddha, 14th century
• 
  BodhisattvaLokiteśvara,Cambodia12th century

See also

• List of museums in Paris

External links

• Musée Guimet
• Musée national des arts Asiatiques Guimet,special issue of art magazineConnaissance des Arts,available in French and English