On view: December 12 2020–Spring 2021
Dervish, Iran, late sixteenth century–mid seventeenth century, ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper, the Hossein Afshar Collection at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.
This exhibition features nearly one hundred works of art from the sixth century to the nineteenth century, on view in the Southeast for the first time. The exhibition highlights the rich artistic and cultural heritage of Iranian civilization.
Drawn from the Hossein Afshar Collection—one of the most significant private collections of Persian art—these objects are rarely displayed publicly. The works span a range of media, including carpets, textiles, manuscripts, paintings, ceramics, lacquer, metalwork, scientific instruments, and jeweled objects.
Among the extraordinary selections are exquisite miniature paintings from the Shahnama, the Iranian national epic; a range of historically significant ceramics; precious inlaid metal wares; finely woven silk fabrics; and a monumental silk carpet from the apex of Safavid dynasty carpet production.
Exhibition Catalogue
Bestowing Beauty: Masterpieces from Persian Lands is available for purchase at the Museum Shop and at museumshop.high.org.
Top: The “King Umberto II Polonaise” Carpet, Iran, probably Isfahan or Kashan, early seventeenth century, silk pile and gilt-silver, foil-wrapped silk thread on a foundation (warp and weft) of cotton and silk, the Hossein Afshar Collection at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.
Star Tile, Iran, Kashan, possibly 1291–1292, stonepaste, painted in blue and luster on opaque white glaze, the Hossein Afshar Collection at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.
