Carpets from Islamic Lands
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A celebration of morethan forty of the finestclassical carpets createdin Egypt, Turkey, Persia,the Caucasus, and Indiabetween the sixteenthand nineteenth centuries Among the most beautiful and precious textiles in the world, carpets fromIslamic lands have been treasured for centuries. Prized by European monarchsand traded as far afield as Tibet and the Americas, these woven and knottedmasterpieces are both distinguished works of art and revealing utilitarianobjects that offer a glimpse of life in the Islamic world.The third volume in Thames & Hudson's series cataloguing the al-SabahCollection, this book features some of the finest classical carpets from thesixteenth to the nineteenth centuries, along with several intriguing pre-Islamic carpet fragments. Carpet and textile expert Friedrich Spuhlerdescribes the spectacular al-Sabah Collection in the context of the historyof Islamic art and recounts the stories behind individual carpets.The book includes pictures of many carpets never before reproducedin print, as well as a few that may have been lost forever following the Iraqiinvasion of Kuwait in 1990.
Ceramics from Islamic Lands
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A collection of ceramics from the lands of Islam, providing a new framework for the understanding and study of Islamic ceramics, their traditions and technical inventiveness.
Glass from Islamic Lands
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The wonder and vitality of Islamic glass are revealed in this extraordinary publication, the first major study in over seventy years. Glass objects rarely bear inscriptions that provide vital information, and throughout history they were shipped long distances, often to be discarded or melted and re-formed. In a triumph of patient scholarship, Stefano Carboni draws on a huge range of sources in many languages and from many disciplines in order to overcome these research difficulties. The book is based on the remarkable al-Sabah Collection and includes detailed descriptions of hundreds of objects, accompanied by 250 specially taken color photographs and forty commissioned line drawings. It begins with the legacy of Roman and Sasanian traditions in the early years of Islam and extends well over a thousand years to the last phase of glass production in Mughal India and Safavid and Qajar Iran in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The discussion covers a haunting mixture of glass specific to a particular time and place, such as the enameled and gilded glass of thirteenth- and fourteenth-century Egypt and Syria with its spectacular decoration technique unsurpassed to the present day; and categories of glass common to both the early and medieval periods in many locations, either undecorated or with applied, molded, and impressed decoration. 250 color and 40 b/w illustrations.
How to Read Islamic Calligraphy
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An accessible introduction to the quintessential art form of the Islamic world How to Read Islamic Calligraphy explores the preeminence of the written word as a means of creative expression throughout the Islamic world. Aimed at a general audience, the book introduces all five major Islamic calligraphic script types, demonstrates their distinctive visual characteristics, and explains the various contexts in which each one came to be used, whether for transcribing the Qur'an, composing poetry, or issuing written edicts from the sultan's court. Numerous examples illustrate how the transmission of these styles and techniques from master to pupil was fundamental to the flourishing of Islamic calligraphy, and handwriting models from as early as the 10th century continue to inspire students of calligraphy today. Superbly illustrated, the works discussed include manuscripts, glass, metalware, and ceramic tiles. This accessible and engaging book traces the progression of calligraphic styles over centuries and across geographical regions, affirming the spectacular range of creative possibilities afforded by this unique art form.
How to Read Islamic Carpets
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Islamic Metalwork from the Aron Collection
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An eye-opening cornucopia of Islamic metal craftsmanship from the Middle Ages to the 14th century The Aron Collection was first introduced to the public in 1986 with the publication of a highly acclaimed catalog featuring a wide variety of Islamic metalwork pieces. This volume presents the second expert curation of the private English collection, helmed by professor Giovanni Curatola. The text explores the main regional schools that flourished in this particular genre of Islamic art, focusing in particular on Iran and Central Asia with pieces dating as far back as the Medieval era alongside later works. Metalworking is an extremely technical and complex art, and each of the items in this collection represents a level of virtuosity achieved through centuries of experimentation. The pitchers, bowls and other vessels offer insight into the evolution of the craft between the 9th and the 14th centuries and open a window onto the lifestyles of Muslim society through history.
