Chester Beatty’s A to Z: from Amulet to Zodiac
11 July 2014 – 1 February 2015
Check out the online gallery of this exhibition HERE.
'........this exhibition manages to do something exceptional. That is, it humanises and personalises what can seem vast, remote and impersonal. Offering highlights that span Western, Islamic and east Asian cultures, it's a dazzling showcase of human creativity, filtered through one curious sensibility. A compendium of riches from an incomparable collection.'
- Sylvia Thompson, Irish Times
A is for Amulet, B is for Beatty, C is for Calligraphy . . ., Chester Beatty’s A to Z takes you on a journey through a selection of highlights, showcasing the breadth and quality of this wonderful collection.
This curators’ choice show is a visual treat with universal appeal. Featuring works that are seldom on display, the exhibition presents an opportunity to explore the threads that link cultures across the Western, Islamic and East Asian worlds.
A is for Amulet and the exhibition displays exquisite examples of these seventeenth- to nineteenth- century protective charms from the Christian, Hebrew, Islamic and Hindu faiths.
E is for Embroidery and the objects on view include European sixteenth- to eighteenth-century covers for almanacs and devotional works, as well as eighteenth- and nineteenth-century embroidered badges worn to indicate status in the Chinese imperial court.
T is for Travel and among the early printed travel books is a rare 1576 guide to the ‘most famous islands of the world’ with a chapter devoted to Ireland.
B is for Beatty and M is for Mining, and rarely seen material from the Library’s Archives offer a glimpse into Chester Beatty’s family and professional life.FOI
