The Keir Collection Gallery presents a selection of masterworks of Islamic art from the Keir Collection, now on long-term loan to the Dallas Museum of Art. Ranking among the finest private collections of Islamic art in the world, the collection is particularly strong in Islamic ceramics, encompassing almost the whole range of innovations in ceramic design and technology from the 8th to the 19th century. The collection also includes fascinating examples of medieval Islamic metalwork, including a bronze ewer with silver inlay made for a Christian monastery in Mosul, Iraq, by famed artisan Ahmad al-Dhaki al-Mawsili. Perhaps the most emblematic object in the Keir Collection is a 10th-century rock crystal ewer (pitcher) made for a Fatimid caliph in Cairo from a single, massive quartz crystal. It has gold enameled mounts added by French jeweler Jean-Valentin Morel in the late 19th century.
Every four months, the presentation is refreshed with a new selection of rare manuscripts, book paintings, textiles, carpets, and other organic materials. This practice helps conserve delicate, centuries-old materials by limiting their exposure to the effects of light. Works of art by contemporary artists from the Islamic world are also displayed in rotation from time to time.
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The installation is presented by Kosmos Energy, which is the sponsor of the inaugural years of exhibitions and installations of the Keir Collection of Islamic Art at the Dallas Museum of Art.
Images: Mesopotamia, Iraq, Ewer, late 7th–early 8th century, brass; cast and engraved, The Keir Collection of Islamic Art, The Keir Collection of Islamic Art on loan to the Dallas Museum of Art, K.1.2014.59. Jean-Valentin Morel, Fatimid, Ewer, late 10th–early 11th century, rock crystal, enameled gold, The Keir Collection of Islamic Art on loan to the Dallas Museum of Art, K.1.2014.1.A-B. Iran, Plate, 12th century, fritware, painted in luster on an opaque white glaze, The Keir Collection of Islamic Art on loan to the Dallas Museum of Art, K.1.2014.321. Baghdad, Iraq, Folio from a dispersed manuscript of Dioscurides' De Materia Medica in Arabic, Rajab 621 AH/June-July 1224 AD, ink, colors and gold on paper, The Keir Collection of Islamic Art on loan to the Dallas Museum of Art, K.1.2014.2. Southern Spain or North Africa, Qur’an folio, 12th -13th century, ink, colors and gold on paper, The Keir Collection of Islamic Art on loan to the Dallas Museum of Art, K.1.2014.803. Syria, The "Homberg Ewer,” 1242, brass, silver, The Keir Collection of Islamic Art on loan to the Dallas Museum of Art, K.1.2014.82. Bowl with luster-painted decoration, 12th–13th century, ceramic, The Keir Collection of Islamic Art on loan to the Dallas Museum of Art, K.1.2014.342. Iran, Miniature painting - Iskandar and His Men Killing a Dragon in the Mountains, c. 1330, work on paper, The Keir Collection of Islamic Art on loan to the Dallas Museum of Art, K.1.2014.391