Symbols of Power: luxury textiles from Islamic lands, 7th-21st century
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A lavishly illustrated, authoritative presentation of the history of Islamic luxury textiles For centuries, luxury textiles were symbols of status, wealth, and power at Islamic imperial courts from the Atlantic to the Indian Ocean, setting standards for beauty and fueling prosperous, urban economies. This book offers an unparalleled examination of Islamic luxury textiles, drawn from the Cleveland Museum of Art's exemplary collection as well as from museums on four continents. Leading scholar Louise W. Mackie offers a generous overview of the cultural significance of these textiles, as well as descriptions of primary motifs and patterns, and explanations of various techniques used in their production. With singular insight into distinctive artistic characteristics of wealthy dynasties and periods, the text--complemented by more than 450 sumptuous illustrations--pinpoints luxury textiles as a vital link between art, culture, and history of the Islamic world. This book offers a much-needed contribution to scholarship on both textiles and Islamic art, and paves the way for further study and appreciation of these objects.
Caravans of Gold, Fragments in Time: art, culture, and exchange across medieval Saharan Africa
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The Sahara Desert was a thriving crossroads of exchange for West Africa, North Africa, the Middle East, and Europe in the medieval period. Fueling this exchange was West African gold, prized for its purity and used for minting currencies and adorning luxury objects such as jewelry, textiles, and religious objects. Caravans made the arduous journey by camel southward across the Sahara carrying goods for trade--glass vessels and beads, glazed ceramics, copper, books, and foodstuffs, including salt, which was obtained in the middle of the desert. Northward, the journey brought not only gold but also ivory, animal hides and leatherwork, spices, and captives from West Africa forced into slavery. Caravans of Gold, Fragments in Time draws on the latest archaeological discoveries and art historical research to construct a compelling look at medieval trans-Saharan exchange and its legacy. Published in association with the Mary and Leigh Block Museum of Art, Northwestern University.
The Image Debate: figural representation in Islam and across the world
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The images released by the Islamic State of militants smashing statues at ancient sites were a horrifying aspect of their advance across Northern Iraq and Syria during 2015-16. Their leaders justified this iconoclasm by arguing that such actions were divinely decreed in Islam, a notion that has remained fixed in the public consciousness. The Image Debate is a collection of thirteen essays which examine the controversy surrounding the use of images in Islamic and other religious cultures and seek to redress some of the misunderstandings that have arisen. Written by leading academics from the United States, Australia, Turkey, Israel and the United Kingdom, the book an introduction by the editor Christiane Gruber, who sets the subject in context with a detailed examination of the debates over idols and the production of figural images in Islamic traditions. Twelve further articles are divided into three sections: the first deals with pre-modern Islam; the second section addresses the situation outside Islam; and the third section brings the reader back to Islamic lands with five articles examining aspects of the issue in the modern and contemporary periods.
Islamic and Islamicate Architecture in the Americas
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A groundbreaking study that redefines Islamic architectural history by placing the Americas at the center of transregional cultural and artistic dialogues. Walking us through colonial courtyards in Peru to the mosques and cultural centers built by contemporary immigrant communities across North America, Islamic and Islamicate Architecture in the Americas depicts how architectural traditions tied to the Islamic world have taken root and evolved across the Western Hemisphere. Using diverse case studies, contributors examine the migration of construction techniques, the adaptation of Islamic architectural motifs in colonial and modern contexts, and the role of patronage in shaping built environments.
Islamic Geometric Design
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Artist and teacher Eric Broug analyses and explains these complex designs for the first time in their historical and physical context. His own original drawings accompany magnificent photographs of mosques, madrasas, palaces and tombs from the Islamic world, ranging from North Africa to Iran and Uzbekistan, and from the 8th to the 19th centuries. The creators of these patterns were usually anonymous and there is little evidence for their working practices, but a close and detailed study of the designs can tell us much. Combining wide-ranging empirical research with his own artistic skills and sensibility, Eric Broug shows how, over the centuries, craftsmen were able to adorn beautiful buildings with wonderful geometric patterns using the simplest of tools and without recourse to mathematical calculations. Chapters are devoted to each of the main 'families' of geometric design - fourfold, fivefold and sixfold - and to the complex 'combined' patterns. Every design is carefully explained, and illustrated with a wealth of stunning photographs and clear, meticulously detailed drawings. Readers can follow the design processes by which these patterns were created and even learn to reproduce and invent geometric patterns for themselves, using exactly the same tools as the Islamic craftsmen of old: a ruler and a pair of compasses.
