Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1943-08-29

lsiamlc art is not novelty in
Washington, thanks to the riches of
the Freer Gallery. But such is the
beauty and historic interest of an
Gent art from Persia, Syria, India,
Egypt and neighboring nations that
each new exhibition Is a welcome
addition to what we have here per-
manently.
A travelling show of about rs
works-miniatures, pottery, metal
objects and textile fragments-is
now on view at the Howard Uni
versity Art Gallery to remain until
September Is. 1t was assembled by
N. H. Heeramaneck of New York
City, was shown earlier this year
at the Baltimore Museum of Art, has
also been displayed on the Pacific
Coast and N Michigan and has now
been taken over by the American
Federation of Arts for further cir
culation.
Probably the miniatures are most
appealing to the public, of the va
rious kinds of work shown. The
majority Of those in the current
collection are in excellent condition,
the painting sharp and clear, the
colors fresh and bright as Jewels,
the figures and landscapes charm
ing. Although some of the minia-
lures depict scenes from the Shah
Namah and historic personages and
incidents, We derive the impression
that they are glimpses of real life
in India and Persia in the 18th
and 18th centuries. One of the
best of these little paintings rep
resents youthful ruler seated upon
a carpet surrounded by bearded
councillors and attendants. Be
yond the group is a mountainous
landscape.
The Perslans were fabulously skill
ful designers. The intricate and
elaborate patterns of their textiles, a
architectural decoration and many
other arts must have demanded far
more skill and patience than any,
thing we do today. Furthermore,
they could invent some fantastic
figure, making it so we'll balanced
and harmonious that the result
seems perfectly natural and accept
able. An example in the present
show is Persian brush drawing OF
four lions with one head.
Lions in ISlamic Art
Any liberties a Persian artist took
with the lion were firmly based on
knowledge of the animals anatomy
The Persian lion "a smaller species
than the Barbary lion) was widely
distributed in the Near East and
Northern Greece. Three thousand
years ago he was a great menace
to human life and domestic ami
mails and he continued through the
centuries to be dreaded adversary.
Kings and courtiers frequently went
on lion hunts, conducted with much
ceremony, as we see in innumerable
sculptures and paintings dating from
early times. But the hunt was a
necessity as we'll as sport One
Of the miniatures in the present
show represents three hunters out
after lions and gazelles in a rocky
landscape.
To those who see beyond the
actual objects to the periods when
they were produced, the pottery and
textiles are no less interesting than
the miniatures. The pottery is from
two to six centuries older than the
miniatures. Most of it is Persian,
other examples are from Mesopo-
tamia SYRIA.
Persia, Syria, Egypt and Spain
(under the Moors) were the coun-
tries which produced the finest pot
terry during the medieval period. In
studying their history one learns
that Mohammed and his followers
were conquerors of those countries,
which were vastly superior in CT
vilization. But, unlike the contem-
porary Germans. who destroy and
rob subjugated nations and reduce
the populations to slavery, the Mo-
hammedans of more than a thou
sand years ago gave to the countries
they conquered the best government
they had known since Roman times
and the greatest aprosperity. They
encouraged the production of pot
terry, textiles, wood and metal work
and other arts which were flourish
ing when they arrived.
Rakka, on the Euphrates in Syria,
and Rhages, near Teheran, In Persia,
were two of the greatest ceramic
centers. Examples Of both types are