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Sharjah Museums Department Hosts ’Glimpses Of Courtly Splendour’ A Showcase Of Indian Islamic Art From The Salar Jung Museum In Hyderabad, India |
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Sheikh Essam Bin Saqr Al Qasimi, Chairman of the Office of HH the Ruler of Sharjah, and Nawab Ahtheram Ali Khan, Salar Jung family member and board member of the Salar Jung Museum, inaugurated ‘Glimpses of Courtly Splendour’, an exhibition of Indian Islamic Art from the Salar Jung Museum, Hyderabad, India, organized by Sharjah Museums Department (SMD) at the Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilization. Sheikh Essam Bin Saqr Al Qasimi and Mr Khan toured the exhibition with Manal Ataya, Director General of SMD, His Excellency M. K. Lokesh, Indian Ambassador to the UAE, His Excellency Sanjay verma, Indian Consul General; and senior government representatives. The Salar Jung Museum in Hyderabad is one of the largest museums in India and houses the an extensive rare collection of art objects from around the world. Its outstanding collections of Indian, East Asian, Middle Eastern and European art were collected by the family of Salar Jungs, the Prime Ministers of Nizams (rulers) of Hyderabad. Today, the enormous collection amounts to over 43,000 artefacts, dating from the 2nd century BC to the early 14th/ 20th century, in addition to a library of 50,000 one of kind books and manuscripts. The richest part of the collection consists of nearly 200 illustrated manuscripts and they contain more than 5,000 miniatures. All these illustrations belong to different Iranian and Indian schools such as Bukhara, Isfahan, Shiraz, Tarbraiz, Qhachar, Herat, Lahore, Kashmir, Punjab, Delhi, Jaipur, Marwar, Gujarat, Eastern India, Fiazabad, Company School and Deccani. The exhibition, which continues until February 10, 2011, is a unique collaboration, and the first of its kind in the UAE. It features three main sections - Official Life at the Palace, The Private Palace and Faith & Devotion – intended to showcase a selection of masterpieces that have never been exhibited before, many of them of utmost historical and art-historical value. The luxurious and refined lifestyle at Indian courts is evoked by elegant ceramics, glass, textiles and metalwork items, in particular the famous Bidri ware, inlaid with silver. Also on display are religious and poetic manuscripts that mark the outstanding cultural and artistic achievements of the Indian courts. Scientific interests and preoccupations are represented by a rare copy of an 11th/17th-century medical work associated with one of the famous early rulers of the Islamic Deccan, Qutb Shah. A magnificent decree by Tipu Sultan, the famous ruler of Mysore, hints at the important and often complex political links between Hyderabad and other Indian states. Finally, miniature paintings of Mughal emperors, Hyderabadi court officials and ladies of the court provide the context for the objects and provide a glimpse of individual personalities at court. Manal Ataya said: “Sharjah Museums Department is honoured to partner with Salar Jung museum to organize this special exhibition of Later Indian Art, shown outside India for the first time. The exhibition not only celebrates the rich artistic legacy of Islamic Hyderabad, but it also underscores the strong aesthetic and cultural influences of the Islamic world in Indian art.” Nawab Ahtheram Ali Khan, said: “It is our utmost honour to exhibit our artefacts and art pieces in Sharjah, which has a rich cultural legacy that continues to inspire other cultures. We are confident that the unique showcase from the Salar Jung Museum will be a distinctive experience not only for art-lovers but also for every individual who values and appreciates the rich cultural legacy shared between India and the Arab world.” The Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilization aims to display, interpret, research and further develop the collections for a wide range of local, national and international audiences, and to stimulate knowledge, appreciation and enjoyment of Islamic art, history, science and culture. |
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