The Islamic World: a history in objects
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This lavishly illustrated history explores the Islamic world, through superb art objects and cultural artifacts dating from the seventh century to the present. This introduction offers a fresh approach to the history of the Islamic world from its origins to the present day. Told in six chapters, arranged both chronologically and thematically, and richly enhanced with outstanding images, it provides an illuminating insight into the material culture produced from West Africa to Southeast Asia through art and artifacts, people and places. Texts are accompanied by a wide variety of objects, including architectural decoration, ceramics, jewelry, metalwork, calligraphy, textiles, musical instruments, coins, illustrated manuscripts, and modern and contemporary art, all of which shed new light on the Islamic world both past and present.
The Mercantile Effect: on art and exchange in the Islamicate world during the 17th-18th
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This lavishly illustrated volume of essays introduces a fascinating array of subjects, each exploring an aspect of the far-reaching "mercantile effect" and its impact across western Asia in the early modern era. In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries the increased movement of merchants and goods from China to Europe brought desirable commodities to new markets, but also spread ideas, tastes, and technologies across western Asia as never before. Through the newly-established Dutch, English, and French East India companies, as well as much older mercantile networks, commodities including silk, ivory, books, and glazed porcelains were transported both east and west. The Mercantile Effect shows a fascinating array of trade objects and the customs and traditions of traders that brought about a period of intense cultural interchange.
The Praiseworthy One: the Prophet Muhammad in Islamic texts and images
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In the wake of controversies over printing or displaying images of the Prophet Muhammad, Christiane Gruber's aim is to bring back into scholarly and public discussion the 'lost' history of imagining the Prophet in Islamic cultures. By studying the various verbal and visual constructions of the Prophet's character and persona over the course of more than one thousand years, Gruber seeks to correct public misconceptions and restore to Islam its rich artistic heritage, illuminating the critical role Muhammad has played in Muslim constructions of self and community at different times and in various cultural contexts. Gruber stresses that a fruitful approach to extant textual and visual materials is one that emphasizes the harnessing of Muhammad's persona as a larger metaphor to explain both past and present historical events, to build and delineate a sense of community, and to help individuals conceive of and communicate with the realm of the sacred.
Babur: Timurid Prince and Mughal Emperor, 1483-1530
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This book is a concise biography of Babur, who founded the Timurid-Mughal Empire of South Asia. Based primarily on his autobiography and existential verse, it chronicles the life and career of a Central Asian, Turco-Mongol Muslim who, driven from his homeland by Uzbeks in 1504, ruled Kabul for two decades before invading 'Hindustan' in 1526. It offers a revealing portrait of Babur's Perso-Islamic culture, Timurid imperial ambition and turbulent emotional life. It is, above all, a humanistic portrait of an individual, who even as he triumphed in South Asia, suffered the regretful anguish of an exile who felt himself to be a stranger in a strange land.
Esoteric images : decoding the late Herat school of painting
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In Esoteric Images: Decoding the Late Herat School of Painting Tawfiq Daʿadli decodes the pictorial language which flourished in the city of Herat, modern Afghanistan, under the rule of the last Timurid ruler, Sultan Husayn Bayqara (r.1469-1506). This study focuses on one illustrated manuscript of a poem entitled Khamsa by the Persian poet Nizami Ganjavi, kept in the British Library under code Or.6810. Tawfiq Daʿadli decodes the paintings, reveals the syntax behind them and thus deciphers the message of the whole manuscript. The book combines scholarly efforts to interpret theological-political lessons embedded in one of the foremost Persian schools of art against the background of the court dynamic of an influential medieval power in its final years.
