VISUAL ARTS + MUSEUMS

The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH), presents Gifts of the Sultan: The Arts of Giving at the Islamic Courts, a major international loan exhibition which explores Islamic art through the universal tradition of gift giving. Many of the most spectacular and historically significant examples of Islamic art can be classified as gifts, a number of which will be brought together for the unique purpose of this exhibition to demonstrate the integral and complex nature of gift exchange in the Islamic world. Organized by LACMA with support from the MFAH, Gifts of the Sultan spans the eighth through nineteenth centuries. The MFAH presentation features nearly 200 works of art representing a rich variety of media from collections in America, Europe, and the Middle East. Gifts of the Sultan opens at LACMA (June 5–September 5, 2011), then travels to the MFAH (October 23, 2011–January 16, 2012).

“Gifts of the Sultan offers a fascinating look at the way the Islamic world represented itself to ‘outsiders’ through the exchange of gifts, whether the purpose was political, personal or pious,” said Gwendolyn H. Goffe, MFAH interim director. “Together this fall with Tutankhamen: The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs, also opening in October 2011, the MFAH will provide a window into the powerful kingdoms of the ancient Middle East.”

“Because of its global framework, Gifts of the Sultan is the Islamic exhibition of the decade,” said Francesca Leoni, MFAH Islamic Art curator. “The objects span across geographical regions and time, and unveil segments of shared histories and experiences that have remained largely unappreciated so far.”

This pan-Islamic exhibition explores Islamic art and culture through the universal tradition of gift giving. Many of the most spectacular and historically significant examples of Islamic art can be classified as gifts, a number of which are brought together here for the unique purpose of demonstrating the integral and complex nature of gift exchange in the Islamic world.

Gifts of the Sultan: The Arts of Giving at the Islamic Courts emphasizes a shared humanity rather than singular histories.

Click here to read more about this exhibition.

Pictured:  India, Shah Jahan Receives the Persian Ambassador, Muhammad 'Ali Beg, folio from the Windsor Padshahnama, c. 1633, ink, colors, and gold on paper, the Royal Collection, Windsor.