 |
The exhibition, called A Collector's Fortune. Islamic World Masterpieces in the Keir Collection, shows more than a hundred of the 1,500 pieces in the Keir collection, as Unger's collection has come to be known.
The collection comprises works from nearly all periods and artistic styles from the core Islamic countries around the Mediterranean, from Iran and Central Asia, the Pergamon Museum said. It will give visitors an insight into the world of collectors and collecting: from where do the objects originate, what makes people collect Islamic art? What does the collector see in his collection and how is the value of the objects determined on the art market?
Brocades and carpets, early medieval bronzes, exquisite rock crystal objects, priceless calligraphies, miniatures and elaborately adorned bookbindings all feature in the loan. One of its most striking attributes are its ceramics dating from all periods, according to the museum.
Spread over three rooms, the world of the collector, the individual biography of certain objects and the overall collection itself are all laid bare to the visitor. Among the many pieces on display are rare, exquisite rock crystal objects, the production of which enjoyed its heyday during the rule of the Fatimids in Egypt (969-1171) and subsequently found its way to Europe, where such objects were used as reliquaries in churches, the museum said.
Source: Pergamon Museum
