Bestowing Beauty
Masterpieces from Persian Lands—Selections from the Hossein Afshar Collection
Edited by Aimée Froom; With essays by Walter B. Denny, Aimée Froom, Melanie Gibson, and David J. Roxburgh, and contributions by Robert Hillenbrand, Mary McWilliams, Janet O’Brien, Marianna Shreve Simpson, Eleanor Sims, Margaret Squires, and Julie Timte
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Price: $85.00
January 14, 2020
304 pages, 9 x 11
175 color illus.
ISBN: 9780300247022
Hardcover
Distributed for the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
A rare look into the grandeur and distinctiveness of Persian art through one of the world’s leading private collections
Bestowing Beauty showcases an assortment of stunning works from one of the world’s most distinguished private collections of Persian art. Featuring more than 100 exquisite objects spanning many centuries, from the eve of the Islamic period in the 6th century to the end of the 19th century, this wide range of treasures demonstrates the remarkable depth and diversity of the Hossein Afshar Collection. Extensively illustrated and accompanied by essays from a group of internationally recognized scholars, this book’s rich selection includes an array of ceramic works, rare Qur’an pages written in gold, precious inlaid metal wares, exquisite miniature paintings from Firdausi’s Shahnama, sumptuous silk brocades and velvet embroideries, and monumental silk carpets from the apex of Safavid carpet production. These rarely seen works bring into focus the remarkable variety of techniques and innovations employed by Persian artists and artisans through the ages.
Bestowing Beauty showcases an assortment of stunning works from one of the world’s most distinguished private collections of Persian art. Featuring more than 100 exquisite objects spanning many centuries, from the eve of the Islamic period in the 6th century to the end of the 19th century, this wide range of treasures demonstrates the remarkable depth and diversity of the Hossein Afshar Collection. Extensively illustrated and accompanied by essays from a group of internationally recognized scholars, this book’s rich selection includes an array of ceramic works, rare Qur’an pages written in gold, precious inlaid metal wares, exquisite miniature paintings from Firdausi’s Shahnama, sumptuous silk brocades and velvet embroideries, and monumental silk carpets from the apex of Safavid carpet production. These rarely seen works bring into focus the remarkable variety of techniques and innovations employed by Persian artists and artisans through the ages.
Aimée Froom is curator of Art of the Islamic Worlds Department at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.
EXHIBITION SCHEDULE
High Museum of Art, Atlanta
(Spring 2020)
