17.6.09

"Buddhist Pantheon"

In a rather recent post about Avenue d’Iéna, I mentioned the Guimet Museum with one of the largest collections of Asian art outside Asia. I also referred to a subsidiary to the museum, a “Buddhist Pantheon”, slightly higher up on the avenue. It’s installed in a former private mansion from 1913 and is thus now partly used by the museum for Japanese and Chinese art, linked to Buddhism.

The entry is free.

Behind the building is a small garden with a Tea Pavilion. Here you can participate in different tea ceremonies, but it’s opening only Thursday afternoons. I was there on a Friday and haven’t been back yet! (Maybe I’m more of a coffee drinker.)

32 comments:

Cezar and Léia said...

Fantastic place and free entry!wow
I would love to be there on this tea ceremony.Although here in Brazil coffee is a very popular beverage, I like a lot tea!
Beautiful pictures! Thanks! :-)
Hugs
Léia

Lenora Regan - ShootingWithSlinky.blogspot.com said...

Oh my...would love to visit, as it would be a wonderful place to be! Thanks for sharing.

krystyna said...

The Buddhist Pantheon is really fantastic. Beautiful and peaceful place.

Thank you Peter!


Btw, your new profile pic is fantastic too.

James said...

The Guimet museum. I've heard of it but didn't make it to there. I'm a coffee drinker too.

Rakesh Vanamali said...

Wow! This certainly is a treat!

Olivier said...

magnifique ce musée, j'adore le bouddha. Je note le nom du musée, j'ai une amie qui est fan des bouddhas et de tous ce qui touche l'asie.

Cergie said...

Tu aurais pu aller boire le thé chez Mariage Frères...
Nous avions beaucoup de beaux Bouddha à la maison, ils sont tous chez mon frère aîné.
Figure toi que je ne suis jamais allée au musée Guimet à plus forte raison dans ce panthéon mais j'irai un Thursday afternoon, c'est une idée.

alice said...

Crois-tu que je serais admise, moi qui mets du lait dans mon thé? ;-)

hpy said...

"Maybe I'm more of a coffee drinker."
I thought you are a champagne drinker!
I must be wrong then....

L. Neusiedler said...

another world!

Nathalie H.D. said...

LOL unhpy ! Je crois que tu as bien cerné le personnage :-))) Café et champagne, on reconnait bien là les habitudes du fêtard !


Ouvert seulement le jeudi après-midis, c'est restrictif ! Mais ce lieu improbable au milieu des bambous est tellement magique que j'en ferais volontiers un rendez-vous spécifique un jour où je viendrai à Paris !

Bagman and Butler said...

I've decided that you must spend every waking moment wandering through Paris taking pictures! I don't always leave comments but look forward every morning to my morning Paris fix. Thanks.

Ruth said...

What a gorgeous place! It looks very restful.

I've been to the Buddha Bar. ;)

Anonymous said...

Wonderful photos close to my heart and the tea garden with its bamboo is just gorgeous, to me. I also like the Japanese architecture and will always remember what it was like in Japan.

Harriet said...

Hi Peter, unfortunately my trip to Paris for the month of July had to be canceled. Virginia can give you details.

I'll be following all the posts and "visiting" vicariously.

Thanks for all the photos.

Shionge said...

This is so cool imagine seeing the Buddhist idol there.

Unseen India Tours said...

This is simply lovely and amazing..Great statue..THanks for sharing which is less seen..Unseen Rajasthan

Cuckoo said...

Peter,
The first photo is so much Indian... everything about it including that dot on the forehead if you could notice.

If you happen to be in India, you will see lots of idols of God/Goddesses like this.

Adam said...

Interesting find, especially as it's free! What is the actual name of this annexe though?

Starman said...

Interesting. I was in the area but didn't see it.

Anonymous said...

another one for the list of places to see!

Virginia said...

Well you've found another treasure I have never heard of! Beautiful photos. "Maybe I'm more of a coffee drinker." I'd say so! HA

Cheryl said...

Looks like a lovely sanctuary. The tea place sounds nice, but in Paris I'd rather find a Parisian cafe instead.

PeterParis said...

Léia:
You have to be in Paris a Thursday! :-)

Leonora R:
It's a pleasure. Happy to see you around! :-)

Krystyna:
Yes, very peaceful, especially when the teahouse is closed! :-)

PeterParis said...

James:
You should go there! They have a fantastic collection and the museum was renovated rather recently! :-)

Rakesh:
I guess so, but haven't (yet) tried the tea! :-)

Olivier:
Donc, il faut y aller, accompagné! :-)

PeterParis said...

Cergie:
Donc, rv à Paris un jeudi! :-)

Alice:
Aucune chance! ... ou il faut accepter ce qu'on t'offre! Différents thés chaque fois! :-)

unhpy:
On peut boire café, champagne, vin, eau... Aucun n'exclue l'autre! Tu ne savais pas? :-)

PeterParis said...

Lara:
Yes... suddenly! :-)

Nathalie:
Donc,rv un jeudi Avenue d'Iéna! :-)

Butler ... :
Not 100% of my time, but quite a bit! :-)

PeterParis said...

Ruth:
Buddah Bar... not quite the same thing! :-)

Abe:
Just a few squaremeters, but you feel far away! :-)

Harriet:
I trust it's only postponed? :-)

PeterParis said...

Shionge:
Cool indeed! :-)

Unseen R...:
Thanks! :-)

Cuckoo:
Indeed, but this one is supposed to come from Japan! :-)

PeterParis said...

Adam:
This is what I have found:

Cette annexe du Musée Guimet est située dans l’ancien hôtel particulier d’Alfred Heidelbach (1852-1922), banquier, président de la chambre de commerce des Etats-Unis à Paris. Construite en 1913 par l’architecte René Sergent, cette demeure est un témoignage de l’architecture néoclassique parisienne. Le bâtiment, acquis par le Ministère de l’Education Nationale en 1955, a été rénové en 1991.

Il abrite depuis lors une collection unique en Europe : un ensemble de 250 œuvres japonaises, réunies par Emile Guimet au cours de son voyage dans l’archipel en 1876, et des œuvres chinoises présentées en complément. L’originalité du Panthéon bouddhique tient à la présentation didactique des figures vénérées, telles qu’elles apparaissent en profusion dans les temples bouddhiques de ces nations.

A l’occasion de son 10ème anniversaire en 2001, le Panthéon bouddhique s’est enrichi d’un authentique Pavillon de thé dressé à l’arrière du bâtiment, dans le jardin. Le Pavillon accueille,la légendaire Cérémonie du thé japonaise.

Starman:
The entrance is very discrete! :-)

Denise:
So, you are also starting your list! :-)

PeterParis said...

Virginia:
Yes, I have to confess about the coffee drinking! :-)

Cheryl:
Good! ... but one can of course make an exception a Thursday afternoon! :-)

Paris Hotels said...

Guimet Museum sounds a real "Must-see"! I'm just ordering my trip stuff with LastMinuteTravel and surly put it into my trip-agenda afterwards :)