USC Pacific Asia Museum, CA

I confess I don’t know much about Asian art but I was curious to find out more and what better way than to make a trip to Pasadena to see this special place, the USC Pacific Asia Museum.  It’s located right off Colorado Boulevard and has its own parking lot which makes getting there all the easier.

On the day of my visit they were having a special exhibit called Royal Tastes which featured Ming Dynasty objects from the 15^th century.  Now anyone who has seen a 1940’s movie mystery has heard of Ming vases and porcelain.  Well,  I had a chance to see these things up close.

The museum didn’t permit photography in the special exhibit area. The above photograph is by Hiart on Wikimedia Commons.

The Snukal Family Ceramics Study Gallery is an ongoing attraction and a fun place to visit. It’s filled with pieces from different periods, some of which the visitor is invited to touch. This is the place to find out more about the details of pottery making and the techniques used to make the colors.

It was a treat to look at all the different pottery styles in the cabinets.

The delicate gold filigree in the Ming collection was breathtakingly beautiful. It was also off limits to photography. But I could still take pictures in the main galleries and I greatly enjoyed the collection of jade.

There were also examples of Literati Painting much like this image below.

As with the porcelain above this image too comes from Wikipedia. One thing I’ve discovered about museums is that the lighting makes for challenging photographs.

The USC Pacific Asia Museum is not a large place. One can see it easily in a day and take a break in the inner atrium/garden area as well. This courtyard is quiet, shaded and even has koi in a pond.

One of the things l like most about traveling to museums is the diversity. I can go back in time and learn about dinosaurs if I choose. Or I can visit other cultures as I did on this visit. As so often happens, each visit answers a few questions and raises new ones. For me, I’m now very curious about Chinese history. I want to know more!