Khalili Collections

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Khalili Collections
Logo of the Khalili Collections
Map
Established1970; 54 years ago (1970)[1]
Collection size35,000[1]
FounderNasser D. Khalili
Websitewww.khalilicollections.org Edit this at Wikidata

The Khalili Collections are eight distinct art collections assembled by Nasser D. Khalili over five decades.[2][1] Together, the collections include some 35,000 works of art,[1] and each is considered among the most important in its field.[3]

Among these are the largest private collection of Islamic art, with 28,000 items including 2,000 ceramics and 600 items of jewellery. A separate collection includes around 5,000 objects relating to the Hajj, spanning from the 7th century AD to the present day. From Japan, there are 1,600 items of Meiji era decorative art and another collection of more than 450 kimono, covering a 300-year period. The most comprehensive private collection of enamels, with over 1,300 items, includes items from China, Japan, Europe and Islamic lands. The eight collections also include 100 flatweave textiles from southern Sweden, 100 examples of Spanish damascened metalwork (i.e. with metal inlaid into other metal), and 48 Aramaic documents from 4th century-BC Bactria. These various collections show two themes that commonly motivate private collections: collecting examples of the highest artistic merit and forming complete series.[4]

One hundred catalogues and monographs describing the collections are being published. There have been numerous public exhibitions drawn exclusively from the collections, as well as loans of items to heritage institutions.

Collections

Islamic Art (700–2000)

Main article: Khalili Collection of Islamic Art

The Khalili Collections include one of the world's most comprehensive collections of Islamic art[5][6] and the largest in private hands.[7][8][9] The Nasser D. Khalili Collection of Islamic Art includes 28,000 objects documenting arts from Islamic lands over a period of almost 1400 years. It was described in 1998 as "one of the largest and most representative collections of Quranic manuscripts in the world"[10] and is the largest private collection.[11][12] Khalili is motivated by a belief that Islamic art is the most beautiful, yet has been underappreciated by the wider world.[4] The collection has been described as presenting art works of interest to Westerners without abstracting them away from the aesthetic standards of Islamic culture.[4] Khalili defines Islamic art as "art produced by Muslim artists for Muslim patrons", and only a minority of the items have an explicitly religious purpose.[4]

In addition to rare and illustrated manuscripts, the collection includes album and miniature paintings,[13] lacquer,[14] ceramics,[15] glass and rock crystal,[16] metalwork,[17] arms and armour,[18] jewellery,[19] carpets and textiles,[20] over 15,000 coins[21] and architectural elements.[22] The ceramic collection, numbering around 2,000 items, has been described as particularly strong in pottery of the Timurid era and also pottery of pre-Mongol Bamiyan.[23] The jewellery collection includes more than 600 rings, many purely decorative but some with religious inscriptions or having a secular function, such as signet rings.[24] Around two hundred objects relate to medieval Islamic science and medicine, including astronomical instruments for orienting towards Mecca, scales and weights, and supposedly magical items intended for medical use.[25]

This collection was the basis in 2008 for the first comprehensive exhibition of Islamic art to be staged in the Middle East, at the Emirates Palace in

Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris and the Nieuwe Kerk in Amsterdam as well as at many other museums and institutions worldwide.[26]

The collection includes

Rashid-al-Din’s world history.[28] There is also a 13th-century saddle from the era of Genghis Khan,[29] and an astrolabe commissioned by Shah Jahan (1648–58).[30]

The Wall Street Journal has said that it is the greatest collection of Islamic Art in existence.[5] According to Edward Gibbs, Chairman of Middle East and India at Sotheby's, it is the best such collection in private hands.[6]

Hajj and the Arts of Pilgrimage (700–2000)

