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Reverent Ornament: Art from the Islamic World
On view through May 14, 2023
Columbia Museum of Art
Columbia, South Carolina
www.columbiamuseum.org

What was in Western culture historically considered the Near Eastern world — roughly, a vast stretch of regions including India and the Asian countries to its west — is a vivid patchwork of many different peoples, languages, and traditions, with a history stretching back to Neolithic times. Comprising works of fine glassware, ceramics, metalwork, painting, weaponry, weaving, and much more, Reverent Ornament shares timeless Islamic art that celebrates everyday life, history, and culture in Iran, Egypt, India, Syria, and Turkey. The works include objects meant for palaces as well as ordinary homes, evoking a rich vision of daily life from the 10th to the 19th centuries.

[Image courtesy Columbia Museum of Art.]