Empire of the Sultans

[Rick Baum]

Has anyone else been lucky enough to see "Ottoman Art from the Khalili Collection - Empire of the Sultans"? I guess this has been touring the country for the last year or so. There were 4 16th and 17th century swords, one of which was Damascene steel. If you looked at it just right you could see the watery blue pattern in the steel. All I can say is WOW, I wish I could have held it. There was a 16th or 17th century dagger that would put the majority of us modern knifemakers in awe. It had the typical curved blade but it was hollow in the middle with an engraved brass inlay. The brass part had a section that was an elongated hollow with 4 pearls that could roll back and forth. Then to top it off, it had a carved Lapis Lazuli handle. Too bad they don't allow camera's. If it comes to your town, go see it. It was worth the $8.00 for admission just to see the swords, dagger and some armor.

 

[ddavelarsen]

Man that sounds awesome. Probably won't get close enough to me to see it but I'll keep my ear to the ground anyway.

Thanks for the review, that was cool.

Dave

 

[Guy Thomas]

That sounds like something I'd love to see also so I went on a Google search and found their web site:

http://www.khalili.org/2_nour/2_EXHIBIT.htm

Here's their calendar and where they will be over the next couple of years:

Aug 17, 2002 - Jan 26, 2003 Museum of Art
Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah

2003
Feb 15 - Apr 27 Oklahoma City Art Museum, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

May 16 - Aug 10 Frist Center for the Visual Arts, Nashville, TN

Aug 30 - Nov 9 Museum of Arts & Sciences, Macon, Georgia

Nov 29 - Feb 8, 2004 Frick Art and Historical Society, Pittsburg, Pennsylvania

Macon is about as close as it gets to me, I'd drive 4 hours to see that. They do mention that the calendar is provisional and that they may be adding new locations and dates to the itinerary.