Main article: Khalili Collection of Hajj and the Arts of Pilgrimage

Alongside the Topkapı Palace museum, the collection is considered the largest and most significant group of objects relating to the cultural history of the Hajj.[31] It holds objects and archival documents from all over the Islamic world, from the Umayyad period to the 21st century.[26] It includes over 300 textiles and many other objects such as coins, medals, miniatures, manuscripts and photographs relating to Mecca and Medina. In total, the collection contains approximately 5,000 objects.[32] Among them are a mahmal (AH 1067 (AD 1656–7)) commissioned by the Ottoman Sultan Mehmet IV,[33] sitaras (textile coverings) for the door of the Kaaba,[34] for the mosque of the Prophet in Medina, and for the Station of Abraham,[34] the earliest known accurate eyewitness account of Mecca[35] and some of the earliest photographs taken of Mecca and the Hajj, by Mohammed Sadiq Bey.[36]

  • A complete cover for a Damascus mahmal, Istanbul, 16th century
    A complete cover for a Damascus mahmal, Istanbul, 16th century
  • Curtain for door of the Kaaba, Cairo, 1015 AH (1606 AD)
    Curtain for door of the Kaaba, Cairo, 1015 AH (1606 AD)
  • Panoramic view of Mecca, 1845
    Panoramic view of Mecca, 1845

Aramaic Documents (353BC–324BC)

A Long List of Supplies Disbursed, Bactria, starts on 15 Sivan, year 7 of Alexander, corresponding to 8 June 324BC
Main article: Khalili Collection of Aramaic Documents

The collection comprises 48 historically significant Aramaic documents from Ancient Bactria, consisting of mainly letters and accounts related to the court of the satrap of Bactria. Together these letters and accounts make up the oldest known correspondence of the administration of Bactria and Sogdiana.[37] The documents, written in Official Aramaic, were likely to originate from the historical city of Balkh and all are dated within a period of less than 30 years, between 353 BC to 324 BC.[38] The newest of the documents was written during Alexander the Great’s early reign in the region, using the name ‘Alexandros’ (‘Iksndrs’) by which he later became known.[39]

Japanese Art of the Meiji Period (1868–1912)

Main article: Khalili Collection of Japanese Art

The collection of Meiji decorative arts is only comparable in terms of quality to the collection of the

Meiji period saw a cultural revolution in Japan where traditional tastes were met with international ones. Since the beginning of Emperor Meiji’s reign in Japan, European and international collectors have sought pieces of Japanese art from this era. Many works in the collections were produced by Imperial Court artists and were exhibited at the Great Exhibitions of the late 19th century.[41] These imperial court artists include Shibata Zeshin,[42] Namikawa Yasuyuki,[43] Makuzu Kozan,[44] Yabu Meizan,[44] Kano Natsuo,[45] Suzuki Chokichi,[46] and Shirayama Shosai.[47]

Exhibitions drawing exclusively from the collection have been held at the British Museum, Israel Museum, Van Gogh Museum, Portland Museum, Moscow Kremlin Museums, and at many other museums and institutions worldwide.[26]

  • Refer to caption
    Incense burner (Koro), Japan, 1890
  • Refer to caption
    Pair of samurai figures, Japan, 1890
  • Refer to caption
    "Waves" panel, Japan, 1888-1890
  • Refer to caption
    Earthenware bowl by Yabu Meizan, circa 1910

Japanese Kimono (1700–2000)

Main article: Khalili Collection of Kimono

The collection represents three hundred years of the Japanese textile industry and contains over 450 garments. The garments have been worn to demonstrate gender, age, status and wealth throughout Japan's history. The core of the collection is made up of

Showa (1926–1989) eras.[48][49]

  • Kimono for a young woman (furisode), Japan, 1912-1926
    Kimono for a young woman (furisode), Japan, 1912-1926
  • Outer kimono for a woman (uchikake), Japan, 1920-1930
    Outer kimono for a woman (uchikake), Japan, 1920-1930
  • Outer kimono for a young woman (uchikake), Japan, 1840-1870
    Outer kimono for a young woman (uchikake), Japan, 1840-1870
  • Kimono for a girl (furisode), Japan, 1920-1940
    Kimono for a girl (furisode), Japan, 1920-1940

