Sindukht Comes to Sam Bearing Gifts. Folio from the Shahnama of Shah Tahmasp, Iran, Tabriz, 1525–35. Aga Khan Museum Collection, Geneva. Photo © Aga Khan Trust for Culture, Geneva

DOHA.-The Museum of Islamic Art, Doha, announces the exhibition Gifts of the Sultan: The Arts of Giving at the Islamic Courts, a major international loan exhibition that explores Islamic art through the universal tradition of gift giving. Open to the public from 19 March – 2 June 2012, the exhibition will feature some of the most spectacular and historically significant works of Islamic art.

Gifts of the Sultan: The Arts of Giving at the Islamic Courts is presented by the Museum of Islamic Art, Doha (MIA), in collaboration with the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and with support from the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. The exhibition features more than 200 works of art, representing a rich variety of media across all periods from the 8th century to the present day. Among the highlights to be shown in Doha will be approximately 20 works from the Museum of Islamic Art’s own collection, a number of which will be shown for the first time, and an impressive selection of objects from The State Historical and Cultural Museum Preserve (The Kremlin), Moscow; and The State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg. These works will appear alongside loans from more than 30 major collections and museums around the world including the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles; the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Art and the Topkapi Sarayi Museum, Istanbul; the British Museum, the British Library, and the V&A, London; The Aga Khan Museum Collection, Geneva; and the Museum of Islamic Art, Berlin. 

“We are proud to present Gifts of the Sultan at the Museum of Islamic Art and excited to have the opportunity to showcase these impressive works from major international collections, in addition to several hidden treasures from our own renowned collection,” said Aisha Al Khater, Director of the Museum of Islamic Art. “By bringing such an important exhibition to the heart of this region, we are able to celebrate an important aspect of our history. We look forward to sharing these masterpieces with the Doha community.” 

Gifts of the Sultan will be organized in three broad sections: personal gifts, pious donations, and state and diplomatic gifts. The first section includes objects of personal adornment in the form of jewelry, belts, and garments; precious yet utilitarian pieces, such as vessels of gold, silver, porcelain, and jade; as well as paintings, albums, and manuscripts. The second section highlights gifts of a religious nature, encompassing architectural elements, furnishings, and manuscripts of the Qur’an that comprised a religious institution’s endowment, as well as the endowment deed itself; and works of a secular nature that were gifted to a mosque or shrine. The third and largest section features a broad array of works that were presented on state occasions, ranging from rock crystal pieces and courtly regalia, to places of habitation such as a palace façade. 

The exhibition will also include a contemporary component, presenting the work of Sadegh Tirafkan, Shahzia Sikander, Ahmed Mater, and Günseli Kato. These four innovative artists, who have roots in the Islamic world and draw creative inspiration from their cultural traditions, have been commissioned to produce new work interpreting the theme of Gifts of the Sultan. 

Alongside the exhibition, the Museum of Islamic Art is planning an extensive education program, including lectures, workshops for children and adults and other activities Gifts of the Sultan: The Arts of Giving at the Islamic Courts began its tour in America with showings at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (June-September 2011) and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (October-January 2012). 

Pair of Bracelets. Syria or Egypt, 11th century. Gold, fabricated from sheet, decorated with wire, granulation, and repoussé Museum of Islamic Art, Doha. Photo courtesy Museum of Islamic Art, Doha

Comb. Turkey, late 16th–17th century. Rock crystal inlaid with gold and set with emeralds and rubies; horn or tortoiseshell. The al-Sabah Collection, Dar al-Athar al-Islamiyyah, Kuwait. Copyright © The al-Sabah Collection, Dar al-Athar al-Islamiyyah, Kuwait

Cameo. India, 17th century. Sardonyx with enameled gold setting. Bibliothèque nationale de France, Cabinet de Mèdailles, Paris. Photo courtesy Bibliothèque Nationale de France

Bowl with Inscription. Eastern Iran, 10th century. Earthenware, slip-painted under a transparent glaze. The David Collection, Copenhagen © The David Collection, Pernille Klemp