Highlights: Art of the Islamic World

The Cincinnati Art Museum’s collection of art from the Islamic world is stewarded by the Department of South Asian Art, Islamic Art, and Antiquities. Defined as countries where Islam was or is widespread, this collection includes strengths in ceramics, metalwork, and the calligraphic arts from the Middle East and Central Asia. Global trade through religious pilgrimage, diplomacy, and shifts of power became the mechanism through which ideas, techniques, and artistic styles traveled and evolved. Through an intersection of past and present, these objects represent sophisticated civilizations that reflect Islam’s role as a religion, culture, and political system.