Met Museum - Blog
  • 14 Mins Read
  • 17th September 2021

In 2021 my friend Madeline Weinrib called to ask if D’ASCOLI would contribute a silk kaftan to the special collection of products she was curating for the gift shop at the Metropolitan Museum Of Art in New York City. The Heirloom Collection, as she named the project, would consist of products inspired by treasures in the Met’s Islamic Art Department and would be created by artisanal Makers in countries such as Morocco, Turkey, and India. Since I was a boy I have loved art, history, and adventure, and I would experience all three on my visits to the Met. It was exciting to have the opportunity to rummage through that great collection, seeking inspiration from which to collaborate in creating new works for today’s contemporary lifestyle. Our Iznik Kaftan, based on a 16th century Iznik tile panel from Turkey, is one such example.

Iznik tiles are ceramic tiles that were produced in the town of Iznik, Turkey during the 16th and 17th centuries. They were originally produced for use in the decoration of Ottoman palaces and mosques, but later became popular for use in domestic settings as well. The tiles were known for their bright colors and intricate designs, which were created using a combination of cobalt blue, turquoise, and manganese purple on a white background.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, also known as “the Met,” is one of the most famous and largest art museums in the world, located in New York City. The museum has a collection of over 2 million works of art spanning 5,000 years of world culture. It’s collections includes American and European painting, sculpture, decorative arts, Ancient Egyptian art, Islamic art, and many other forms of art.

 

The Met was founded in 1870 by a group of American citizens. It opened to the public in 1872 in a building located at 681 Fifth Avenue. Since then, the museum has expanded to occupy a large complex of buildings along the eastern edge of Central Park, along Fifth Avenue. The Met’s main building is the largest art museum in the United States and among the most visited art museums in the world. The Met’s Costume Institute is also one of the most comprehensive collections of fashion in the world. It features clothing, accessories, and textiles dating from the 18th century to the present day. The Met Cloisters, located in Upper Manhattan, is a branch of the museum devoted to the art and architecture of medieval Europe. It houses an extensive collection of sculptures, illuminated manuscripts, and decorative arts from the medieval period.

 

Additionally, the Met also has an extensive collection of ancient art including an extensive collection of Egyptian art, which includes the Temple of Dendur, a gift from Egypt in 1965, the Met collection of Greek and Roman art is one of the most comprehensive in the world. The museum also has extensive collections of Asian, African, Oceanic, Byzantine, and Islamic art.

 

Overall, the Metropolitan Museum of Art offers visitors the opportunity to experience an incredible array of art and artifacts from around the world and across history, It is considered a must-visit destination for art lovers and culture enthusiasts. The Islamic Department at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York is one of the largest and most comprehensive collections of Islamic art in the world. The collection spans over 1,300 years of Islamic civilization and includes objects from Spain to India, and from the 7th to the 19th century. The collection includes ceramics, metalwork, textiles, carpets, manuscripts, and architectural elements.

 

One of the highlights of the Islamic collection is the Galleries for the Art of the Arab Lands, Turkey, Iran, Central Asia, and Later South Asia. These galleries feature objects that span over 1,000 years of Islamic civilization, including ceramics, metalwork, glass, textiles, and manuscripts. Visitors can see a wide range of Islamic art styles and techniques, from the intricate decoration of the famous Iznik ceramics to the delicate calligraphy of Islamic manuscripts.

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Tamara Mellon X D'Ascoli

December 2021

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Tantava

October 2022

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