In the early 17th-century Iranian art was experiencing a golden age due in large part to the country's ruler Shah Abbas, famous for his political and cultural ambitions. The British Museum in association with the Iran Heritage Foundation has just opened an exhibition called Shah Abbas: The Remaking of Iran that illustrates his many achievements including the building of his new capital of Isfahan, a marvel of architectural planning and still, as Madeleine Bunting claims, "Iran's most beautiful city". Bunting goes on to elaborate on why this exhibition of art from 400 years ago is so important right at this moment:
This is a timely exhibition: a bold attempt to deepen understanding of
a country with which our own is locked in a hostile diplomatic impasse.
It is only four years since the museum mounted the Forgotten Empire
exhibition on Iran's ancient history; it is as if the museum is
conducting its own independent foreign policy, using culture as a form
of exchange between countries for which other methods of communication
are difficult.
To see some highlights from this show Jonathan Jones gave a rare five out of five stars, please click here. In a separate article Jones also wrote about how the fearless 17th-century globetrotting couple Robert and Teresia Sherley connect the Shah Abbas exhibition with the new Van Dyck show at Tate Britain. But more on Van Dyck in a few days.