Opening April 27 at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art is Court and Cosmos: The Great Age of the Seljuqs, an international loan exhibition featuring spectacular works of art created under Seljuq rule, in the 11th through 13th centuries. 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). On display at this special MET exhibition will be approximately 270 objects -including luster painted ceramics, silk textiles, manuscripts, and ornate metalwork- on loan from American, European, and Middle Eastern public and private collections. Many of the institutions have never lent works from their collections before. Organized by Sheila Canby, the Patti Cadby Birch Curator in Charge, Department of Islamic Art, the exhibition runs from April 27 through July 24, 2016.
Exhibition programs include a performance on May 15 of Feathers of Fire, a cinematic shadow play adaptation of a tale from the Shahnama by artist Hamid Rahmanian. Also included is a scholarly symposium on June 9 through 11. Professors Robert and Carole Hillenbrand (Institute of Iranian Studies, University of St. Andrews) will deliver a joint keynote address on the historical context of Seljuq art, namely of the regions stretching from Merv to Mosul. Roshan Cultural Heritage Institute is proud to support both programs.