Photo Essay: Exploring Arab, Turkish and Iranian Art, Culture, and Design
This month (November, 2011), the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York has added a permanent collection called New Galleries for the Art of Arab Lands, Turkey, Iran, Central Asia, and Later South Asia. If you are planning to visit this exhibition know that it is extensive and you will need at least a few hours (I felt rushed only having an hour and a half). You will wander through different times periods, taking in linens, pots, jewelry, clothing, carpets, windows, paintings, textiles, furniture, and more, all from these different cultures.
There were there two things that really struck me when wandering through the collection. First of all, it is truly amazing how much detail went into every single item that was made. There were actually pen cases that had more detail than my college thesis paper. While technology is very helpful in many ways I also think that it’s caused a shift from making less high quality items to a larger quantity of high functioning but impersonal items. The other thing that I couldn’t stop thinking about was how cultures from all over the world tend to influence each other. While I have never been to Iran or Egypt, there were so many things that I saw and thought “I saw that in Morocco !” or “I remember that from when I was in Sevilla , Spain !” It made the world feel more like one giant melting pot, even if at many times we aren’t.
So here is a photo essay to give you a taste of what you can expect if you visit the MET’s new exhibit. Even if you don’t get the chance to, it can also help you understand some of the art and design of these different ancient cultures.
Tiraz textile fragment (Iraq, Abbasid Period)
Bowls and Panels in Beveled style (Egypt and present day Uzbekistan, 9-12th centuries)
Incense burner of Amir Saif al-Din Muhammad al-Mawardi (Iran, Selijug Period). It's lion shaped. While these items were common, this one is unique for its size.
Piece of coptic linen hanging (Egypt, 5th Century). Incorporates both Roman and Christian imagery. Similar imagery can be found on wall paintings of Umayyad Desert Palaces in Syria.
Section from a Qur'an manuscript (Iraq, Abbasid Period). The ink is gold and opaque watercolor on paper.
Tiles (Syria, 1430)
Long-necked bottle (Egypt or Syria, first half of the 14th Century). It's made of blown glass and has an image of a bird attacking a goose as well as Chinese inspired florals.
Page from a book of inventions from al-Jazari (Syria). This is his elephant clock (which reminds me a lot of the game Mouse Trap!). Every half hour, the bird on the dome whistles, the man dropps a ball in the dragon's mouth, and the driver hits the elephant with his goad. There are few manuscipts known from this date.
Tombstone (Iran, 1206-1353). Carved marble with passages from the Qur'an inscribed in calligraphy.
Carpet with palm trees (present day Pakistan, late 16th-early 17th Centuries). Cottom, trees, birds animals; The palm tree was a very Indian feature, and the carpet is a Persian design.
- Tiraz textile fragment (Iraq, Abbasid Period)
- Bowls and Panels in Beveled style (Egypt and present day Uzbekistan, 9-12th centuries)
- Piece of coptic linen hanging (Egypt, 5th Century). Incorporates both Roman and Christian imagery. Similar imagery can be found on wall paintings of Umayyad Desert Palaces in Syria.
- Incense burner of Amir Saif al-Din Muhammad al-Mawardi (Iran, Selijug Period). It’s lion shaped. While these items were common, this one is unique for its size.
- Section from a Qur’an manuscript (Iraq, Abbasid Period). The ink is gold and opaque watercolor on paper.
- Long-necked bottle (Egypt or Syria, first half of the 14th Century). It’s made of blown glass and has an image of a bird attacking a goose as well as Chinese inspired florals.
- Tiles (Syria, 1430)
- Page from a book of inventions from al-Jazari (Syria). This is his elephant clock (which reminds me a lot of the game Mouse Trap!). Every half hour, the bird on the dome whistles, the man dropps a ball in the dragon’s mouth, and the driver hits the elephant with his goad. There are few manuscipts known from this date.
- Tombstone (Iran, 1206-1353). Carved marble with passages from the Qur’an inscribed in calligraphy.
- Carpet with palm trees (present day Pakistan, late 16th-early 17th Centuries). Cottom, trees, birds animals; The palm tree was a very Indian feature, and the carpet is a Persian design.
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