Museo civico d’arte siamese Stefano Cardu, Cagliari

It is located in the historic center of the city, inside the Cittadella dei Musei, which houses many other museum structures. Artistic pieces of various Asian origins and cultures are exhibited. Alongside religious-themed art objects, exquisitely crafted household items, rare coins, and little-known weapons are displayed. The collection is characterized by the great variety of pieces and materials: silver, ivory, bronze, porcelain, wooden sculptures, paper materials, coins. The majority of the objects are of Siamese origin, a feature 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 part of his prestigious collection of art objects and oriental weapons to the city, recovered during his long stay in Asia, particularly in Siam, present-day Thailand. Among the objects on display, Chinese porcelains from the “Ming” period and the early “Qing” emperors (from the 14th to the 17th century) stand out, expressing a refined manifestation of art and very high-level technique. Also, the weapons section, though not large, is nevertheless of uncommon interest: unique in Italy and among the few in the world, it presents a significant overview 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 Sardinia and the only example of an Oriental Museum in the Region.