One of the most
productive periods in the history of the region from Iran to Anatolia (in
modern Turkey) corresponds to the rule of the Seljuqs and their immediate
successors, from 1038 to 1307. The Seljuqs were a Turkic dynasty of Central
Asian nomadic origin that established a vast, but relatively short-lived, empire
in West Asia (present-day Turkmenistan, Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey). Under
Seljuq rule, the exchange and synthesis of diverse traditions —including
Turkmen, Perso-Arabo-Islamic, Byzantine, Armenian, Crusader, and other
Christian cultures— accompanied economic prosperity, advances in science and
technology, and
a great flowering of culture within the realm. Opening April 27 and runs till July
26 at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, the landmark international loan
exhibition Court and Cosmos: The Great
Age of the Seljuqs features spectacular works of art created in the 11th
through 13th century from Turkmenistan to the Mediterranean. The exhibition is
made possible by the NoRuz at The Met Fund and the Iranian-American Community.
Robe, Iran,
11th–12th century,
Silk; weft-faced compound twill,
L. 48-7/8 in. (124 cm),
The
Sarikhani Collection (I.TXT.1021).
|
Approximately
270 objects—including ceramics, glass, stucco, works on paper, woodwork,
textiles, and metalwork—from American, European, and Middle Eastern public and
private collections are shown. Many of the institutions have never lent works
from their collections before. Among the highlights are a dozen important loans
from Turkmenistan—the exhibition marks the first time that Turkmenistan as an
independent country has permitted an extended loan of a group of historical
objects to a museum in the United States.
Under the Great
Seljuqs of Iran, the middle class prospered, spurring arts patronage, technological
advancements, and a market for luxury goods. In contrast, in Anatolia, Syria,
and the Jazira (northwestern Iraq, northeastern Syria, and southeastern
Turkey)—which were controlled by the Seljuq successor dynasties (Rum Seljuqs,
Artuqids, and Zangids)—art was produced under royal patronage, and Islamic
iconography was introduced to a predominantly Christian area. Furthermore, a
number of artists had immigrated to the region from Iran in response to the Mongol
conquest in 1220. Because patrons, consumers, and artists came from diverse cultural,
religious, and artistic backgrounds, distinctive arts were produced and
flourished in the western parts of the Seljuq realm.
Exhibition
Overview
Arranged
thematically, the exhibition opens with a display of artifacts that name the Seljuq
sultans and members of the ruling elite. In Central Asia and Iran, inscriptions
appeared on coins and architecture. Stucco reliefs representing royal guards,
amirs, and courtiers serve to evoke the courts of the Great Seljuq rulers whose
names did not appear on objects. In Anatolia, Syria, and the Jazira, names of
Seljuq successor rulers and images appeared on a range of objects. Here, the
famous 12th-century cloisonné dish bearing the name of Rukn al-Dawla Dawud, a
leader of the Artuqids, is featured.
In the second
section, the courtly environment and activities associated with the sultans and
their courtiers appear on stucco reliefs, ceramics, metalwork, and other media.
While depictions of the Seljuq elite on these works were not intended as actual
portraits, the distinctive Central Asian facial type was a standard of beauty
under Seljuq rule. The earliest extant manuscript of the Shahnama (Book of Kings)
-the Persian national epic- created in Anatolia in 1217 is a highlight of this
section. Additionally, the remarkable Blacas ewer, with its myriad details of
life connected to the court, is prominently exhibited. The three centuries
under Seljuq rule were also a period of inventions; and the many advances in
science, medicine, and technology were reflected in the manuscripts, scientific
instruments, and medical implements of the time. Pages from the early
13thcentury illustrated manuscript The Book of Knowledge of Ingenious
Mechanical Devices feature some of the fanciful inventions of the Muslim polymath
and creative genius Ibn al-Razzaz al-Jazari, whose inventions ranged from
clocks and water wheels to automata (robots). Also noteworthy is an early
Islamic astrolabe. (Among the many things that could be determined by means of
this complex navigational instrument was the direction of Mecca, and hence the
direction of prayer.) Also on view is an intricate pharmacy box with separate
compartments for musk, camphor, and other ingredients typical of the medieval pharmacopoeia.
Seljuq art
abounds with depictions of real, mythological, and hybrid animals on objects large
and small. Animal combat was a favorite theme in Iranian art. The double-headed
eagle was adopted as the standard of the Seljuq successor states in Anatolia
and the Jazira. Harpies (composite creatures having the body of a bird and the
face of a human) and sphinxes (beasts with the body of a lion, face of a human,
and occasionally the wings of a bird) appear frequently. The exquisite Vaso
Vescovali —a lidded bowl engraved and inlaid with silver and decorated with
complex astrological imagery— features eight personifications of planets on the
lid along with the 12 signs of the zodiac and their associated planets on the
base, within a profusion of other ornamentation.
