The Museo Schneiberg is located in the Palazzo Provana di Collegno at Via Santa Teresa 20. A hidden gem in the historic center of Turin, the palace was built starting from 1687 according to the design of 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 ruled in China between 1644 and 1911.

During the Qing dynasty, precious sculpture-like carpets made of 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, because of the dragons, phoenixes, and flowers represented in them, as magical supports during the ceremonies and shamanic rituals that took place in the Forbidden City.

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

The exhibition path unfolds through 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 set-up, created by the continuous interplay of symbolic references between the figures of the imperial carpets and the frescoes, trompe-l'oeil, and mirrors that decorate the walls of the wonderful rooms, allows the visitor to approach in a new way the universe of the Qing court.