September 25, 2001-March 24, 2002
The Hagop Kevorkian Fund Special Exhibitions Gallery, Islamic Art Galleries
Drawing inspiration from their rich local heritage of craftsmanship as well as from that of the larger Islamic world, metalworkers in India during the Mughal period (from the 16th through the 19th century) gave splendid form to many functional and decorative objects.
This fall, The Metropolitan Museum of Art will display some 20 outstanding examples of Indo-Islamic metalwork mainly from the Mughal and Deccan courts, including vessels, objects of daily and ceremonial use, and sculptural forms. Works in silver, bronze, copper, and other metals from the Metropolitan's own collection will be supplemented by loans from private collections. Paintings illustrating the use of such objects also will be shown. Courtly Radiance: Metalwork from Islamic India will open to the public on September 25.
The exhibition is made possible by The Hagop Kevorkian Fund.
Among the highlights of the exhibition will be a monumental metal fountain of the late 17th century, a rare Mughal vase with superb tracery work, fine examples of
the celebrated bidri inlay tradition of the Deccan, and a richly embellished writing box, presented for the first time following its recent restoration. These and other objects reveal varied technical and decorative effects—such as casting, etching, chasing, inlay, and hammered relief—and were often ornamented with finely formed inscriptions and surface decoration.
The Web site of the Metropolitan Museum (www.metmuseum.org) will feature the exhibition.
The exhibition is organized by Navina Haidar, Assistant Curator, Department of Islamic Art.
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Courtly Radiance: Metalwork from Islamic India complements "Treasury of the World": Jeweled Arts of India in the Age of the Mughals, on view at the Metropolitan from October 18, 2001, through January 13, 2002, in The Tisch Galleries. The exhibition is organized by The al-Sabah Collection, Kuwait National Museum, in collaboration with The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
July 16, 2001
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