Paris - Asian art

I had never seen the Guimet museum, but I knew it had an outstanding collection of Asian art.  I decided to go there after my appointment with the ophthalmologist whose office was nearby.  I left the office in late morning and as I approached the intersection, I noticed a sculpture

identified as a World War I memorial; it is located in front of the wall at the base of the Passy Cemetery.  

Opposite the cemetery is a small square that slopes upward, toward the neighborhood of Passy which is located on one of the hills of Paris, about 200 feet above the Seine.

This is the perfect location for the memorial statue of Benjamin Franklin, seated in a large chair (throne?) at the top of the square.

The intersection nearby leads to the Palace of Chaillot, built for the Paris Exposition of 1937, on the square known as the Trocadéro.

View from the Trocadéro

 This was once the village of Chaillot, also on a hill; it is a magnet for anyone who wants to capture the iconic view of the Eiffel tower across the Seine.  At this time of year, and in the morning, there are relatively few tourists.

In the middle of the intersection of the Trocadéro is a statue of George Washington, sculpted by Daniel Chester French in 1900. (He also sculpted the statue of Lincoln in Washington.)

Across from the statue is the Guimet museum, whose collections are exclusively devoted to the arts of Asia.  Contributions to the collections came from the museum’s founder Émile Guimet (1836-1918), an industrialist who travelled all over the world; from from other travelers, and from archaeological expeditions.  

This is a detail of a much larger work,

but I was amused by the figure with the 

bird's beak, and by its action. he appears 

to be tickling the toes of a much larger 

god.  The other foot is similarly tickled

by a pig-headed figure.

After a while in the Indian and Southeast Asian area, I realized there was much more to see.  I was hungry, but I did not want to spend time looking for a restaurant outside, so I chose the museum's restaurant.  That turned out to be a great choice.  Not surprisingly, the décor and the menu were inspired by the museum.  The atmosphere was pleasant and the conversation subdued. I chose dim sum; a spring roll; and a salad accompanying a perfectly cooked, sliced duck breast with a light, Thai curry sauce.  It was excellent and no more costly than the usual café fare.  Feeling refreshed, I resumed my tour in the vast gallery devoted to China.

I admired the grace of these dancers.

There are 20,000 objects in the Chinese collection alone, not all on display, of course.  Even so, that gallery was exhausting. I was so fixed on the displays that I did not realize I was close to a pedestal until my leg hit it.  My leg blew up instantly and I asked a guard for ice.  I got the ice and also a visit from the staff and a museum official.  

The artist was able to capture this

horse in motion.   It is almost hard

to believe it is a sculpture.

I sat for a long while, and then tried to continue my visit, to see the Korean and Japanese galleries, but I could no longer concentrate and my leg hurt so I left.  I took many photos and chose a few at random to illustrate the variety of objects.  It would be impossible to say which were my favorite ones.

There would be a lot more to see on my next visit.