Swedish Textiles (1700–1900)

Main article: Khalili Collection of Swedish Textiles
Carriage Cushion Cover (Two Lions in Floral Roundels), Sweden, Scania, Bara district, late 18th century

The collection consists mostly of textile panels, cushion and bed covers from the Scania region of southern Sweden, dating in the main from a hundred-year-old period of the mid-18th to mid-19th centuries. The majority of the pieces in the collection were made for wedding ceremonies in the region. While they played a part in the ceremonies, they were also a reflection of the artistry and skill of the weaver. Their designs often consist of symbolic illustrations of fertility and long life. The entire collection is made up of 100 pieces.[26] In 2008 it was described as "the only extensive collection of Swedish flatweaves outside the country".[50]

Exhibitions drawing exclusively from the collection have been held at the Swedish Cultural Institute in Paris and Boston University Art Gallery.[26]

Spanish Damascene Metalwork (1850–1900)

Main article: Khalili Collection of Spanish Metalwork
Iron Cassone, Spain, Eibar, 1871

One of the largest collections of its kind, the Spanish Metalwork collection pays homage to the Zuloaga family, which played a major part in the preservation of damascening in Spain.[51] The collection contains pieces created by Plácido Zuloaga between 1834 and 1910. Some of the pieces, such as a giant iron cassone, were originally acquired by the 19th-century English collector, Alfred Morrison.[52] The entire collection comprises over 100 pieces,[53] 22 of which are signed by Plácido Zuloaga.[52]

At the opening of the Khalili Zuloaga exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, its then director Alan Borg said it was "a landmark in the study of 19th century Spanish decorative art".[54] Other exhibitions also drawing exclusively from the collection have been held at the Bilbao Fine Arts Museum and Alhambra Palace in Granada.[26]

Enamels of the World (1700–2000)

Main article: Khalili Collection of Enamels of the World

The collection consists of over 1300 pieces and showcases the global significance and evolution of enamelling, covering a 300-year period.[55] It is the most comprehensive private collection of its kind.[55] The uniqueness of the collection lies in its geographic, artistic and historical range, including pieces from China, Japan, Islamic countries and Europe.[56] Objects include the enamelled chariot belonging to the Indian Maharaja of Bhavnagar[57] and a painted enamel throne table with the seal mark of the 18th century Chinese Qianlong emperor.[58] Other objects include presentation chargers, jewellery, miniatures and ornamental pieces.[55]

At the 2009–10 Enamels of the world exhibition held at the State Hermitage Museum, its director Mikhail Piotrovsky said "Unique in its scope, the Collection reveals the remarkable technical achievements of the enamellers and encourages a greater awareness of the range of their activity."[54]

  • Refer to caption
    Enamelled chariot belonging to the Indian Maharaja of Bhavnagar
  • Refer to caption
    Painted enamel throne table with the seal mark of the Qianlong emperor
  • Refer to caption
    19th-century Limoges plaque depicting the crucifixion, the largest known single-piece enamel painting
  • Refer to caption
    Panel from a set of eight bearing poems by Yu Minzhong

Publications

A selection of the over 100 publications representing the eight collections

The Khalili Collections are represented in 70 publications, including exhibition catalogues, with work in progress to extend this to 100. The total costs associated with the conservation, research, scholarship and publication of the collections are estimated to be in the tens of millions of

pounds.[59]

Islamic art

Studies in the Khalili Collection – academic monographs

Aramaic documents

Japanese art of the Meiji period

Japanese kimono

Swedish textile art

Spanish damascene metalwork

Enamels of the world

Exhibitions

The following exhibitions were drawn exclusively from the Khalili Collections.[26]

Islamic art

This collection was the basis in 2008 for the first comprehensive exhibition of Islamic art to be staged in the Middle East, at the Emirates Palace in

Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris and the Nieuwe Kerk in Amsterdam as well as at many other museums and institutions worldwide.[26]

