Rising from humble origins as Turkic tribesman, the powerful and culturally prolific Seljuqs – a dynastic tribe whose reach extended from Central Asia to the eastern Mediterranean – dominated the Islamic world from the 11th to the 14th century. This...

Metropolitan Museum curators William M. Ivins and his protege A. Hyatt Mayor not only assembled a vast collection of prints, from Renaissance masterworks to ephemeral works, but also expanded the appreciation of prints as aesthetic objects, socio-his...

From its origins in the 7th century, armor and weaponry were central to Islamic culture not only as a means of conquest and the spread of faith, but also as symbols of status, wealth, and power. More than 120 exceptional examples from the renowned co...

Featuring more than 100 extraordinary pieces from around the world and spanning thousands of years, this book displays the astounding diversity of musical instruments. Highlights include Bronze Age cymbals, the earliest known piano, violins made by S...

Artists from the kingdom of Kongo – a vast swath of Central Africa that today encompasses the Republic of Congo, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Angola-were responsible for outstanding creative achievements. With the influx of Portuguese, Dutch...

In the 16th and 17th centuries, the Deccan plateau of south-central India was home to a series of important, highly cultured Muslim kingdoms and was a nexus of international trade. Invigorated by cultural connections to Iran, Turkey, East Africa, and...

Chinese ceramics are among the most significant and widely collected decorative arts produced anywhere in the world, with a history that spans millennia. Despite the saturation of Chinese ceramics in global culture – in English, the word "china" has...

Among glass craftsmen active in the first century A.D., the most famous and gifted was Ennion, who came from the coastal city of Sidon in modern Lebanon. Ennion's glass stood out for its quality and popularity, and his products are distinguished by t...

India's rich tradition of jewelled arts has produced extravagant and opulent creations that range from ornaments for every part of the body to ceremonial court objects such as boxes, daggers and thrones. Starting with the Mughal rulers of India (1526...

Renowned throughout Renaissance Europe, Pieter Coecke van Aelst (1502–1550) produced works for the wealthiest and most important patrons of the time, including Emperor Charles V, Francis I of France, Henry VIII of England, the Habsburgs, and Cosimo d...