Museo d'arte cinese ed etnografico

About the museum

The museum was founded in 1901 on the initiative of Mons. Guido Maria Conforti, Bishop of Parma and founder of the Saverian Missionaries, who had been struck by the beauty of some Chinese art objects given to him after the 1898 Universal Exhibition in Turin, including gifts from Senator Fedele Lampertico. For Conforti, the museum was to be a means of making China known.

While the Saverians worked only in China, they collected Chinese art: ceramics, bronzes, paintings, objects in ivory, wood and jade, coins and everyday ethnographic material. From the 1960s the museum was enriched with ethnographic materials from other countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America. Since 2019 the museum, together with the Biblioteca Saveriana Conforti and the Memorie Confortiane, has been part of the Fondazione Culturale Saveriana.

The route includes the entrance area, with a long glazed tazebao (wall poster) for temporary exhibitions; the Kayapó area, devoted to an indigenous people of the Amazon; the Africa area, with materials from Congo, Sierra Leone, Cameroon and Chad; the multimedia area; and the large China area, with display cases of terracottas and porcelain, a large circular taiji, a folding screen, the scholar’s study, statuary, a large Buddha, paintings and coins.

Highlights

• Chinese terracottas and porcelain in a large amphitheatre of display cases
• Scholar’s study and large folding screen
• Kayapó collection from the Amazon
• African sacred art from Congo, Sierra Leone, Cameroon and Chad
• Large Buddha and Chinese statuary
• Chinese coins and amulets

Permanent exhibitions

• Arte cinese – Terracottas and porcelain, bronzes, paintings, textiles, coins and amulets, scholar’s study and statuary.
• Collezioni etnografiche – Materials from the Amazon (Kayapó), Africa, China and Mexico, documenting the ways of life and art of different peoples.

Founded

1901

Operated by

Missionari Saveriani / Fondazione Culturale Saveriana

Admission & discounts

For schools, free admission for students with disabilities and accompanying teachers or educators. Tickets are bought at reception; no booking is needed for independent visits.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

No architectural barriers; spaces suitable for turning wheelchairs, and panels and displays at an appropriate height. Some explanatory panels are in Braille.

Kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Hands-on stations

Ceramics workshops for children aged 6 and over and activities for younger children; educational proposals and worksheets for schools. Spaces for play and snacks.

Getting there & parking

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop
• Wi-Fi

Bookshop with publications and objects. The museum has Wi-Fi, as stated in the Service Charter. Indoor and outdoor spaces for play and snacks.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent

Up to 50 guests.

A room of about 75 m² (15 × 5 m) for meetings, lectures, educational activities and temporary exhibitions, with video projector, sound system, Wi-Fi and a system for hanging pictures, available to book. Team-building experiences are also offered.

Plan your visit