Afghanistan

Dish, Iran or Afghanistan, 10th century, Samanid period. Earthenware painted under glaze. Size: H: 3.6 W: 21.0 cm. Museum Code: F1965.27. Freer and the Sackler (Smithsonian) Museums. Among the most distinct and impressive examples of Persian ceramics are a group produced during the reign of the Samanids (819-1005) in Khurasan in northeastern Iran, present-day Afghanistan, and Uzbekistan. These vessels are embellished with inscriptions, usually in the form of a moralizing proverb. The inscription on this small... [Lire la suite]

A hand-cut rock crystal ball encircled by a metal ring dates back to the Bronze Age and served as a ritual object in Afghanistan.

Young Prince, mid-16th century. Signed by Muhammad Haravi, Safavid period. Opaque watercolor and gold on paper. H: 34.1 W: 24.0 cm. Herat, Afghanistan. Purchase F1937.8. © 2012 Smithsonian Institution   After the late fifteenth century in Iran, artists not only worked on illustrated manuscripts, but they also composed individual paintings and drawings that were gathered in albums. Among the most popular subject matter for album page compositions was that of elegant, often contemplative,... [Lire la suite]

Prince Shah Shuja from the Late Shah Jahan Album, India, Mughal Dynasty, 1650. Opaque watercolor, ink and gold on paper. Lent by the Art and History Collection, LTS 1995.2.98 WASHINGTON, DC.- India’s Mughal emperors, who reigned over a vast and wealthy empire that extended over most of the South Asian subcontinent between the 16th and 19th centuries, were passionate about lavish manuscripts and paintings. Between 1556 and 1657, the greatest Mughal patrons—the emperors Akbar, Jahangir and Shah Jahan—formed grand workshops that... [Lire la suite]

Ceremonial Axe Silver, part with gold sheet. Max. L: 12.68 cm. Allegedly from North Afghanistan, Bactrian.. Late 3rd/early 2nd millennium B.C.

  Wine horn with gazelle protome. Sasanian period, 4th century. Silver and gilt. H x W x D: 15.5 x 25.4 x 14.1 cm. Gift of Arthur M. Sackler, Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, S1987.33 "Feast Your Eyes: A Taste for Luxury in Ancient Iran," on view at the Smithsonian's Freer and Sackler Galleries beginning Feb. 4, explores the beauty, role and function of luxury metalwork in ancient Iran. The exhibition features more than 40 works fashioned in silver and gold between the founding of the Achaemenid Empire ca. 550 B.C.E. and the... [Lire la suite]

 Bodhisattva Maitreya. Greco-Buddhist art of Gandhara. Afghanistan-Pakistan, 2nd-3rd century. Grey schist. H. 120 cm. Photo Jacques Barrère According to Buddhist tradition Bodhisattva Maitreya's role is to appear on Earth, achieve complete enlightenment, and teach the pure dharma.Here, he is standing and dressed in jewels. He wears a small stupa in his headdress that represents the stupa of the Buddha Sakyamuni's relics to help him identify it when his turn comes to lay claim to his succession. A khata is tied around his... [Lire la suite]

En juin dernier, des biologistes de l'ONG américaine Wildlife Conservation Society et leurs collaborateurs en Afghanistan révélaient l’existence d’une population importante de léopard des neiges dans les zones montagneuses de ce pays d’Asie centrale. Ils sont parvenus à faire cette "merveilleuse découverte" grâce à des pièges photographiques dispersés en 16 endroits différents. C’est dans la région de Wakhan (nord-est de l'Afghanistan) que la Wildlife Conservation Society a pu mettre en évidence la présence de léopards des neiges à... [Lire la suite]

Portrait miniature of the Qajar ruler, Fath‘ali Shah, Iran, early 19th century. Gold sheet, painted with opaque and translucent enamels, JLY 1231  © Nour Foundation AMSTERDAM.- De Nieuwe Kerk in Amsterdam presents highlights from one of the world’s most renowned collections of Islamic art. Passion for Perfection will include some 500 objects from the collection of Professor Nasser D. Khalili. On view through April 17 2011, De Nieuwe Kerk glitters with richly illuminated Qur’ans and manuscripts, paintings, gold, jewels,... [Lire la suite]

Goblet depicting figures harvesting dates (Begram, Room 10), 1–200 CE, glass and paint, National Museum of Afghanistan. ©Thierry Ollivier / Musée Guimet NEW YORK, NY.- Ancient Afghanistan—located at the crossroads of major trade routes, where it attracted invading armies and nomadic migrations—was home to some of the most complex, rich, and original civilizations on the continent of Asia. Opening at The Metropolitan Museum of Art this summer, the traveling exhibition Afghanistan: Hidden Treasures from the National Museum,... [Lire la suite]