Perhaps not everyone knows that the Louvre houses a major collection of Chinese art. The Decorative Arts Department houses over 600 works, mostly from the collections of Adolphe Thiers, Adèle de Rothschild and the royal collections. The exhibition reveals these treasures to the public, delving into the historical and cultural context of their acquisition and shedding light on Thiers' little-known passion for China. With over 170 works from the 18th and 19th centuries, the exhibition presents scrolls, prints, porcelain, jade, lacquer and precious objets d'art. The first part explores Thiers' collecting, while the second focuses on his collection of Chinese art, ranging from history and literature to the "Three Teachings" (Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism) and imperial art. Among the masterpieces, an exceptional scroll stands out, the Qingming shanghe tu, made for the Qianlong Emperor.
