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Introduction

Glimpses of Grandeur

Courtly Arts of the Later Islamic Empires
September 24 - December 26, 1999

Lavish textiles played an important role in the palace life and the court ceremonies of the Islamic world. Palace interiors were filled with shimmering silks, colorfully embroidered cottons, and intricately patterned weavings. In Mughal India, the most spectacular fabrics were reserved for the emperor's coats (jamas) and sashes (patkas). Mughal emperors took special care to coordinate their ensembles, as is evidenced in miniature paintings that depict the emperor resplendent in his harmoniously colored garments and jewels. This type of arrangement may be appreciated in the Portrait of Emperor Jahangir (acc. no 81.230), an early seventeenth-century representation of the emperor dressed for court, but few actual garments or textiles survive from this time period. The coats and sashes in the Museum's collection give an idea of the opulence that characterized the Mughal courts of India, although they postdate the peak of Mughal political power.

Islamic textiles also played an important role in court disdplay and in royal exchange. Silk was the preeminent luxury fabric, prized for its sheen. Silk costumes, like the Mughal robes displayed in this gallery, announced an individual's identity and social rank. The Safavid helmet and Mughal dagger on display in this gallery served a similar social role in the court context in addition to their practical function in combat.

Commerce in silk was an important component in the long-distance luxury trade of the Islamic world. But silk was not the only item of trade and exchange. Ceramics, rugs, and other objects were also eagerly sought. This gallery features a sampling of these items. The Ottomans and Safavids, in particular, acquired Chinese porcelains (acc. nos. 35.665, 35.666) and emulated the technique in their own vessels. Islamic silks, velvets, and rugs were sought by Westerners, who in turn copied their styles. Some of these derivative textiles, such as Italian velvets made in the Turkish style, become desirable commodities at the Ottoman court and were themselves copied. Jade, a rare and expensive Central Asian commodity, was prized at the early seventeenth-century court of the Mughal emperor Jahangir, who jadelike wine cup is also on display at the center of this gallery. These objects emphasize the lively economic and cultural exchange that occurred between the later Islamic empires and the Far East and Europe beginning in the sixteenth century.

Selected Objects

Ostad Ahmad

Cenotaph of Taj al-Mulk wal-Din Abul-Qasim, dated February 1473

Iranian

Portrait of a Prince, late 1500s

Muzaffar Ali

Hunter killing Chamois, 1500s

Turkish, Turkey Anatolia

Fragment of small patterned Holbein carpet, 1500s

Persian, Shiraz

Laila and Majnun at School, ca. 1570

Chinese, China

Flask, 1700s

Indian, India

Wine Cup of Emperor Jahangir, 1612-1613

Suraj Gujarati

Workmen in a Garden, around 1590

Persian, Iran

Wall tile, mid 1600s

Attributed to Payag

Shah Shuja Hunting Nilgai, ca. 1650-1655

Persian, India

Patka (Sash), 1840 - 1875

Iranian, Iran

Helmet, Early 1700s

Persian

Isfandiyar and the Dragon, ca. 1680

Persian, Persia

Textile fragment, 1500s

Persian, Iran

Ceramic wall tile, early 1300s

Iranian, Iran, Safavid dynasty, Shafi Abbasi style design

Textile fragment, mid 1600s

Persian Iranian

Hookah Base, late 1400s - early 1500s

Indian Mughal?

Jama (coat), 1800s

Muhammad Qasim Tabrizi

Illuminated Frontispiece with Shamsa, mid-1600s

Fahri of Bursa

Papercut from a poetry album, late 1500s - early 1600s

Attributed to Fahri of Bursa

Papercut from a Poetry Album, late 1500s - early 1600s

Fahri of Bursa

Papercut from a Poetry Album, late 1500s - early 1600s

Persian, Iran

Book cover, mid 1600s

Indian Mughal?

Patka (sash), mid 1700s

Persian, Iran

Ceramic wall tile, early 1300s

Indian, Uttar Pradesh Varanasi

Chogha (Man's Coat), late 1700s

Indian

City in a Landscape, ca. 1600-1625

Turkish, Istanbul

Abu Jahl Conversing with Jabir, ca. 1594-95

Turkish

Dish with Floral Design, ca. 1550-1575

Indian Kashmiri, Kashmir

Choga (Man's Robe), late 1800s

Persian, persia

Tomb Cover, early 1700s

Indian, India Possibly Sri Lanka

Dagger (Khanjar), 1500s-1600s

Iranian

Camel, early 1500s

Ibrāhīm Mahmūd 'Abd al-Bāqī

Sultan Süleyman Hunting, late 1500s–1600

Turkish, Istanbul

Sultan Murad III Receiving a Book, 1580-1590

Persian, Iran

Wall tile, 1600s

Iranian

Pen Case with Bird and Flower Design, 1800s

Indian Mughal?

Man's coat, 1800s
No Image Available

Bukhara school

Seated prince with courtiers, 1500s

Persian, Persia

Textile fragment, 1500s

Turkish, Bursa Turkey

Textile Length, 1550 - 1650

Chinese, China

Double-Necked Vessel, 1600s

Indian, India

Portrait of Emperor Jahangir, around 1615-1620

Indian Mughal?

Coat, 1800s

Persian, Iran

Pen box with women and children in landscapes, inscribed 1819

Persian, Iran

Wall tile, mid 1600s

Chinese, China

Pair of Vessels, 1600s

Persian, Persia

Textile fragment with riders in a landscape, 1530-1560

Iranian

Portrait of a Young Man, mid 1600s

Kazim ibn Najaf Ali

Pen Case, 1850-1875

Near Eastern Turkish, Bursa

Cushion Cover, ca. 1540–1675

Persian, Persia

Textile fragment, 1600-1650s
No Image Available

Turkish, Istanbul

Abu Jahl and his warriors (page from an illustrated manuscript of Darir's Siyari Nabi), around 1594-1595
No Image Available

Turkish, Istanbul

Abu Jahl and his warriors (page from an illustrated manuscript of Darir's Siyari Nabi), around 1594-1595

Persian

Book cover, mid 1600s

More objects +

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