This lecture will examine the jeweled objects in the current exhibition Exquisite Adornment: Turkmen and Miao Jewelry from the Elizabeth and Robert Lende Collection. We will look closely at these important jewels and contextualize them within the world of Islamic arts from Central Asia. In particular, we will focus on the cultural meaning of the gemstones and motifs ornamenting the surfaces.

More about Courtney Stewart:
Stewart is a Senior Researcher in the Department of Islamic Art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City where she has worked since 2010. She has contributed to the reinstallation of the new Galleries of the Arab Lands, Turkey, Iran, Central Asia, and Later South Asia (2011), as well as the exhibitions and publications Treasures from India: Jewels from the Al-Thani Collection (2014) and Sultans of Deccan India, 1500–1700: Opulence and Fantasy (2015). She holds graduate degrees from the University of Toronto and the Bard Graduate Center, and is currently pursuing research on the history of Islamic jewelry. Stewart teaches at the Center for Applied Liberal Arts at NYUSPS.