The Art of the Shahi Kingdoms—Exploring the Southern Silk Roads (c. 600s–900s)

Deborah Klimburg-Salter, University Professor Emerita at the Institute of Art History, University of Vienna, and associate in the Department of South Asian Studies at Harvard University, presents her most recent research on the Buddhist and Hindu sites along the southern Silk Roads. Her lecture links the dynamic impact of international trade and cultural mobility with the exploitation of silver, copper, and other mineral resources in the mountainous regions extending from Afghanistan to the border of the Tibetan empire. The Turk Shahi Kingdoms successfully controlled this strategically located region for almost 300 years. Arab and Persian sources from the period of early Islamic expansion describe spectacular precious-metal icons. Among the few that survive, several key works are in the CMA’s collection. Free; ticket required.