Wednesday, August 20, 2008 
The Sasanians (aka Sasanids or Sassanians) were leaders of the ancient Persian empire that espoused Zoroastrianism, Iran’s pre-Islamic religion. Overrun by Arab invaders, the Sasanians’ art was a big influence on and precursor for Islamic art.
New York’s Asia Society has a pretty swell exhibit of their art going now through May. The New York Times noted that the antiquities almost didn’t make it past JFK airport because “the United States’ longstanding embargo on Iranian imports stipulates that any art objects of Iranian origin, no matter how long they have been elsewhere, can enter this country only with a permit from Washington.” How rude, right? Never mind that all of this art is now housed in France and had the show organizers had a permit - even Iranian art requires intense scrutiny to enter the U.S.
In any case, the pieces are mostly fancy bowls, seals, cups, etc. (no uranium in sight), and though we’re usually not too gung-ho about royal housewares (or housewares, period), it’s a pretty interesting exhibit in light of recent fascinations with both Islam and Iran. The Asia Society has several interesting lectures and programs lined up for it. One note: we recommend avoiding the guided tours and meandering around on your own. It’s much more fun that way, plus they have a pretty nifty system that lets you call into the audio tour with your cell phone instead of renting headphones.
Fri, 23 Feb 2007 03:22:00 -0800
You must be logged in to post a comment.