From Amulet to Zodiac the A-Z exhibition now underway at Dublin’s Chester Beatty Library takes the visitor on a journey through a selection of highlights. The curators’ choice show highlights the breadth and quality of the wonderful collection, a rare opportunity to explore the threads that link cultures across the Western, Islamic and East Asian worlds.
A is for Amulet and the exhibition displays exquisite examples of these seventeenth- to nineteenth- century protective charms from the Christian, Hebrew, Islamic and Hindu faiths. E is for Embroidery and the objects on view include European sixteenth- to eighteenth-century covers for almanacs and devotional works, as well as eighteenth- and nineteenth-century embroidered badges worn to indicate status in the Chinese imperial court. T is for Travel and among the early printed travel books is a rare 1576 guide to the ‘most famous islands of the world’ with a chapter devoted to Ireland. B is for Beatty and M is for Mining, and rarely seen material from the Library’s Archives offer a glimpse into Chester Beatty’s family and professional life. The show continues until February 1, 2015. Here are some examples.
N is for Noh © Trustees of the Chester Beatty Library
A is for Amulet (Phylactery) © Trustees of the Chester Beatty Library
G is for Garden Copyright Trustees of the Chester Beatty Library.
J is for Jade. Copyright Trustees of the Chester Beatty Library.