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Falnama: The Book of Omens
October 24, 2009—January 24, 2010
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
Whether by consulting the position of the planets, casting horoscopes, or interpreting dreams, the art of divination was widely practiced throughout the Islamic world. The most splendid tools ever devised to foretell the future were illustrated texts known as the Falnama (Book of omens). Notable for their monumental size, brilliantly painted compositions, and unusual subject matter, the manuscripts, created in Safavid Iran and Ottoman Turkey in the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries, are the center piece of Falnama: The Book of Omens. This is the first exhibition ever devoted to these extraordinary manuscripts, which remain largely unpublished, and sheds new light on their artistic, cultural, and religious significance. Falnama: The Book of Omens comprises some sixty works of art from international public and private collections and is accompanied by a multi-authored, fully illustrated catalogue.
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