This exhibition at the Hotêl de la Marine in Paris brings together more than 120 objects from the Al Thani Collection to explore how cultures across periods and geographies have depicted, interpreted and been inspired by the animal kingdom.
Garment hook (daigou) in the form of a tiger, China, Eastern Zhou, Warring States Period, 475-221 BC.
© The Al Thani Collection 2018Real and imaginary creatures feature throughout, representing civilisations across four continents and spanning the 3rd millennium BC to the 20th century AD. Highlights include a Laconian bronze votive figure of a horse from the Greek Geometric period (750–730 BC); a large Chinese garment buckle in the form of a tiger, dating to the Warring States period (475–221 BC); a jewelled cane handle by Fabergé, carved in the form of a snake’s head, dating to circa 1890; and a wooden sculpture of a bird made by the Senufo peoples of West Africa, circa 1900.
Rhyton in the form of a zebu, Iran, Amlash, c. 1100-800 BC. © The Al Thani Collection 2019. All rights reserved. Photographs taken by Prudence Cuming Associates Ltd
Cane handle in the form of a snake. Fabergé (maison), Mikhail Perkhin (1860-1903) (jeweller). ATC207 © The Al Thani Collection, 2018. All rights reserved. Photography by Prudence Cuming Associates Ltd
The exhibition unfolds across four galleries. Gallery 1 brings together seven objects reflecting divergent responses to the animal world, among them a gold Mughal jewellery pendant in the form of a bird, made in India circa 1700. Gallery 2 turns to the horse, one of the most enduring symbols of power and status across Asia, Europe and parts of Africa. Gallery 3 examines the long-standing relationship between power and the animal world, tracing how elites have used animal imagery to express authority, prestige and belief. Gallery 4 considers the porous boundary between the animal world and the supernatural, where deities, heroes and mythological beings take on hybrid and transformative forms.
