OFF THE BEATEN TRACK: ASIAN ART IN TURIN AND GENOA Hwei-Fen Cheah – TAASA Review December 2019

I taly may be off the Asian art enthusiast’s beaten track but unexpected riches lie within its regional museums.

I recently visited two ­ one dedicated to the efforts of one collector and one country, the other consolidating a range of Asian material from diverse sources. Museum of Oriental Art Edoardo Chiossone, Genoa Despite somewhat tired displays, the wealth of objects in the upper galleries indicate Chiossone’s ambitious collecting: arms and armour, bronze vessels, inro, netsuke, lacquerware, porcelains, cloissoné, masks, sword fittings, votive shrines and plaques, small metal and wood sculptures, esoteric Buddhist ritual objects, Chinese bronze mirrors, and prehistoric artefacts.

Of these, the sculptures are the most notable and they include fine 7th/8th century bronze bodhisattvas. Prints and paintings are normally displayed in rotation but, sadly, only three prints on the theme of chrysanthemums were on view when I visited in mid-September 2019...