Message from jchristensen

[Anonymous]

The Pacific Asia Museum in Pasadena is around the corner from Vroman's and the Pasadena Playhouse. It is easy to find and enjoyable to visit. It was a private home for the first half of the 20th century. The woman who owned it collected many of her treasures from the See Family stores in Chinatown and Pasadena, the same See family from "On Gold Mountain" by Lisa See.

The website has an interactive virtual tour of its collection worth looking at.

Click on "Explore the Collections" and select a topic such as 'Tomb Treasures' featuring Han and Tang Dynasties plus a few other items, 'Jade' for mostly 19th Century carvings with some from the Ming and Qing Dynasties, and the 'Jade and Soapstone Carvings' or 'Wood, Stone and Bronze' collections.

This is only a sampling of the categories one can select. Categories are:
Chinese Decorative Arts
Chinese Ceramics
Southeast Asian Art
Himalayan Buddhist Art
Japanese Decorative Arts
Arts of Korea
Special Collections
Archived Exhibitions

The pictured items, which can be enlarged for a detailed view, are accompanied by descriptive data including category, period, composition, and measurements.

http://www.pacificasiamuseum.org/