Art from Islamic lands

Magazine Antiques, June, 2004 by Miriam Kramer

Islamic art and architecture in a rich variety of styles have flourished since the seventh century. Examples from two major collections of Islamic art are on view in the Hermitage Rooms at Somerset House in London until August 22. Entitled Heaven on Earth: Art from Islamic Lands, the exhibition comprises examples from the Nasser D. Khalili Collection of Islamic Art in London and the State Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg. The curators are Mikhail B. Piotrovskii and Anatoly Ivanov of the Hermitage and J. M. Rogers of the Khalili Collection.

The exhibition comprises about 130 works of art including textiles, metalwork, pottery, paintings, and copies of the Koran. Because of the prohibition against the representation of humans, the decorative use of calligraphy is particularly highly developed in the Islamic world, as is evident from the examples included here.

The accompanying catalogue with essays by Piotrovskii, Rogers, and Ivanov is published by Prestel Publishing. It may be ordered in August by telephoning 888-463-6110.

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