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| Source: al Sabah Collection, from the Google Cultural Institute. Captioned. 'Inscribed Royal Gemstone, 1,001 AD'. Rectangular emerald stone, w3.35 x h2.92 cm, inscribed with seven lines of 'naskhi' script from the Quran (2:255). View this item online. |
The al Sabah Collection, regarded by international authorities as one of a small handful of the most comprehensive collections of Islamic art in the world. has 48 items available for viewing online via the Google Cultural Institute.
The Collection was begun in 1975 when Sheikh Nasser Sabah al Ahmed al Sabah purchased a mid-14th century enamelled glass bottle from a London art gallery. Curated by Sheikh Nasser and his wife Sheikha Hussah Sabah al Salem al Sabah, the Collection was moved in 1983 from Sheikh Nasser’s private residence to a new location at the Kuwait National Museum. The building became known as Dar al Athar al Islamiyyah (DAI), and Sheikha Hussah became the organisation’s Director General. Since its inception in 1983, DAI has diversified from managing the loan of the al Sabah Collection of art from the Islamic world to the State of Kuwait to becoming an internationally-recognised cultural organisation.
The Collection has now grown to more than 30,000 objects representing the full geographic and chronological range of the Islamic world, from Spain to China, from the 7th to 19th centuries. It features all aspects of art, including arms and armour, calligraphy, carpets and textiles, ceramics, coins, ivory, jewellery, extraordinary manuscripts and miniatures, metalwork, scientific instruments, stone and stucco, wood and glass. The Collection actively publishes volumes focused on its holdings, organises special exhibitions, and loans objects to exhibitions elsewhere in the world.
Interested?
View the Suroor Asia blog post on the Google Cultural Institute and the Aan Collection