Islamic Art and Patronage: Treasures from Kuwait

Dar al-Athar al-Islamiyyah - The al-Sabah Collection

Kuwait

More than 100 of the finest examples of arts from the Islamic world, ranging from jewel encrusted objects, rare ceramics, finely detailed miniatures and illustrated written texts, have been selected for the internationally touring exhibition “Islamic Art and Patronage: Treasures from Kuwait”.

The works in the exhibition are from The al-Sabah collection, previously housed at the Kuwait National Museum. Due to the extensive rehabilitation of the museum, the collection now has mostly either been in storage or touring the world. This collection has been formed by Sheikh Nasser Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah and his wife Sheikha Hussah Sabah al-Salem al-Sabah. Begun in 1975, the collection is regarded as one of the most important in the world, containing a comprehensive collection of rare and significant Islamic art objects

Created between the 8^th and 18^th centuries, these arts from the Islamic world reflect the wide range produced in countries stretching from Spain to India and throughout the Middle East. While Islam has a wide geographic spread, common themes and principals of design unite the art produced; and patterns from nature or geometry are found throughout the Islamic world.