The Smithsonian Institution and the Louvre have joined forces for “From the Louvre: Masterpieces of Islamic Art,” opening Sept. 26 at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art in Washington, DC. The exhibition runs through Jan. 18.

The exhibition features 26 works from the Louvre’s permanent collection, marking the first time the Paris museum has loaned these pieces together to another institution. The showcase also highlights more than a century of collaboration between the two museums and comes as the US marks its 250th anniversary.

Selected from the Louvre’s collection of more than 18,000 Islamic art objects, the works span centuries and regions, including Egypt, Syria, Iran, Turkey, India and Spain. They include the Baptistery of Saint Louis, a Timurid jade cup with Persian poetry, an Ayyubid glass beaker depicting polo players, an Ottoman dish with a peacock, a Mamluk dagger adorned with precious stones, and a portrait of Qajar ruler Fath Ali Shah.

The exhibition emphasizes a broad understanding of Islamic art, encompassing both decorative and functional objects and showcasing the artistic sophistication of diverse Islamic civilizations.

Curators also highlighted a simple, unglazed earthenware bowl from Susa, Iran, dating to 600–800 CE, as an example of how elegance and sophistication can emerge from modest materials.