Empire of the Sultans: Ottoman Art from the Khalili Collection

Marvels of the East: Indian Paintings of the Mughal Period from the Khalili Collection

Empire of the Sultans: Ottoman Art from the Khalili Collection

Ornements de la Perse: Islamic Patterns in 19th Century Europe

Empire of the Sultans: Ottoman Art from the Khalili Collection

The Arts of Islam: Treasures from the Nasser D. Khalili Collection

  • June – Sep 2007 Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia[60]
  • Jan – May 2008 Gallery One,
    Emirates Palace
    , Abu Dhabi, UAE
  • Oct 2009 – Mar 2010
    Institut du monde arabe
    , Paris, France

Passion for Perfection: Islamic Art from the Khalili Collection

  • Dec 2010 – Apr 2011 Nieuwe Kerk, Amsterdam, Netherlands

Japanese art

Japanese Imperial Craftsmen: Meiji Art from the Khalili Collection

Treasures of Imperial Japan: Ceramics from the Khalili Collection

Shibata Zeshin: Masterpieces of Japanese Lacquer from the Khalili Collection

Splendors of Meiji: Treasures of Imperial Japan

  • Apr – Oct 1999 First USA Riverfront Arts Centre, Wilmington, Delaware, USA

Shibata Zeshin: Masterpieces of Japanese Lacquer from the Khalili Collection

Splendors of Imperial Japan: Arts of the Meiji Period from the Khalili Collection

Splendors of Imperial Japan: Masterpieces from the Khalili Collection

Wonders of Imperial Japan: Meiji Art from the Khalili Collection

Meiji-Kunst & Japonismus: Aus der Sammlung Khalili

  • Feb – June 2007 Kunsthalle Krems, Krems, Austria

Beyond Imagination: Treasures of Imperial Japan from The Khalili Collection, 19th to early 20th century

Spanish damascene metalwork

Plácido Zuloaga: Spanish Treasures from The Khalili Collection

El Arte y Tradición de los Zuloaga: Damasquinado Español de la Colección Khalili

  • May – Aug 2000 Museo de Bellas Artes, Bilbao, Spain
  • Feb – Apr 2001
    Alhambra Palace
    , Granada, Spain
  • May – Sep 2001 Real Fundacion de Toledo, Toledo, Spain

Plácido Zuloaga: Meisterwerke in gold, silber und eisen damaszener–schmiedekunst aus der Khalili-Sammlung

Metal Magic: Spanish Treasures from the Khalili Collection

Swedish Textiles

Swedish Textile Art: The Khalili Collection

  • Feb – Mar 1996 IK Foundation, Pildammarnas Vattentorn, Malmo, Sweden

Textiles de Scanie des XVIII et XIX Siècles dans la Collection Khalili

A Monument to Love: Swedish Marriage Textiles from the Khalili Collection

Enamels of the world

Enamels of the World 1700–2000 from the Khalili Collection

Loans to museums and galleries

The collections have also loaned items for display in many countries.[26]

Earthly Beauty, Heavenly Art: The Art of Islam, an exhibition of objects from the Islamic collection and the State Hermitage Museum was seen at

  • Nieuwe Kerk
    , Amsterdam, Dec 1999 – Apr 2000
  • State Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg, 2000 – Sep 2001
  • Hermitage Rooms, Somerset House, London (as Heaven on Earth: Art From Islamic Lands) – Selected objects from the Khalili Collection and The State Hermitage Museum, March – August 2004

The Khalili Collections were the largest lender to the

Tropenmuseum in Amsterdam, the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha, and the Arab World Institute in Paris which also drew from the Khalili Collections.[63][64][26]

Digitisation

Since 2019, the Khalili Collections have partnered with Wikimedia UK to share images of art works and improve Wikipedia articles.[65] The collections have also provided images and text for Google Arts & Culture[66] and Europeana.[67] For the 2023 video game Assassin's Creed Mirage, the Khalili Collections were one of four partner institutions providing images for the game's educational database. An astrolabe and a statuette of a camel and rider were among the objects used to illustrate the game's setting of 9th century Baghdad.[68][69]

References

 This article incorporates text from a free content work. Licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0. Text taken from The Khalili Collections​, Khalili Foundation, .

