With just 26 letters, Chester Beatty Library’s latest exhibition has seemingly captured the creative essence of human history. ‘Chester Beatty’s A-Z: from Amulet to Zodiac’ takes visitors on a journey through rare pieces from the library’s collection in Dublin. Each artefact corresponds to a letter in the alphabet and they come from all over the world.
The range of cultures represented in the exhibit is quite impressive. There are pieces from the ancient Islamic and Asian worlds, as well as artefacts from more recent European history. There is even a collection of papyrus writings from ancient Egypt.
All of the pieces are impressive, but there are certainly some standouts including ‘C for Calligraphy’ and ‘E for Embroidery’. In the calligraphy section there is a stunning artefact from the Islamic world. In the Islamic tradition pictures were often discouraged and therefore calligraphy was the norm of artistic expression. Under embroidery there is a beautiful collection of Mandarin squares. These squares were embroidered on the robes of Chinese officials and they are really quite beautiful.
Treasures
One thing the exhibition makes clear is that the search for knowledge and a place in the world has definitely been present throughout history. ‘O for Optics’ and ‘T for Travel’ are just some of the pieces that make this evident.
It’s fascinating to be able to look at ancient Islamic medical texts and see the advancements they were making in the scientific field back in an age that we’d probably consider to be fairly ignorant. The European travel guides from the age of exploration cause one to wonder whether any of the explorers themselves saw the same treasures present in the room.
Aside from the vast collection of world artefacts, the library makes sure to pay tribute to their namesake Sir Chester Beatty. Beatty, originally born in New York in 1875, made his fortune from mining. He eventually moved to Ireland in 1950 and built a library for his vast art collection, which he consequentially donated to the State after his death. The letters B and M are especially set aside to give insight into Beatty’s personal history, including family photos and his School of Mines Degree from Columbia University.
There’s something for everyone to appreciate in this collection. Whether you are there to simply appreciate the beauty of the objects or to learn about their history, the exhibition will not disappoint. It’s likely that everyone who comes through will learn something new, and hopefully people will come out with a larger appreciation of the collected cultural history of the world than when they went in.
One cannot help but be awed by the shear creative ability of our ancestral predecessors.
The exhibition runs from now until February 1, 2015 and admission is free. See www.cbl.ie/exhibitions/future-exhibitions.aspx for more information.