Twenty-six Islamic artworks from the Louvre Museum are set to arrive at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art in Washington, DC, next month. Opening September 26, From the Louvre: Masterpieces of Islamic Art will feature carved rosewood doors, jade cups, an oil painting of Persian ruler Fath-Ali Shah Qajar, and other culturally significant objects making their first trip to the United States.
The works represent 12 centuries of Islamic history and include treasures from the Ottoman Empire in Turkey, the Mughal Empire in South Asia, and the Umayyad dynasty in Spain. Many of the objects were originally made for practical use, and most once belonged to elite households.
Simon Rettig, associate curator of Islamic art at the National Museum of Asian Art and co-curator of From the Louvre, told Hyperallergic that the exhibition is intended to move beyond
