The East in the West.(Report from Europe)(exhibitions)

Three museums, two in England and one in the Netherlands, have exhibitions on view or shortly to open that examine cultures completely outside the European sphere. Until January 8, 2006, the British Museum in London has on display a show entitled Forgotten Empire: The World of Ancient Persia. For two hundred years, from about 550 to 330 BC, the Persians ruled an enormous territory that stretched from North Africa to the Indus Valley and from central Asia to the Persian Gulf. The contributions of three emperors in particular, Cyrus, Darius, and Xerxes, are highlighted in the exhibition. Many of the objects on view come from the National Museum of Iran in Tehran and the Musee du Louvre in Paris. The lavish tableware, carved gold and silver bowls, and a display showing the monumental scale of Persian palaces emphasize the luxury and wealth enjoyed by the emperors and the ruling classes. Another aspect of the show is the innovations of the Persian rulers that helped them control their empire. These included a complex road network, an imperial postal service, and a system of administration so efficient that when Persepolis fell to Alexander the Great in 331 BC he retained many of its elements. The exhibition also explores the Persians at war. There are examples of weapons as well as representations of Persian military men on stone reliefs. The exhibition ends with the clay Cyrus Cylinder that is inscribed with a text that espouses a just and peaceful rule as well as a degree of religious tolerance. The cylinder is sometimes referred to as the first declaration of human rights.

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The exhibition is supported by BP, the Iran Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization, Bank Melli Iran, and the National Petrochemical Company. The curator is John Curtis, who, along with Nigel Tallis, edited the accompanying catalogue, which is distributed in North America by the University of California Press.

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At the Royal Academy of Arts in London, the spotlight shifts to China between 1662 and 1795, when the country was ruled by three powerful emperors of the Qing dynasty. Many of the objects on view come from the Palace Museum in Beijing and have never before been seen outside China. These works are supplemented by objects collected by such European rulers as Charles II of England and Louis XIV of France.

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