The Seljuqs
actively promoted Sunni Islam throughout their territory, building madrasas and
mosques, and sponsoring the production of Qur’ans and other religious texts. A number
of rare and beautifully ornamented examples of the book arts from the time of
the Seljuqs are on view. In Syria, the Jazira, and Anatolia —where the majority
of the local population, including some of the ruling elite, was Christian— artifacts
bearing Christian iconography continued to be made. And a ritual vessel from
Georgia, with a Hebrew inscription, attests to the presence of Jewish
populations as well. The same artists often served various religious
communities. Hence, the styles and artistic traditions of one group merged with
those of another.
The sixth and
final section of the exhibition focuses on the funerary arts. A variety of tomb
markers, cenotaphs, funerary furniture, and patterned textiles discovered in
Seljuq tombs are shown. In a proper Muslim burial, the deceased is wrapped in
two or three sheets of plain white cloth; the presence of expensive textiles in
a funerary context indicates that popular customs and official practice
differed significantly.
The exhibition
is organized by Sheila R. Canby, the Patti Cadby Birch Curator in Charge, Department
of Islamic Art; Deniz Beyazit, Assistant Curator; and Martina Rugiadi, Assistant
Curator. Exhibition design is by Katharina Weistroffer, Exhibition Designer; graphics
are by Mortimer Lebigre, Graphic Designer; and lighting is by Clint Ross Coller
and Richard Lichte, Lighting Design Managers, all of The Met’s Design
Department. Video production is by Christopher Noey, General Manager of
Creative Production, and media installation is by Paul Caro, Senior Manager of Media
Production and Technology Services, in The Met’s Digital Department.
A lavishly
illustrated catalogue appropriate for scholars and general readers alike accompanies
the exhibition. Published by The Metropolitan Museum of Art and distributed by
Yale University Press, the book is available in The Met Store (hardcover,
$65). The
catalogue is made possible by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Doris Duke
Fund for
Publications, and the Marshall and Marilyn R. Wolf Foundation. An audio tour,
part of The Met’s Audio Guide program, is available for rental ($7, $6 for Members,
$5 for children under 12). The Audio Guide is supported by Bloomberg
Philanthropies.
Education
programs include Drop-In Drawing on April 15; a Family Afternoon on July 10; exhibition
tours on May 11, May 31, June 15, June 25, July 8, and July 13; an Interdisciplinary
Gallery Conversation on May 26; and a scholarly symposium on June 9–11. A
two-part Sunday at The Met on May 15 will focus on science and art. Sheila
Canby will moderate a discussion with Silke Ackermann, Director of the Museum of
the History of Science at the University of Oxford, about astronomy and
astrolabes, and Peter J. Lu, Research Associate in Applied Physics at the John
A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, on
applications of complex Islamic geometric patterns to physics, respectively. A
performance of Feathers of Fire, a cinematic shadow play adaptation of a tale
from the Shahnama by artist Hamid Rahmanian, will follow. These programs are
free with Met admission.
A two-part
Drawing Marathon on May 6–7 will be led by Peter Hristoff. Taking place in The Met’s
galleries, the workshop will involve live models, props, and costumes ($140,
advance
registration
required; fee includes two-day Met admission and materials).
Peter Hristoff,
a Met Artist-in-Residence through June 2016, has worked with Museum staff to
develop public programs relevant to the exhibition. These include drawing sessions
for various audiences, gallery conversations, and a collaboration between The Met’s
high school interns and weavers in Turkey. Hristoff is a practicing artist and
member of the faculty at New York’s School of Visual Arts. The residency is one
of a series of programs that celebrate the vibrancy, diversity, and beauty of
contemporary Islamic culture within the context of The Met’s collection. The
symposium is made possible by Roshan Cultural Heritage Institute and the
Soudavar Memorial Foundation. The Sunday at The Met program is made possible by
the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art. Feathers of Fire is made possible by
Roshan Cultural Heritage Institute and The Mossavar-Rahmani Fund for Iranian
Art. The Peter Hristoff Artist Residency and related programs are made possible
by the Doris
Duke Foundation
for Islamic Art. A projection of photographs of Seljuq architecture and landscapes
by Henri Stierlin will be visible throughout the exhibition. Historical views
of the domes of the Great Mosque at Isfahan—a UNESCO World Heritage Site—will
be projected on the ceiling of one area.
