The Retrieval of Kuwait National Museums Collections from Iraq The Retrieval of Kuwait National Museums Collections from IraqKirsty Norman  What follows is an excerpt from an article by Kirsty Norman published in the Spring 2000 issue of the Journal of the American Institute for Conservation (JAIC, Volume 39, Number 1, Article 11). It is a first-person account of the capture and return of The al-Sabah Collection during and after the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. In 1990, at the time of the invasion of Kuwait by Iraq, the Kuwait National Museum housed two collections: the national archaeological and ethnographic museum and the Dar al-Athar al-Islamiyyah, otherwise known as The al-Sabah Collection…

From Private to Public A talk given byHussa Sabah al-Salem al-Sabah Co-owner, The al-Sabah Collection Director General, Dar al-Athar al-Islamiyyah 17 October 2008, Historians of Islamic Art Association Annual Conference   When I was invited to address this distinguished gathering of historians, scholars and archaeologists, I interpreted the invitation to mean its organizers must have wished to relieve the atmosphere of sobriety and give erudition a chance to recede to back stage. With no pretence to any academic qualification in Islamic Art, this convenient interpretation of my role suits me to a tee. I propose, therefore, to give an outline of a personal journey of a Kuwaiti couple in the…

Missing Objects  In the course of the 1990 invasion of Kuwait, some 60 objects went missing  from the collection. These objects are registered with the Interpol, and any information of the possibility of retrieving them would be highly appreciated.  LNS 9 G Transparent glasshuqqa base, 18th century,India  LNS 12 G Transparent glasshuqqa base, 18th century,India  LNS 36 HS Inscribed gemstone, mid 17th century, India  LNS 9 HS Lidded bowl withsaucer; rock crystal inlaid withgold and set with rubies,sapphires and emeralds,18th century, India  LNS 28 HS Carved gemstone,circa 16th century, India  LNS 29 HS Carved gemstone,17th century, India  LNS 14 I  Set of 32 ivory chesspieces, 19th century, Rajasthan, India  LNS…