Exhibitions Home | Current | Upcoming | Past | Virtual

Luxury Arts of the Silk Route Empires

May 9, 1993 - January 28, 2007

Museum: Sackler Gallery

Location: Underground Galleries connecting Freer & Sackler Galleries

Two thousand years before today's global economy, an exchange network linked the continent of Asia via the Silk Route. Fifty-eight objects from the Freer Gallery and 24 objects from the Sackler Gallery explore the rich artistic interactions that resulted from these commercial ties. Silver-gilt and porcelain vessels, mirrors, and other luxury possessions illustrate the influence of West Asian ornament and styles on works produced in Central Asia and China.

Related Publication: Ancient Iranian Metalwork, by Ann C. Gunter and Paul Jett, $45 (cloth); $24.95 (paper)

Curator: Ann Gunter