The Schneiberg Museum is located in Palazzo Provana di Collegno in Via Santa Teresa 20. A hidden pearl in the historic center of Turin, the palace was built starting in 1687 based on a design by the architect Guarino Guarini.

In its splendid rooms, it houses an extraordinary collection of Chinese art: the Imperial Silk and Metal Carpets of the Qing, a dynasty that reigned in China between 1644 and 1911.

During the Qing dynasty, precious sculpture carpets made with silk, copper, silver and gold were commissioned in the oases of Xinjiang to adorn the renovated rooms of the imperial palace. These works, in addition to their important decorative function, were considered, due to the dragons, phoenixes and flowers represented in them, magical supports during the ceremonies and shamanic rites that took place in the Forbidden City.

In ancient China it was in fact believed that images, if placed in the right positions, had the ability to come to life and act by moving in space and time, thus influencing the unfolding of events.

The exhibition itinerary develops along eight rooms, in which 36 carpets from the permanent collection are presented according to a theme dear to classical Chinese Taoist symbolism, namely the alchemical journey in search of the elixir.

The fascinating installation, created by the continuous play of symbolic references between the figures of the imperial carpets and the frescoes, the trompe-l'oeil and the mirrors that decorate the walls of the marvelous rooms, allow the visitor to get closer to the universe of the Qing court.