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Connections: Better Broken

Islamic art curator Navina Haidar extols the implications and aesthetics of the broken or incomplete.

Navina Najat Haidar

April 27, 2011

4 min. watch

"We live in a world of half-completed things or damaged objects, but I had never articulated to myself that in fact there were times quite often that I preferred the objects that way."

Islamic art curator Navina Haidar extols the implications and aesthetics of the broken or incomplete.

Contributors

Navina Najat Haidar
Curator, Department of Islamic Art

Art Mentioned

Head of Krishna: cartoon for a mural of the Raslila

, Sahib Ram, Ink and opaque watercolor on paper, India (Rajasthan, Jaipur) — Head of Krishna: cartoon for a mural of the Raslila
Attributed to Sahib Ram
ca. 1800

Torso of a Bodhisattva, Sahri-Bahlol Workshop, Schist, Pakistan (ancient region of Gandhara, mondern Peshawar region) — Torso of a Bodhisattva
Probably Sahri-Bahlol Workshop
ca. 5th century

Marble statue of a fighting Gaul, Marble, Island, Greek — Marble statue of a fighting Gaul
Greek
2nd or 1st century BCE

Marble portrait of the co-emperor Lucius Verus, Marble, Roman — Marble portrait of the co-emperor Lucius Verus
Roman
161–169 CE

Fragment of a terracotta amphora (jar), Painter of Vatican 365, Terracotta, Greek, Attic — Fragment of a terracotta amphora (jar)
Attributed possibly to the Painter of Vatican 365
ca. 540–530 BCE

Fragment from a marble head of a man, preserving the nose and mouth, Marble, Roman — Fragment from a marble head of a man, preserving the nose and mouth
Roman
mid-2nd century CE

Ivory sandaled foot, Ivory, Roman — Ivory sandaled foot
Roman
ca. 31 BCE–14 CE

Pair of eyes, Bronze, marble, frit, quartz, obsidian, Greek — Pair of eyes
Greek
5th century BCE or later

Self-Portrait, from "The Iconography", Anthony van Dyck Flemish, Etching; first state of seven — Self-Portrait, from "The Iconography"
Anthony van Dyck
Sitter Anthony van Dyck
ca. 1640

Bowl with Inscription, "Sovereignty is God's", Earthenware; white slip with black slip decoration under transparent glaze — Bowl with Inscription, "Sovereignty is God's"
late 9th–early 10th century

Tile with 'Saz' Leaf Design, Stonepaste; polychrome painted under transparent glaze — Tile with 'Saz' Leaf Design
ca. 1545–55

"The Death of King Dasharatha, the Father of Rama", Folio from a Ramayana, Opaque watercolor and gold on paper — "The Death of King Dasharatha, the Father of Rama", Folio from a Ramayana
ca. 1605

A Nobleman Reading, Opaque watercolor on paper — A Nobleman Reading
ca. 1750–75

Elephant and Rider, Hashim Indian, Ink and watercolor on paper — Elephant and Rider
Attributed to Hashim
ca. 1640

Antelope Head, Greywacke, travertine (Egyptian alabaster), agate — Antelope Head
525–404 BCE

Fragment of a Queen's Face, Yellow jasper — Fragment of a Queen's Face
ca. 1386–1330 BCE

Torso of a High General, Metagraywacke — Torso of a High General
4th century BCE

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