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54 December/January April/May 2011 2015/16 Kensington, Chelsea & Westminster Today www.KCWToday.co.uk 020 7738 2348
December/January 2015/16
Kensington, Chelsea & Westminster Today
55
Arts & Culture Arts & Culture online: www.KCWToday.co.uk
Egypt: Faith after
the Pharaohs
Until 7th February 2016
The British Museum
Room 35
Bejewelled Treasures:
The Al Thani Collection.
Victoria and Albert Museum.
Until 28th March 2016
The Mughal Emperors' vision
beyond the battlefields of
conquest gave the world a
wondrous legacy of priceless treasures.
The Mongols conquered and ruled many
countries, including most of Northern
India, during the early 16th century until
the late 18th century. Their Emperors
were not only warriors, but aesthetes,
patronising Science and the Arts.
The best known Mughal Emperor
was Shah Jahan, who ruled in India
from 1628 to 1658. During this period,
culture reached supreme heights. The Taj
Mahal is an eternal witness to this great
age. But, perhaps, the real legacy lies in
the personal jewellery and objets d’art of
these extraordinary rulers.
Many treasures of the Mughal
Emperors can be seen in the collection
of HH Sheikh Hamad bin Abdullah Al
Thani, a member of the Qatari ruling
family, which is being exhibited at the
Victoria and Albert Museum. It is
interesting to see how Mughal themes
have influenced jewellery design today, as
seen in Cartier's work.
HH Sheikh Hamad bin Abdullah
Al Thani was fascinated by the jewels
of India from an early age and the
Maharaja Exhibition in 2009 at the V&A
impressed him deeply. It inspired him to
form his amazing collection, which was
exhibited at the Metropolitan Museum
of Art in New York last year. It gives
him pleasure for the world to see his
treasures.
Words fail when describing the
unsurpassed beauty of these art forms.
They transcend the power of language.
The exhibition shows the Shah Jahan
Emerald, inscribed with the Imperial
title Padishah (Master of Kings). He did
not have the right to that title, which
shows his intent to overthrow his father.
Also on view is his dagger, the handle
is carved from a single jade block
surmounted by a boy’s head. This could
have been carved earlier than the blade
by Venetian craftsmen, who gave the
boy a European look. There were also
Persian craftsmen at the Mughal Courts,
as indicated by the pen case and inkwell
on display.
Observe the fine workmanship of a flask
set with gems and admire the tiered ruby
choker made by Jacques Cartier in 1931
for the Maharaja of Patiala. Do not miss
the golden rosewater sprinkler inlaid
with cabochon rubies and emeralds
separated by rows of half pearls. It is an
honour to look upon this treasure.
Left: © V&A London
above: The Al Thani Collection
© Servette Overseas Limited.
Photograph Prudence Cuming
Associates
below: © V&A London
bottom: The Al Thani Collection
© Servette Overseas Limited.
Photograph Prudence Cuming
Associates
Empires and their rulers are transient,
jewellery is eternal and strangely
animate.
Marian Maitland
This inspiring exhibition is curated by
Susan Strong, and sponsored by Wartski.
It forms part of the V&A India Festival.
Advance Booking recommended:
T: 0800 912 6961 www.vam.ac.uk
Victoria and Albert Museum.
Cromwell Road, London SW7 2RL
The ancient Egyptians, creators
of many gods, ceased to rule
their native land after enduring
successive conquests. But the gods of
their Kingdom did not immediately lose
their spiritual power, the conquerors
respected and embellished this
pantheistic worship.
Much research and scholarship
has been devoted to the period of the
Pharaohs in Egypt, but the sweep of
history after 30 BC has been neglected
and the survival story of their gods has
faded.
Egypt: Faith after the Pharaohs is
the first major exhibition to present a
history of Egypt after the Pharaohs,
dating from 30 BC, when Egypt became
a province of the Roman Empire,
following the death of Queen Cleopatra.
The exhibition portrays events up to
1171 AD when the rule of the Fatimid
Dynasty ended.
An amazing amount of archaeological
material has survived due to Egypt’s
arid climate. Two hundred objects are
displayed, all having various uses. Some
were institutional, others were domestic.
There are luxury goods too. A wealth of
texts, scriptures, legal documents, and
letters were discovered in rubbish heaps
in ancient towns. Many are exhibited,
and including letters from the Roman
Emperor, Claudius. A deep insight into
the everyday life of communities of
different faiths, living mostly in harmony,
is revealed through these exhibits.
