Bestowing Beauty

de Aimée Froom, Walter B. Denny, Melanie Gibson, David J. Roxburgh, Houston Staff Museum of Fine Arts

A rare look into the grandeur and distinctiveness of Persian art through one of the world’s leading private collections. Bestowing Beauty showcases an assortment of stunning works from one of the world’s most distinguished private collections of Persian art. Featuring more than 100 exquisite objects spanning many centuries, from the eve of the Islamic period in the 6th century to the end of the 19th century, this wide range of treasures demonstrates the remarkable depth and diversity of the Hossein Afshar Collection. Extensively illustrated and accompanied by essays from a group of internationally recognized scholars, this book’s rich selection includes an array of ceramic works, rare Qur’an pages written in gold, precious inlaid metal wares, exquisite miniature paintings from Firdausi’s Shahnama, sumptuous silk brocades and velvet embroideries, and monumental silk carpets from the apex of Safavid carpet production. These rarely seen works bring into focus the remarkable variety of techniques and innovations employed by Persian artists and artisans through the ages.