THE GUARDIAN
By Jonathon Jones
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| Inner harmony … a detail from The Hamzanama (c 1558–73, India) in the new Albukhary Foundation Gallery of the Islamic World. Photograph: © Trustees of the British Museum |
The best way to get to the British Museum’s new gallery of Islamic art is via the Sutton Hoo gallery. That way, you first take a trip through Anglo-Saxon England, past Celtic gold, Viking jewels and treasures from the burial of a seventh-century king. These artefacts, lurking in shadow, all date from a time that is often called the Dark Ages. Then you step out of that gallery and into a world of light. There is far too much to explore in one review, but then, this is not an exhibition to get a ticket for and see once. It is part of the museum’s permanent displays. At the
British Museum, London. Opens 18 October. [
More]
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| An ordering of nature grounded in geometry … star and cross tiles (1266–67, Iran). Photograph: © The Trustees of the British Museum |
