Norma Jean Calderwood Lecture

Garden imagery has a long history in Iranian art as a metaphor for Paradise and as a symbol of royal leisure. The garden image appears in almost every aspect and medium of Islamic art from Spain to Sumatra. However, the large carpets woven in Iran with the layout of a chahar bagh, or traditional four-fold Persian garden, show us the largest and probably the most familiar application of the concept. In this illustrated talk, on November 13, at 6pm Professor Walter B. Denny will discuss the enduring tradition of garden carpets in central Islamic lands—tracing their history, their use indoors and out, and their importance in the spectrum of Islamic artistic media. For more information please visit Harvard Art Museums.