National Museum of Oriental Art, National museum and art institution in Esquilino district, Rome, Italy.
The National Museum of Oriental Art is a state-run archaeological and art museum in Rome, holding objects from across Asia, from the Middle East to Japan. The collection covers Buddhist sculptures, ceramics, textiles, and metal objects, now housed at the Pigorini Museum in the EUR district.
The museum was founded in 1957 and opened in 1958 at the Palazzetto di Venezia in Rome to house finds from archaeological expeditions to Pakistan and Afghanistan. In 2017, the entire collection was transferred to the Pigorini National Museum of Prehistory and Ethnography.
The collection brings together Buddhist and Hindu sculptures alongside everyday objects from across Asia, now on display at the Pigorini Museum in Rome. Pieces from Pakistan and Afghanistan stand out for their mix of religious and domestic imagery, recovered during excavations at ancient sites.
The collection is no longer at its original location in the Esquilino district and can now be found at the Pigorini Museum in the EUR district. It is worth checking in advance which pieces are currently on display before planning your visit.
A large part of the collection was gathered by Giuseppe Tucci, who traveled to Nepal, Tibet, and Ladakh between 1928 and 1948. His journeys took place when those regions were barely accessible to outsiders, making the objects he brought back rare records of that time.
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