the maridon museum

An excellent value for your money if you have any appreciation for Chinese artwork. Jade carvings are presented at the highest level of materials and craftsmanship. Also they have a wonderful collection of bone china too. Highly recommended stop in Butler which will not take up much time.

The collection was amassed by Marion Phillips of Phillips Oil. She never visited the Orient, by had an impeccable eye for the art of Asia. Her collection created the Maridon Museum. Absolutely worth the trip. Also has an extensive collection of German Meissen porcelain pieces also from Marion Phillips. A wonderful spot for seeing these fabulous art treasures.

Visiting the Maridon Museum in Butler on our way to Harmony was just an afterthought. I am not particularly interested in Asian art, and I mainly went there for the Meissen China. Those items (about 300 of them) were spectacular indeed, but the true jewels of the collection were the Asian pieces - both big and small. Obviously the eye is first drawn to the nearly life-size ivory and jade sculptures, but the smaller pieces (netsuke, snuff bottles) were just as wonderful. I also enjoyed the display of a Chinese scholar's table.This truly was a feast for the eyes - and the wallet. Admission for seniors and students is just $3.00 (adults pay $4.00), and the gift store offers cute little souvenirs for as little as 50 cents. The building is very compact, and the 4 galleries are handicapped accessible. The museum should please everybody, but I think it's especially important for young people in Western PA to be exposed to this wonderful collection of art from different countries. Looking at the website I do notice that class visits, etc. are encouraged. The ones who do visit are certainly in for a treat.

The Maridon has a nice collection of Chinese and Japanese art. The jade collection is outstanding. Well worth the time.