PHOTO RELEASE

OCTOBER MARKS 5^thANNIVERSARY OF PEABODY PLACE MUSEUM

Home to one of the largest collections of 19^thcentury Chinese art in the nation

Peabody Place Museum is celebrating its fifth anniversary throughout October. To thank the community for its support in the past years, the Museum has featured a few of the pieces from its permanent collection.

The last feature is a pair of blue cloisonné Temple Lions with a Dragon Motif. Temple lions were a typical decoration for homes, rooms and temples in Chinese culture. They guarded the entrances of either the buildings or rooms themselves. The crouch and emphasized musculature in the bodies and the snarling faces were meant to remind visitors and any evil spirits that there would be serious repercussions for evil deeds done in their presence.

We are proud and honored to have these pieces as part of the permanent Peabody Place Museum exhibit. They were donated to the Museum in 1998 and have been the Guardians there for the entire five years.

Peabody Place Museum houses one of the nation's largest collections of 19^th century Chinese art. The permanent exhibit at the Museum includes objects created for Chinese nobility during the Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1911). The collection includes intricately carved jade sculptures, beautifully crafted enamelware pieces and rare objects created from ivory. The Museum has smaller collections of fossils and minerals, contemporary European art glass, Russian lacquer boxes, Judaic art and more.

Peabody Place Museum is open from 10:00 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and noon until 5:00 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Ticket prices are $5.00 for adults, $4.50 for seniors and $4.00 for students. Group rates and tours are available at Peabody Place Museum, located at 119 South Main Street, The Pembroke Square Building, on the Concourse Level in downtown Memphis. Please call the Museum for details at 523-ARTS..