April 26-September 24, 2000
The Hagop Kevorkian Fund Special Exhibitions Gallery
The Mongolian horse — a small, tireless, and agile animal that was instrumental to the movement of the Mongol armies across Central Asia — has also come to symbolize the introduction of new cultures and traditions to the eastern Islamic world. The depiction of horses in Islamic art — both realistic and symbolic — will be examined in the exhibition Riding across Central Asia: Images of the Mongolian Horse in Islamic Art, which will open at The Metropolitan Museum of Art on April 26.
The exhibition is made possible by The Hagop Kevorkian Fund.
Featuring approximately 25 objects in all media — including stone, ceramics, metalwork, and works on paper, as well as two saddles from Central Asia — the exhibition will focus primarily on the Seljuq and Ilkhanid periods (ca. 12th-14th century) in Iran.
The Seljuqs were a nomadic Turkic people, originating in Central Asia, who settled mainly in Iran and Anatolia starting in the 11th century. The Ilkhanids — the Mongols of Iran — trace their origins to Hulagu, a grandson of Chingiz Khan, who led the Mongol invasion of the Middle East in the mid-13th century.
Several Seljuq works, including colorful overglaze painted ceramics and a carved roundel, will be on view. From the period of Ilkhanid rule will be a luster-painted wall tile of the 13th century, which features two Ilkhanid horsemen against a densely foliated background. Swords at the ready, they are shown at the moment of collision, as both hunt the same antelope. In another Ilkhanid work, a horse is depicted drawing the funeral bier of the Mongol hero Isfandiyar in an illustrated leaf (1320-30) from the Persian epic, the Shahnama ("The Book of Kings"). Nearby, China's Yüan dynasty (1278-1368) — which was founded by Kublai Khan, another grandson of Chingiz Khan — will be represented by the scroll painting Grooms and Horses by Three Generations of the Chao Family. These works will invite viewers to draw comparisons between two contemporary but stylistically distinct painting traditions.
The Golden Horde was a Mongol state that comprised most of Russia from the mid-13th to the 14th century. A carved stone tympanum, possibly from the house of a prince of the Golden Horde in the Caucasus region near the Caspian coast, depicts a horseman and his mount. Certain elements of the costume — such as the cloud collar — and trappings are typical of the post-Ilkhanid period. This carved tympanum is probably from the late 14th century. Usually on view above a doorway, in a position that suggests its original context, the work will be shown at eye-level, to allow for close observation.
The exhibition is organized by Stefano Carboni, Associate Curator, and Suzan Yalman, Research Assistant in the Department of Islamic Art.
A variety of educational programs, including lectures, gallery talks, and a series of documentary films, will be available in conjunction with the exhibition.
The Metropolitan Museum's presentation of Riding across Central Asia: Images
of the Mongolian Horse in Islamic Art coincides with the Festival of Mongolia, a citywide celebration of Mongolian culture. The festival is organized by the Permanent Mission of Mongolia to the United Nations.
###
March 22, 2000
Press resources