From the Louvre: Masterpieces of Islamic Art

On the occasion of an exhibition at the National Museum of Asian Art of the Smithsonian Institution, some twenty emblematic works from the Department of Islamic Arts tell the story of France and its ties with the Islamic world: the history of kings, diplomacy, wars and exchanges, but also that of taste and collecting. These precious objects reveal the fascination they have exerted in the West since the Middle Ages and attest to the close and singular diplomatic relations between France and the Islamic world.

Coming from a vast geographical area stretching from Spain to India, the royal collections, together with the church treasures, form the historical core of the museum's Islamic art holdings. Among these masterpieces are an enigmatic bronze peacock, a sumptuous basin inlaid with gold and silver, and rock crystal or jade cups set with precious stones, prized as much by sultans as by kings such as Louis XIV.

From Napoleon's expedition to Egypt, Paris asserts itself until the mid-twentieth century as the European capital of an emerging discipline: the study of Islamic arts. The arrival in Paris of many exceptional works sparks a genuine enthusiasm, and thousands of objects gathered by patron collectors then join the Louvre.

Almost at the same time, the industrialist and patron Charles Lang Freer, an ardent and eclectic collector of Islamic art, donates his collection to the Smithsonian Institution.

First presented at the Smithsonian Institution, the exhibition "From the Louvre: Masterpieces of Islamic Art" traces the often long and complex journeys of these objects, from their places of origin to the Louvre Museum. Beyond their technical and aesthetic qualities, these journeys question the making of the masterpiece. Once reserved for a privileged few, they are today accessible to all as universal masterpieces.