My favorite piece in the Met Islamic art collection is this dagger that is displayed in the showcase of ceremonial swords. This particular dagger does not have a description to go along with it but I did read that although the Mughal weapons displayed were functional and deadly, they were probably only used as a part of ceremonial attire. One can conclude this due to the fine materials they are made out of and the covering of gems. In portraits, Mughal emperors were shown wearing exquisite jewelry and arms. They had a fondness for gemstones which is not surprising considering how dazzling their creations are.
Most of the pieces in the Islamic art collection are very intricate. The artists paid a tremendous amount of attention to detail; simplicity is not a theme of Islamic art. I noticed that the Islamic collection was much more colorful than some other art in the museum that I saw. The art pieces in this part of the museum were the only ones I saw with metallic colors and sparkles. Granted it is a big museum and I did not look through all of it but from what I saw, Islamic art is very distinctive. Artists seem to be set on the use of patterns; almost everything seems to have some sort of pattern on it. The paintings are the only things that are far less ornate than the other art. They do not contain as many metallic elements and do not appear to be as detailed.
The Arabian Nights is a pretty ludicrous story. The little stories that make up the tale are complicated. The various plots tend to contain events that are just unnecessary. For example, when King Shahrayar wanted to see if he was being betrayed, he could have just announced he was going out and then stay behind to spy on his wife. Instead, he follows an elaborate scheme in which he has to disguise himself. His brother chooses to involve himself in the king’s own business when he is not obliged to. The art I saw in the museum is so intricate that it just looks complicated. It is beautiful but there were times when I actually felt overwhelmed looking at it. The patterns and designs are so detailed and excessive as are the stories in The Arabian Nights.