The exhibition explores in depth the
transition in Egypt from polytheism (the
worship of a pantheon) to monotheism
(the worship of one God, as found in
the Abrahamic religions of Judaism,
Christianity, and Islam). It clearly shows
how these three faiths reinterpreted
the polytheism of the Pharaohs. The
Muslims were fascinated by ancient
Egyptian monuments and recorded
them. The exhibition emphasises
the survival of the ancient Egyptian
gods through the Persian, Greek, and
Roman Conquests. Some even started
wearing Greek drapery and Roman
armour! Some ancient monuments were
destroyed, but others were adapted or
reused. Parts of ancient temples were
incorporated into Christian Churches.
In Judaism, there is one god and
He acts in history; the Jews believe He
granted them freedom from slavery
under the Pharaohs. He is omnipotent
and an intrinsic part of their being.
There were several Jewish communities
in Egypt and they lived almost peacefully
with the Pagans. There were only
sporadic episodes of violence.
Christianity arrived in this scene
of fluid, mingling faiths with strong
monotheistic views. Its followers were
known as Copts. They adapted Jewish
scriptures into Greek translations as
their Old Testament, and later added
Gospels and epistles to form their New
Testament. When the Roman Emperor
Constantine converted to Christianity,
the ancient Egyptian gods did not meet
with his approval. It is significant that
Christianity became the State Religion
which gave its adherents power. This
did not bode well for the old gods. By
395 AD Christianity was the dominant
religion in Egypt, made strong by
learning and scholarship. However,
Christianity became divided over the
definition of Christ, as to whether he
was God and this led to confrontation
Left: bronze head of the
Emperor Augustus. The
Trustees of the British
Museum
above: Codex Sinaiticus ©
British Library
below: Solomon
Schechter at his desk
working on documents
from Cairo.
By kind permission of
Syndics of Cambridge
University Library
with Caesar.
In 639 AD the armies of Islam
invaded Egypt and by the 10th Century
AD Islam became the dominant religion
as Christianity had before. The Muslims
did not accept the Bible and had their
own Holy Scripture, The Qu’ran. The
oldest surviving Life of the Prophet
Mohammed, to whom the Religion was
relayed, was written in Egypt. Egypt
became the centre of Islamic civilisation.
Great mosques of much beauty were
built and the art of calligraphy flourished.
Cairo was founded as the Capital. In 972
A.D. the University of Al-Azhar was
founded.
Three significant treasures are seen
on arrival at the exhibition, firstly the
Hebrew Bible, the earliest surviving
Jewish manuscript of illumination from
the Middle East. Secondly the Christian
New Testament, which is part of the
4th century Codex Sinaiticus, the oldest
surviving Bible and complete copy of
the New Testament. Thirdly, the Qu’ran,
which is copied in an angular script,
known as Kufic. It is from the Middle
East and can be dated between 9th and
10th centuries.
The interaction between Classical
and Christian motifs can be seen in a
pair of door curtains depicting Cupids
and Winged Victory figures. The latter
reveal a jewelled cross. Iconography is
often fused as seen in the statue of the
ancient Egyptian God, Horus adorned
in Roman armour.
The letter from the Roman Emperor
Claudius concerning the cult of the
Divine Emperor and the position of the
Jews in Alexandria must not be missed.
There is good statuary in the
exhibition. The bronze head of the
Emperor Augustus is impressive,
previously a part of a life size figure.
Note the authority in his plaster and
calcite eyes as he surveys the exhibition.
His great nephew, Germanicus, is
portrayed as a heroic youth. He is not
in good condition, but does advertise
the exhibition. Note the incised cross on
his forehead indicating tension as a new
religion was arising.
The jewellery, gemstones, and
amulets are evocative and the carved
ivories show fine detailed workmanship.
I was moved by the exhibit of
a child’s knitted woollen sock with
separate toes like a glove.
This exhibition is supported by the
Blavatnik Family Foundation and is
a collaboration between the Staatliche
Museen Zu in Berlin and the British
Museum.
During this serious, academic, and
well documented exhibition you can see
many exhibits which will appeal to a
wide audience.
Do watch the video which shows
heart-warming scenes of Christians
encircling and protecting Muslims at
Prayer and Muslims guarding Christians
at Prayer. The world hopes for peace.
Marian Maitland
The British Museum
Great Russell Street
London WC1B 3DG
T : 020 7323 8181
e-mail britishmuseum.org./egypt