The Musée Cernuschi (; 'Cernuschi Museum'), officially also the ('Asian Arts Museum of the City of Paris'), is an Asian art

museum A museum is an institution dedicated to displaying or Preservation (library and archive), preserving culturally or scientifically significant objects. Many museums have exhibitions of these objects on public display, and some have private colle ...

located at 7 avenue Vélasquez, near Parc Monceau, in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. Its Asian art collection is second in Paris only to that of the

Musée Guimet The Guimet Museum (full name in ; ''MNAAG''; ) is a Parisian art museum with one of the largest collections of Asian art outside of Asia that includes items from Cambodia, Thailand, Viet Nam, Tibet, India, and Nepal, among other countries. Foun ...

. The nearest

Paris Métro The Paris Métro (, , or , ), short for Métropolitain (), is a rapid transit system serving the Paris metropolitan area in France. A symbol of the city, it is known for its density within the capital's territorial limits, uniform architectur ...

stops to the museum are Villiers or Monceau on Line 2.

History

The museum was founded in 1898 by Henri Cernuschi (1821–1896) in the mansion that used to be his home. It describes itself as the second-oldest Asian art museum in France, and the fifth-oldest

Chinese art Chinese art is visual art that originated in or is practiced in China, Greater China or by Chinese artists. Art created by Chinese residing outside of China can also be considered a part of Chinese art when it is based on or draws on Chine ...

museum in Europe. Following a major renovation project from 2001 to 2005, during which the museum was closed, its total exhibition space reached 3,200 m². Another renovation was conducted in 2019–2020. On , the Cernuschi Museum became part of the public institution Paris Musées, together with 13 other museums belonging to the City of Paris.

Collections

Over the years, the museum's collection has gradually grown from nearly 5,000 objects initially to about 15,000 as of 2021. Originally its collections were overwhelmingly of objects from China and Japan, which have been complemented more recently by artefacts from Korea and Vietnam. Some 900 objects are on permanent exhibition. Most prominent is the large

Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha (),* * * was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist legends, he was ...

Meguro is a Special wards of Tokyo, special ward in the Tokyo, Tokyo Metropolis in Japan. The English translation of its Japanese self-designation is Meguro City. The ward was founded on March 15, 1947. Meguro is predominantly residential in character ...

, a

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

ese bronze from the 18th century, from the original collection of Henri Cernuschi. Other permanent exhibits include: * a fine collection of archaic bronze pieces (15th to 3rd centuries BCE) *

Han dynasty The Han dynasty was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China (202 BC9 AD, 25–220 AD) established by Liu Bang and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–206 BC ...

objects (206 BCE – 220 CE) * Funerary statues from the

Northern Wei Wei (), known in historiography as the Northern Wei ( zh, c=北魏, p=Běi Wèi), Tuoba Wei ( zh, c=拓跋魏, p=Tuòbá Wèi), Yuan Wei ( zh, c=元魏, p=Yuán Wèi) and Later Wei ( zh, t=後魏, p=Hòu Wèi), was an Dynasties of China, impe ...

dynasty (386–534 CE) and

Sui dynasty The Sui dynasty ( ) was a short-lived Dynasties of China, Chinese imperial dynasty that ruled from 581 to 618. The re-unification of China proper under the Sui brought the Northern and Southern dynasties era to a close, ending a prolonged peri ...

(581–618 CE) *

Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, c=唐朝), or the Tang Empire, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an Wu Zhou, interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed ...

statues (618–907 CE) * Ceramics from the Tang and

Song A song is a musical composition performed by the human voice. The voice often carries the melody (a series of distinct and fixed pitches) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs have a structure, such as the common ABA form, and are usu ...

dynasties (6th through 13th centuries CE) * funerary masks in gilded bronze dating from the Liao dynasty (907–1125)

Collection highlights

Source:Masterpieces of the collection according to museum site

China

File:Disque, M.C. 7314.jpg, Jade disc.

Shandong Shandong is a coastal Provinces of China, province in East China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history since the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River. It has served as a pivotal cultural ...

, 2100–1700 BCE File:Vase zun 尊, M.C. 2005-3.jpg,

Zun The ''zun'' or ''yi'', used until the Song dynasty#Northern Song, 960–1127, Northern Song (960–1126) is a type of Chinese ritual bronzes, Chinese ritual bronze or ceramic wine vessel with a round or square vase-like form, sometimes in t ...

vessel,

Shang dynasty The Shang dynasty (), also known as the Yin dynasty (), was a Chinese royal dynasty that ruled in the Yellow River valley during the second millennium BC, traditionally succeeding the Xia dynasty and followed by the Western Zhou d ...