FOR
MORE INFO:
www.metmuseum.org
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SELÇUKLULARIN
MUHTEŞEM ÇAĞI SERGİSİ NEW YORK METROPOLITAN MÜZESİ’NDE
İran'dan Anadolu'ya
(Modern Türkiye'de) uzanan bölge tarihinin en verimli dönemlerinden biri, Selçuklular
ve onlardan sonra yönetime geçen haleflerinin yaşadığı 1038-1307 yılları
arasına denk gelir. Orta Asya göçebe kökenli bir Türk hanedanlığı olan Selçuklular,
Batı Asya'da (günümüzde Türkmenistan, İran, Irak, Suriye ve Türkiye) geniş, ama
nispeten kısa ömürlü bir imparatorluk kurmuşlardır. Selçuklu egemenliği
altında, ticaret ve ekonomik refah eşliğinde çeşitli geleneklerin sentezi -Bizans
Türkmen, Fars-Arap-İslam, Ermeni, Haçlı ve diğer Hıristiyan kültürleri de dahil
olmak üzere- bilim ve teknolojideki gelişmeler ve ülke içinde büyük bir kültür
çeşitliliği izlenir.
27 Nisan’da New
York Metropolitan Müzesi’nde açılan ve 24 Temmuz 2016 tarihine kadar devam
edecek olan “Saltanat ve Düzen: Selçukluların Muhteşem Çağı” isimli sergide, Türkmenistan’dan
Akdeniz’e kadar birçok uluslararası müzeden ödünç alınan, 11.-13. Yüzyıl arasına
tarihlenen göz kamaştırıcı eserler görülebilir. Met Fonu NoRuz ve Iran-Amerikan
Topluluğu’nun desteği ile düzenlenen serginin küratörleri arasında Met Müzesi’nde
çalışan Bir Türk bayan olan Deniz Beyazıt da bulunuyor. Serginin düzenleme
komitesinde Met Müzesi İslam Sanatı Bölümü Başkanı Sheila R. Canby, asistan
küratör Deniz Beyazıt ve asistan küratör Martina Rugiadi yer alıyor.
Amerika, Avrupa
ve Orta Doğu’daki kurum ve kişisel koleksiyonlardan seçilen –seramik, cam, sıva,
kağıt, ahşap, tekstil ve maden işleri olmak üzere- yaklaşık 270 eser sergide
yer alıyor. Sergide daha önce koleksiyonlarından hiçbir sergiye eser vermeyen
kurumlardan da sanat eserleri ödünç alınmış. Özellikle Türkmenistan’dan bu
sergi için özel olarak gönderilen eserler çok önemli. Bu sergiyi önemli kılan
noktalardan biri de bağımsız bir ülke olarak Türkmenistan’ın ilk kez Amerika’daki
bir sergiye tarihi eserler ödünç vermesi.
İran Büyük
Selçukluları yönetiminde, orta sınıfın refah düzeyi yükseldi, sanat patronluğu,
teknolojik gelişmeler ve lüks mallar pazarı teşvik edildi. Buna karşılık,
Anadolu, Suriye ve Jazira (Kuzeybatı Irak, Kuzeydoğu Suriye ve Güneydoğu
Türkiye) – Selçuklu
sonrası hanedanları (Rum Selçukluları, Artuklular ve Zengiler) tarafından
kontrol edilir- sanat saray himayesinde üretildi ve İslam ikonografisi ağırlıklı
olarak Hıristiyan bölgelere tanıtıldı. Ayrıca, sanatçıların bir kısmı, 1220
yılındaki Moğol fethinden kaçarak İran'dan bölgeye göç etti. Patronlar,
tüketiciler ve sanatçılar farklı kültür, din ve sanat kökeninden geldiği için, Selçuklu’nun
batı bölgelerinde ayırt edici sanatlar üretildi ve gelişti.
Sergi tematik
olarak düzenlenmiş ve altı bölümden oluşuyor. Sergi, Selçuklu padişahları ve yönetimde
görev alan seçkin kişileri temsil eden eserlerle başlıyor. İkinci bölümde, saray
çevresi ve sultanlar ve onların saray ile ilgili faaliyetlerini gösteren sıva
kabartmalar, seramik, metal ve diğer malzemelerden üretilmiş eserler
görülebilir. Serginin altıncı ve son bölümde ise mezar sanatları üzerinde
duruluyor.
DETAYLI
BİLGİ:
www.metmuseum.org
Facebook,
Instagram, and Twitter via the hashtag #CourtandCosmos.