Stefano Cardu Civic Museum of Siamese Art, Cagliari

It is located in the historic center of the city, inside the Citadel of Museums, which houses numerous other museum structures. Artistic pieces of different Asian origins and cultures are on display. Alongside religious art objects, preciously crafted household objects, rare coins and very little-known weapons are on display. The collection is characterized by the great variety of pieces and materials: silver, ivory, bronze, porcelain, wooden sculptures, paper material, coins. The majority of the objects are of Siamese origin, a characteristic that gives the Collection its peculiarity and uniqueness. The existence of the collection is due to the figure of the Cagliari collector Stefano Cardu, who donated to the city a part of his prestigious collection of oriental art objects and weapons, recovered during his long stay in Asia, particularly in Siam, the current Thailand. Among the objects on display, the Chinese porcelains from the "Ming" period and the first "Qing" emperors (from the XNUMXth to the XNUMXth century) stand out, expressing an exquisite manifestation of art and technique of the highest level. Furthermore, the weapons section, although not impressive, is nevertheless of uncommon interest: unique in Italy and among the few in the world, it presents a significant panorama, especially of Siamese weapons, which form the largest and most interesting group. In addition to housing the largest collection of Siamese art in Europe, it is the first civic museum in the Sardinia and the only example of an Oriental Museum in the Region.