Dining with the Sultan: The Fine Art of Feasting

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The act of coming together to partake of a meal is a practice shared by all cultures. Food defines us—we are what we eat. 

Dining with the Sultan is the first exhibition to present Islamic art in the context of its associated culinary traditions. It will include some 250 works of art related to the sourcing, preparation, serving, and consumption of food, from 30 public and private collections in the U.S., Europe, and the Middle East—objects of undisputed quality and appeal, viewed through the universal lens of fine dining. 

The exhibition will stimulate not only the eyes but also the appetite, reminding visitors of the communal pleasure of food—both its taste and its presentation. It will provide much-needed information on the enormous class of luxury objects that may be broadly defined as tableware and demonstrate how gustatory discernment was a fundamental activity at the great Islamic courts.

Credit: Exhibition overview from museum website

Image credit:  Manuscript, Niʻmatnāmah-i Nāṣirshāhī (Book of Delights), India, late 15th century, The Oriental and India Office Collections of the British Library, London, IO Islamic 149 OR BL. Persian 149, fol.115 b, fol. 40 b, fol. 25 b, fol. 79 b, photo © British Library Images