SARASOTA, FLA.- The first comprehensive exhibition of one of the finest collections of Islamic art in the U.S. has go on view at The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art this winter. A rare and insightful introduction to Islamic art, Ink, Silk and Gold: Islamic Art from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, features approximately 100 superb works of art–in an array of media, including metalwork, manuscripts, paintings, ceramics, textiles and architectural details–from the eighth through the 21st centuries. Offering a window into the multifaceted and dynamic artistic traditions and contemporary voices of the Islamic world, and spanning the globe from Spain to Indonesia, the exhibition considers Islamic art as a synthesis of numerous cultures over the centuries. The exhibition is on view from Feb. 5 through May 1, 2016.

“Leading up to the debut of The Ringling’s new Center for Asian Art in Dr. Helga Wall-Apelt Gallery of Asian Art this spring and during this challenging time of geopolitical and religious strife, Ink, Silk and Gold provides us with an ideal opportunity to foster an important cultural conversation focused on the dynamism and diversity of Islamic art and culture,” said Steven High, Executive Director of The Ringling. “As a leading university art museum with broad international reach, The Ringling is dedicated to examining the rich artistic traditions that are critical to more fully understanding our world today.”

Ink, Silk and Gold was organized by the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. The objects presented in this special exhibition are being comprehensively studied, restored and circulated for the first time since the MFA began collecting Islamic art 130 years ago. The installation at The Ringling has been overseen by Christopher Jones, Assistant Curator of Exhibitions.

The works of art on view in the exhibition, which is arranged chronologically and regionally, were produced in societies where Islam was a major cultural force–some relate to Islamic ideas, others have little to do with religion. The exhibition title refers to the centrality of the materials of Islamic art, and throughout the galleries visitors are invited to explore how an object’s medium expressively shapes both its form and meaning.

The first section of the exhibition includes objects created between the eighth and 10th centuries. Glass and metal vessels demonstrate the artistic debt owed to the Byzantine and Sasanian empires, while parchment Qur’ans and glazed ceramics inscribed with pious blessings illustrate the birth of new art forms in this early period.

The second section explores art created between the 11th and 15th centuries, subdivided into the diverse traditions that emerged by the beginning of this period. One grouping presents objects from Egypt and Syria, including a monumental Mamluk pulpit door inlaid with ivory and ebony. Another grouping dedicated to the arts of Spain, southern Italy and North Africa brings together fine examples of silk lampas with Maghribi Qur’an folios and Hispano-Moresque ceramics. The final grouping–devoted to Iran and Central Asia–includes exquisite examples of Persian painting from the period of the form’s genesis.

In the third section the exhibition presents art of three great Islamic empires: the Safavids, Ottomans and Mughals. The Safavid section draws upon the MFA’s deep holdings in Persian paintings and textiles, featuring magnificent carpets and velvets made for the Safavid ruler Shah Tahmasp. Ottoman objects include masterpieces of Iznik ceramics such as a tile tympanum from the palace of a 16th-century Ottoman admiral. Among the Mughal treasures presented are a page from the monumental Hamzanama manuscript produced for Akbar the Great and an Ames carpet woven with scenes of Mughal court life.

The exhibition closes with works from the 19th century onward, from a steel gourd damascened with gold made in Qajar Iran to a sculpture by Monir Farmanfarmaian, an artist living in Iran today. In these final objects, the traditional materials and techniques of Islamic art give way to the new media of global contemporary art, raising important questions about what the term “Islamic art” means today.

The exhibition is on view in the Museum of Art’s Searing Wing and is one of two special exhibitions presented leading up to the opening in May of The Ringling’s new Center for Asian Art.