  1. ^ a b c d "The Khalili Family Trust | Collections Online | British Museum". britishmuseum.org. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
  2. ^ a b Arkell, Roland (1 March 2019). "Renowned collector Nasser Khalili revealed as buyer of 'lost' monumental Meiji vase as he reunites it with original set". Antiques Trade Gazette. Retrieved 30 September 2019.
  3. ^ "The Khalili Collections major contributor to "Longing for Mecca" exhibition at the Tropenmuseum in Amsterdam". UNESCO. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. 16 April 2019. Archived from the original on 7 April 2022. Retrieved 30 September 2019.
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  6. ^ a b Green, William (30 March 2010). "Iranian Student With $750 Turns Billionaire Made by Islamic Art". Bloomberg. Retrieved 10 September 2019.
  7. ^ Gayford, Martin (16 April 2004). "Healing the world with art". The Independent. Retrieved 10 September 2019.
  8. ^ a b c d e f Moore, Susan (12 May 2012). "A leap of faith". Financial Times. Retrieved 10 September 2019.
  9. ^ "BBC World Service – Arts & Culture - Khalili Collection: Picture gallery". www.bbc.co.uk. 14 December 2010. Retrieved 30 September 2019.
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  11. ^ "The Abbasid Tradition: Qur'ans of the 8th to the 10th centuries AD". Khalili Collections. Retrieved 10 September 2019.
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  13. ^ "Paintings from India". Khalili Collections. Retrieved 17 September 2019.
  14. ^ "Lacquer of the Islamic Lands (Part One and Part Two)". Khalili Collections. Retrieved 17 September 2019.
  15. ^ "Cobalt and Lustre: The first centuries of Islamic pottery". Khalili Collections. Retrieved 17 September 2019.
  16. ^ "Glass: From Sasanian antecedents to European imitations". Khalili Collections. Retrieved 17 September 2019.
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  18. ^ "The Arts of War: Arms and Armour of the 7th to 19th centuries". Khalili Collections. Retrieved 17 September 2019.
  19. ^ "Gems and Jewels of Mughal India. Jewelled and enamelled objects from the 16th to 20th centuries". Khalili Collections. Retrieved 17 September 2019.
  20. ^ "Textiles, Carpets and Costumes". Khalili Collections. Retrieved 17 September 2019.
  21. ^ "Dinars and Dirhams. Coins of the Islamic lands. The early period (Part One)". Khalili Collections. Retrieved 17 September 2019.
  22. ^ "Monuments and Memorials. Carvings and tile work from the Islamic world". Khalili Collections. Retrieved 17 September 2019.
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  24. ^ "Ornament and Amulet: Rings of the Islamic Lands". Khalili Collections. Retrieved 17 September 2019.
  25. ^ "Science, Tools & Magic: (Part One) Body and Spirit, Mapping the Universe; (Part Two) Mundane Worlds". Khalili Collections. Retrieved 17 September 2019.
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  27. ^ "History and epic paintings from Iran and Turkey (Part One)". Khalili Collections. Retrieved 17 September 2019.
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  29. ^ "Islamic Art | Saddle Fittings and Horse Trappings". Khalili Collections. Retrieved 17 September 2019.
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  31. ISBN 9780995728141
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  33. ^ "Hajj and The Arts of Pilgrimage | A Complete Cover..." Khalili Collections. Retrieved 17 September 2019.
  34. ^ a b "The sacred textiles of Mecca". Hajj. British Museum. Retrieved 30 September 2019.
  35. ^ "Islamic Art | Panoramic View of Mecca". Khalili Collections. Retrieved 30 September 2019.
