Spirit &Life Spirit & Life The creation of a museum dedicated to the presentation of Muslim ‘I have been involved in the field of development for nearly four decades. arts and culture – in all their historic, cultural and geographical Masterpieces of Islamic Art This engagement has been grounded in my responsibilities as Imam of diversity – is a key project of the Aga Khan Trust for Culture, one the Shia Ismaili Community, and Islam’s message of the fundamental of whose aims is to contribute to education in the fields of arts and from the Aga Khan Museum Collection unity of “din and dunya”, of spirit and life.’ culture. The developing political crises of the last few years have collections museum khan theaga from art ofislamic masterpieces revealed – often dramatically – the considerable lack of knowledge of His Highness the Aga Khan the Muslim world in many Western societies. This ignorance spans at the Annual Meeting of the EBRD all aspects of Islam: its pluralism, the diversity of interpretations Tashkent, 5 May 2003 within the Qur’anic faith, the chronological and geographical extent of its history and culture, as well as the ethnic, linguistic and social Spirit and Life is the title of an exhibition of over 160 masterpieces diversity of its peoples. of Islamic art from the Aga Khan Museum which will open in Toronto, Canada in 2009. This catalogue illustrates all the miniature For this reason, the idea of creating a museum of Muslim arts and paintings, manuscripts, jewellery, ceramics, wood panels and culture in Toronto as an eminently educational institution, with beams, stone carvings, metal objects and other art works in the the aim of informing the North American public of the diversity and exhibition, which spans over a thousand years of history and gives significance of Muslim civilisations naturally arose. While waiting a fascinating overview of Islamic art and culture. for the museum to be built, a glimpse of the future institution’s collections is offered to the European public. the aga khan trust for culture spine 15mm Islamic Art pp001-025 21/5/07 08:53 Page 2 Spirit & Life masterpieces of islamic art from the aga khan museum collection the aga khan trust for culture Islamic Art pp001-025 21/5/07 08:53 Page 4 Contents Foreword His Highness the Aga Khan 7 Published to accompany the exhibitions Luis Monreal 9 Splendori a Corte at The Pilotta, Parma, Italy (30 March to 3 June 2007) Towards the Aga Khan Museum Spirit & Life at The Ismaili Centre, London (14 July to 31 August 2007) The Historical Context Azim Nanji 13 Published by The Aga Khan Trust for Culture Map of the Islamic World 18 1–3 Avenue de la Paix, CH – 1202 Geneva, Switzerland Sheila Canby www.akdn.org Introduction 21 ISBN 978 294021202 2 The Catalogue Part One: The Word of God © The Aga Khan Trust for Culture The Qur’an (Cat. nos 1–23) 29 The Trust expresses its thanks to Princess Catherine Aga Khan Devotional & Mystical Worlds (Cat. nos 24–41) 51 for lending Cat. nos 21b, 44, 45, 57, 67, from her collection. A Witness of Changing Times (Cat. no. 42) 69 The project was directed by Benoît Junod, The Aga Khan Trust for Culture, Geneva, The Garden as Paradise (Cat. nos 43–55) 71 assisted by Alnoor Merchant of The Institute of Ismaili Studies, London Stéphane Ipert, Director of the Centre de Conservation du Livre, Arles, kindly advised on conservation issues The Catalogue Part Two: The Power of the Sovereign The introductory texts were written by Dr Sheila Canby, Curator of Islamic Collections at the Middle East Department of the British Museum Great Historical Courts The catalogue entries were written by Dr Aimée Froom, former Curator of Islamic Art at the Brooklyn Museum, New York with contributions by Dr Sheila Canby, Alnoor Merchant and Afsaneh Firouz The Fatimids (Cat. nos 56–66) 87 The Chronology and Glossary were written by Alnoor Merchant, The Institute of Ismaili Studies, London The Ottomans (Cat. nos 67–69) 95 Copy-edited by Jon Cannon The Safavids (Cat. nos 70–73) 99 Exhibition designed by Ambito Cero, Barcelona; the construction and mounting was by Espai Visual, Barcelona The Qajars (Cat. nos 74–82) 105 DAG publications kindly allowed the use of the World Map 0n the double gatefold on pages 18 and 19 The Mughals (Cat. nos 83–85) 117 The Arabic calligraphy (title in thuluth and the subtitle in kufic) on the title page was written by Mustafa Ja"far The photographs for the catalogue were taken by Alan Tabor, London and Gérard Friedli, Geneva; The Path of Princes the photograph on page 8 was taken by Gary Otte; the image on page 10 was provided by Maki and Associates Education & Learning (Cat. nos 86–101) 123 Ted Levin, senior project consultant for AKMICA, helped with the research for the musical instruments Fables & Myths (Cat. nos 102–109) 137 Riding & Hunting (Cat. nos 110–121) 147 The English edition of the catalogue was designed by Michael Mitchell & Susan Wightman at Libanus Press, Marlborough, UK and printed by Butler and Tanner, Frome, Somerset, UK Love & Literature (Cat. nos 122–131) 155 The Italian edition was designed by Olivares, Milano and sponsored by Booz, Allen & Hamilton Music (Cat. nos 132–143) 163 All the showcase glass in the exhibition was sponsored by Intercast Europe SPA Patronage of the Arts (Cat. nos 144–153) 171 Power & Kingship (Cat. nos 154–161) 179 Principal Dynasties of the Islamic World 194 Bibliography 197 Chronology 201 Half title page: Cat. no. A: Ceramic tile arch, Multan, Punjab, 16th century 208 Frontispiece: Cat. no. B: Mongol robe, Chinese Central Asia, 13th–14th century Glossary Islamic Art pp001-025 21/5/07 08:53 Page 6 Foreword HIS HIGHNESS THE AGA KHAN This exhibition of masterpieces from the Islamic world underlines that the arts, particularly when they are spiritually inspired, can become a medium of discourse that transcends the barriers of our day-to-day experiences and preoccupations. Many questions are currently being raised in the West about the Muslim world, with countless misconceptions and misunderstandings occurring between our contemporary societies. I thus hope that this exhibition will hold a special significance at a time which calls for enlightened encounters amongst faiths and cultures. The hundred and seventy miniatures, manuscripts, ceramics and other art works on display offer no more than a fleeting glance of the breadth of the arts in Muslim cultures in their various forms. They are part of a larger collection that will be housed in a museum being specifically built to receive them in Toronto, Canada. The aim of the Aga Khan Museum will be to offer unique insights and new perspectives into Islamic civilisations and the cultural threads that weave through history binding us all together. My hope is that the Museum will also be a centre of education and of learning, and that it will act as a catalyst for mutual understanding and tolerance. The arts have always had a special significance for my family. More than a thousand years ago my ancestors, the Fatimid Imams, encouraged patronage of the arts and fostered the creation of collections of outstanding works of arts and libraries of rare and significant manuscripts. Many of my family members are art lovers and collectors. In particular my late uncle, Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan, was a great connois- seur of manuscripts and miniatures, and many of the works on paper and parchment presented in this exhibition come from his collection. I have been adding to these holdings myself for a number of years to create a complementary collection of Islamic works of art. I believe that these works all contribute to an understanding of some of the aesthetic values which underpin Muslim arts and the humanistic traditions of Islam. This exhibition illustrates how the Qur’an-e-Sharif, rich in parable and allegory, metaphor and symbol, is a fundamental source of inspiration, lending itself to a wide spectrum of interpretations. This freedom of interpretation is a generosity which the Qur’an confers upon all believers. It guides and illuminates the thought and conduct of Muslims belonging to different communities of spiritual affiliation, from century to century, in diverse cultural environments. It extends its pluralistic outlook to adherents of other faiths too, affirming that each has a direction and a path, and should strive to perform good works. A wide range of Muslim expressions in the arts, across time and space, are represented here. The Qur’an Cat. no. 56 has inspired works in both art and architecture, and shaped attitudes and norms that have guided the 7 Islamic Art pp001-025 21/5/07 08:53 Page 8 development of Muslim artistic traditions. Scientific pursuits, philosophic inquiry and artistic endeavour alike are seen, within Islam, as a response to the Qur’an’s recurring call to ponder creation as a way to understand God’s benevolent majesty. Faith challenges the artist, as much as the mystic, to go beyond the physical – the outward – to unveil that which lies at the centre and gives life to the periphery. Masterpieces are like the ecstasy of the mystic: a gesture of the spirit, a stirring of the soul that attempts to capture that which is ineffable and beyond being. Towards the Aga Khan Museum This exhibition is to be shown in Parma and in London and, thereafter, hopefully in Portugal and Germany. The public at each of these venues will be very different, reflecting at times a more specifically Luis Monreal, General Manager AKTC European cultural background and at others more diverse cultural roots.