And with this last shot in the sharp rays of the early spring sun, I conclude my series Signs of Spring. I will commence to go into hibernation during the dark and dismal days ahead and wait for that light to show again.
Presenting the last image from the David Collection in Copenhagen – a bowl with lid, cut from jade. The orange blossoms are listed only as semi-precious stones.
Another lovely turban ornament – perhaps not what we’d think of as Islamic art. Pearls, diamonds and emeralds…
In old India men were anything but shy about dressing up in rubies, emeralds and pearls. The piece from yesterday was a turban decoration.
I love jewelry from India! The bigger, the better. But what are these pieces doing in the Islamic collection? Did you know that large areas of India was under Muslim rule? The period was called Mogul or the Mughal Empire. It began in 1526 and the last Mughal ruler was overthrown by the British in 1858.
This detail reminds me of my one visit to Tunisia. I was only 11 and it was quite an overwhelming experience. But fascinating too…
This crystal vase is only about 10 cm. (app. 4 inch.) tall. It is displayed by the entrance to the collection of Islamic miniature art – my favorite part of the whole collection- so it took me several visits to notice it. Then one day I stopped to actually read the sign next to the vase.
It is indeed crystal but it is not made out of glass. It has been crafted out of a single block of quartz and in places the walls are as thin as a millimeter. Check the image yesterday to see how small the opening is at the top. This was all the opening the artist had to work with to hollow out the rest.
This is one of my personal favorites in the Islamic collection at the David Collection. I’ll tell you why tomorrow 🙂
Mr. David was a lawyer who left behind a substancial amount of money. Until his deathhe had mostly collected odds and ends from Europe. You will find a couple of beautiful paintings by Hammerhøj, but when the trust fund had a new man in charge he recognized the niche of an Islamic Collection. Since the 70’ies the fund has been buying up Islamic art and now have an amazing collection – all free of charge.
This image as well as the one yesterday are of the huge – whatever – that greets the visitor at the top of the stairs in the residential house that has been converted into the museum.
A disclaimer: This once I’ll be sharing images I know quite well are not as sharp as they could be. The lighting was difficult and I don’t like tripods. But I do want to share some of the beauty with you so please bear with me 🙂
We are very lucky in Copenhagen in having several fine museums that are absolutely free. Right now I’m in San Francisco and I keep searching for free museums but they are not here. Only once a month or so where the crowds ruins it for me.
My favorite museum in Copenhagen is The David Collection and my favorite part is the collection of Islamic Art. The next series will be images from that collection.
Karins Fotos 