[Exhibition] Fascinated by Blue and White

At the Museum of Islamic Art, Pergamonmuseum in Berlin, this exhibition explores the fascination the Islamic world had for blue and white porcelain imported from China. These attractive high-fired ceramics which made their first real appearance in West Asia in the 14th century were much treasured, eagerly collected, copied, exchanged and displayed. Especially in the Indo-Persin world, these blue and whites were displayed in 'porcelain houses' (chino-khane), all carefully arranged in individually shaped niches. 

For the first time ever, the Museum of Islamic Art exhibits a selection of Islamic paintings, primarily from 17th - and 18th-century India, which focuses on the elegant blue and white porcelain as prestige objects. These delicate paintings are shown together with a selection of ceramics, both Chinese blue-and-white porcelain from the collection of the Museum für Asiatische Kunst (Museum of Asian Art), as well as Persian and Ottoman Turkish ceramics which were made in homage to the Chinese blue-and-white.

The exhibition Fascinated by Blue and White: Chinese Porcelain in Islamic Painting, is dedicated to John Carswell on the occasion of his 80th birthday. His contributions to the study of Chinese blue-and-white porcelain and its impact on the Middle East has been immense.