


The theme of the exhibition is expressed by the famous hadith: ‘Verily, God is beautiful and loves all beauty.'The exhibition includes masterpieces representing the decorative arts of Islam - calligraphy, textiles, jewels, metalwork, ceramics and paintings, ranging in date from the 9th to 19th century and covering an area stretching from Spain and the Arab world to Persia and the Indian subcontinent.
The first gallery celebrates the majesty of God, highlighting the abstract art of calligraphy. Here we find manuscripts of the Koran, woven prayer rugs, tile panels bearing Koranic verses and rich arabesque decoration. In the next room the display shows art for earthly rulers, ‘the shadows of God on earth': bronze and ceramic birds and animals, metalwork, stone relief carving and early Iranian silver. The central feature of the gallery is the celebrated ‘Bobrinsky' bucket from the Hermitage. It was commissioned by a rich merchant of Heart in 1163.
Gallery IV contains the famous jewels from the Mughal treasury sent as a diplomatic gift to the Princess (later Empress) Elizabeth of Russia by Nadir Shah: boxes, dishes and cups encrusted with rubies, diamonds and emeralds. Here one can also see richly embroidered robes and silk fabrics.
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