, 12th century BCE File:Jade en forme d'oiseau, M.C. 2016-38(9).jpg, Bird-shaped jade, 11th century BCE File:La Tigresse (vase you 卣), M.C. 6155(10).jpg,

You In Modern English, the word "''you''" is the second-person pronoun. It is grammatically plural, and was historically used only for the dative case, but in most modern dialects is used for all cases and numbers. History ''You'' comes from ...

vessel in shape of a tiger, Shang dynasty, 1100–1050 BCE File:Deux éléments de char, M.C. 2016-39 (2 of 2).jpg, Two chariot elements,

Western Zhou The Western Zhou ( zh, c=西周, p=Xīzhōu; 771 BC) was a period of Chinese history corresponding roughly to the first half of the Zhou dynasty. It began when King Wu of Zhou overthrew the Shang dynasty at the Battle of Muye and ended in 77 ...

, 1050–771 BCE File:Vase ding 鼎 dit le Shan ding, M.C. 610.jpg, Ding vessel, 900–850 BCE File:Dame, M.C. 9814(3).jpg, Figurine of a Lady,

Western Han The Han dynasty was an imperial dynasty of China (202 BC9 AD, 25–220 AD) established by Liu Bang and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–206 BC) and a warring int ...

, 206 BCE – 9 CE File:Ours, M.C. 2011-1(5).jpg, Bear, Han dynasty, 206 BCE – 220 CE File:Musicien céleste, M.C. 10013(2).jpg, Heavenly Musician,

, 386–534 File:Barbare à la corne, M.C. 8971.jpg, Barbarian with a horn,

, 625–675 File:Cavalière-musicienne, M.C. 2001-11.jpg, Cavalry musicians, Tang dynasty, 618–907 Masque féminin, M.C. 2001-5.jpg, Female funerary mask, Liao dynasty, 907–1125 File:Oreiller, M.C. 9241(2).jpg, Ceramic pillow, Jin dynasty, 1115–1234 File:Plat, M.C. 9931.jpg, Platter, Qingbai ware, Southern

Song dynasty The Song dynasty ( ) was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 960 to 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song, who usurped the throne of the Later Zhou dynasty and went on to conquer the rest of the Fiv ...

, 1127–1279 File:Bol, M.C. 2016-16 (1 of 3).jpg, Bowl, Jun ware, 14th century File:Bodhisattva, M.C. 5173.jpg, Bronze statue of

Bodhisattva In Buddhism, a bodhisattva is a person who has attained, or is striving towards, '' bodhi'' ('awakening', 'enlightenment') or Buddhahood. Often, the term specifically refers to a person who forgoes or delays personal nirvana or ''bodhi'' in ...

, Yongle era, 1403–1424 File:Hanlin Academy cropped.jpg, Painting of

Hanlin Academy The Hanlin Academy was an academic and administrative institution of higher learning founded in the 8th century Tang China by Emperor Xuanzong in Chang'an. It has also been translated as "College of Literature" and "Academy of the Forest of Pen ...

, 1744–1745 File:Tempete Baoshi.jpg, ''Storm'' by Fu Baoshi, 1944

Japan

File:Lutrin pliable (shokendai 書見台), M.C.2009-1(3).jpg, Foldable lectern (shokendai 書見台), 1573–1603 File:Pot en cloche.jpg, Water pot ('' mizusashi''), 1680–1700 File:Buddha Amida (Amitābha), M.C. 2078.jpg, Buddha

Amitābha Amitābha (, "Measureless" or "Limitless" Light), also known as Amituofo in Chinese language, Chinese, Amida in Japanese language, Japanese and Öpakmé in Tibetan script, Tibetan, is one of the main Buddhahood, Buddhas of Mahayana, Mahayana Buddh ...

, 18th century File:Tigre tora okinomo.jpg, Tiger, wood and lacquer, 18th–19th century File:Brule-parfum au dragon.jpg, Bronze censer (kōro) with dragon made by Kimura Toun (c. 1800–1870)

Vietnam

File:Emblème en forme d'oiseau, M.C. 8934.jpg, Bird-shaped emblem, Bronze, 50–400 File:Grand plat aux phénix, M.C. 2016-57 (3 of 4).jpg, Platter with phoenix, c. 1450 File:Brûle-parfum, M.C. 6397 (01 of 12).jpg, Censer, 17th century

Korea

File:Cloche, M.C. 982 (1 of 8).jpg, Bell, 1311 File:Epitaphe de Yi Kyŏngjik (1577-1640), M.C. 2017-35(2).jpg, Epitaph of Yi Kyŏngjik (1577–1640), Calligraphy on porcelain tablets, c. 1640

Notes

References

Cernuschi Museum official website (French, English, Chinese, Japanese)

Paris Musées official website
* Marie-Thérèse Bobot, ''The Chinese Collections of the Cernuschi Museum: General Guide'', Paris-Musées, 1993. . * Waldemar George, "Art in Paris: The Cernuschi Museum", The Burlington Magazine for Connoisseurs, Vol. 50, No. 290 (May, 1927), pp. 283–284. * Vadime Elisseeff, ''Bronzes Archaïques Chinois Au Musée Cernuschi (Archaic Chinese Bronzes)'', L'Asiathèque, 1977.

{{DEFAULTSORT:Musee Cernuschi Asian art museums in France Asian-French culture Cernuschi Buildings and structures in the 8th arrondissement of Paris Art museums and galleries established in 1898 1898 establishments in France Paris Musées