Arts of the East at the Aga Khan Museum

The Lion Hunt of Prince Salim, India, 1605–1606, opaque watercolour, ink and gold on paper.
Dish Iznik, Turkey, ca. 1580-85 Fritware; underglaze-painted.
Castellani-Stroganoff Medallion Carpet Ushak, Turkey, 1475–1525, Wool pile on wool foundation.
“Greek and Chinese Painter Competition”, folio from a manuscript of Masnavi-i Ma‘navi (“The Spiritual Couplets”) by Jalal al-Din Rumi (Maulana) (d. 1273), Tabriz, Iran, ca. 1540–1550, opaque watercolour, ink and gold on paper.
Velvet Panel with Golden Discs, Iran, late 13th century, silk and gold-wrapped thread, cut voided velvet.
Bowl Marked with the tughra of Alemshah (d. 1510), Turkey, before 1510, silver; gilded, repoussé.
Detail of Bernheimer Trees Carpet, Cairo, Egypt, 1450–1475, wool pile on a wool foundation.

A collection of Islamic art makes its Canadian debut.

Writer Jessica Wong

A selection of Islamic artwork never before seen in Canada is now on display at Toronto’s Aga Khan Museum. Entitled Arts of the East: Highlights of Islamic Art from the Bruschettini Collection, the exhibition showcases diverse works from Genoa, Italy’s Bruschettini Foundation—world-renowned for its private collection of Islamic art.

Hand-selected by the Foundation’s Dr. Alessandro Bruschettini and Aga Khan Museum curator Dr. Filiz Ҫakır Phillip, Arts of the East leads a cultural journey crossing mediums, borders, and centuries. Dr. Ҫakır Phillip hopes visitors come away impressed by “the ingenious ways that artistic inspiration and technical developments have filtered across geographical borders.” Indeed, pieces hailing from the 1200s through the 1600s include metalworks, ceramics, manuscript paintings, and textiles spanning Spain, China, Egypt, Iran, and the Caucasus. Dr. Ҫakır Phillip notes two of her favourites from the collection: an intricate 15th-century Turkish carpet and an elaborately detailed watercolour painting from an ancient Iranian manuscript.

Dr. Ҫakır Phillip was so moved after first encountering the Bruschettini Collection on a trip to Italy in 2015 that she was inspired to give Canadian audiences the opportunity to see it, too. “I hope [visitors] arrive curious and leave cherishing this exquisite collection.”

Arts of the East: Highlights of Islamic Art from the Bruschettini Collection is on until January 21, 2018 at the Aga Khan Museum in Toronto.

Photos courtesy of the Bruschettini Collection.

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