  36. ^ Khan, Qaisra. "Photographic views of Hajj, by Muhammad Sadiq Bey". Discover Islamic Art. Museum With No Frontiers. Retrieved 30 September 2019.
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  39. ^ "Aramaic Documents | A Long List of Supplies..." Khalili Collections. 2016. Retrieved 10 September 2019.
  40. ^ "Japanese Art of the Meiji Period". Khalili Collections. Retrieved 10 September 2019.
  41. OCLC 42476594
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  42. ^ "Shibata Zeshin, Masterpieces of Japanese lacquer from the Khalili Collection". Khalili Collections. Retrieved 30 September 2019.
  43. ^ "MEIJI NO TAKARA - Treasures of Imperial Japan; Enamel". Khalili Collections. Retrieved 30 September 2019.
  44. ^ a b "Treasures of Imperial Japan, Ceramics from the Khalili Collection". Khalili Collections. Retrieved 30 September 2019.
  45. ^ "MEIJI NO TAKARA - Treasures of Imperial Japan; Metalwork Parts One & Two". Khalili Collections. Retrieved 30 September 2019.
  46. ^ "Japanese Art of the Meiji Period | Incense Burner..." Khalili Collections. Retrieved 30 September 2019.
  47. ^ "MEIJI NO TAKARA - Treasures of Imperial Japan; Lacquer Part One". Khalili Collections. Retrieved 30 September 2019.
  48. ^ "Khalili Collections | Kimono". Khalili Collections. Retrieved 10 September 2019.
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  50. ^ Moore, Susan (17 March 2008). "The collection is a symphony". Financial Times. Retrieved 30 September 2019.
  51. ^ "Metal Magic: Spanish Treasures from the Khalili Collection, The Auberge de Provence, Valetta, Malta". Khalili Collections. Retrieved 30 September 2019.
  52. ^ a b "Spanish Damascene Metalwork". Khalili Collections. Retrieved 30 September 2019.
  53. OCLC 37560664
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  54. ^ a b "Comments & Reviews". nasserdkhalili.com. December 2009. Retrieved 10 September 2019.
  55. ^ a b c "Enamels Of The World". Khalili Collections. Retrieved 30 September 2019.
  56. ^ "Enamels of the World – 1700–2000". Khalili Collections. Retrieved 10 September 2019.
  57. ^ "Enamels of the World | Landau Carriage". Khalili Collections. Retrieved 30 September 2019.
  58. ^ "Enamels of the World | Throne Table". Khalili Collections. Retrieved 30 September 2019.
  59. ^ Norman, Geraldine (13 December 1992). "Art Market: Mysterious gifts from the East". The Independent. Retrieved 10 September 2019.
  60. ^ "Collector shares beauty of Islamic art with world". CBC. 25 June 2007. Retrieved 24 September 2020.
  61. ^ Kennedy, Maev (25 January 2012). "Hajj exhibition at British Museum". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 September 2022.
  62. ^ Akbar, Arifa (20 January 2012). "Pilgrim's progress: Journey to the Heart of Islam". The Independent. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
  63. ^ Mishkhas, Abeer (26 July 2013). "The British Museum's Hajj exhibition inspires Paris, Leiden and Doha". Asharq Al-Awsat. Retrieved 5 September 2022.
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  65. ^ Lawson-Tancred, Jo (11 October 2019). "Around the world in 35,000 objects – and a handful of clicks". Apollo. Retrieved 5 May 2021.
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  67. ^ Ahmed, Waqas; McCarthy, Douglas (16 March 2021). "Europeana and the Khalili Collections - introducing our new partnership". Europeana PRO. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
  68. ^ Mainka, Inga (6 July 2023). "Assassin's Creed Mirage Goes Back To Its Roots: Most Accurate AC In Years". EarlyGame. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
  69. ^ "'My son showed me Assassin's Creed, now I've helped build the new one'". STV News. 5 July 2023. Retrieved 20 July 2023.

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