The Legacy of Genghis Khan: courtly art and culture in western Asia, 1256-1353
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In the 13th century, under the leadership of Genghis Khan, nomadic horsemen burst out of Mongolia and began their sweep across Asia, creating the largest empire the world has ever known. Particularly in China and Iran (Persia), the results were far-reaching: the Mongols imposed enormous changes but were also influenced by the highly developed civilizations of their new subjects. During the century they ruled Iran - the period of the Ilkhanid dynasty (1256 to 1353) - the Mongols adopted Islam and sponsored a brilliant cultural flowering that encompassed many branches of the arts and transformed local Persian artistic traditions.
The Age of Sinan: architectural culture in the Ottoman Empire
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Mimar Koca Sinan (1489-1588), the most celebrated of all Ottoman Empire architects, is particularly renowned for his contributions to the cityscape of Istanbul. During his fifty-year career he designed hundreds of buildings, and his distinctive architectural idiom left its imprint on the terrain of a vast empire extending from the Danube to the Tigris. Sinan's mosques are considered among his best work, and with their light-filled centralized domes, remain a testament to his inventive spirit and passion for experimentation. In this major study of Sinan's extraordinary buildings, Gülru Necipoglu argues that Sinan's rich variety of mosque designs sprang from a process of negotiation between the architect and his patrons, rather than from unrestrained formal experimentation. Using primary source material, Necipoglu describes how Sinan created a layered system of mosque types, reflecting social status and territorial rank. "Brushing aside skewed orientalist and nationalist readings which have colored many previous studies of his work, the author, using original documentation, provides the most detailed written study ever, of not only Sinan's architecture, but also, arguably, of Ottoman culture, politics and society in the classical age . . . Without question, The Age of Sinan is one of the most remarkable architectural biographies ever written and the book Sinan's life and work richly deserves."--Prospect "The effort that has gone into the research and compilation of this publication is remarkable . . . an essential text for anyone with a serious interest in architecture." --Architectural Review
Arts of the City Victorious: Islamic art and architecture in Fatimid North Africa and Egypt
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This is the first book-length study of the art and architecture of the Fatimids, the Ismaili Shi'i dynasty that ruled in North Africa and Egypt from 909 to 1171. The Fatimids are most famous for founding the city of al-Qahira (Cairo) in 969, and their art—particularly textiles and luster ceramics, but also metalwork and carved rock-crystal, ivory and woodwork—has been admired for nearly a millennium. In this engaging and accessible book, Jonathan M. Bloom concentrates on securely dated and localized examples of Fatimid art and architecture. His discussions focus on significant examples and are illustrated with over 100 photographs, many in color, and extensive notes and bibliography provide guidance for further reading and research.
Building the Caliphate: construction, destruction, and sectarian identity in early Fatimid architecture
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A riveting exploration of how the Fatimid dynasty carefully orchestrated an architectural program that proclaimed their legitimacy This groundbreaking study investigates the early architecture of the Fatimids, an Ismaili Shi'i Muslim dynasty that dominated the Mediterranean world from the 10th to the 12th century. This period, considered a golden age of multicultural and interfaith tolerance, witnessed the construction of iconic structures, including Cairo's al-Azhar and al-Hakim mosques and crucial renovations to Jerusalem's Dome of the Rock and Aqsa Mosque. However, it also featured large-scale destruction of churches under the notorious reign of al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah, most notably the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem. Jennifer A. Pruitt offers a new interpretation of these and other key moments in the history of Islamic architecture, using newly available medieval primary sources by Ismaili writers and rarely considered Arabic Christian sources. Building the Caliphate contextualizes early Fatimid architecture within the wider Mediterranean and Islamic world and demonstrates how rulers manipulated architectural form and urban topographies to express political legitimacy on a global stage.
Ceramics of Iran: Islamic pottery from the Sarikhani collection
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A beautifully illustrated showcase of the rich and varied ceramic tradition of Iran Featuring a broad selection of objects from one of the most distinguished collections of Iranian art, this volume brings together over 1,000 years of Persian Islamic pottery. With more than 500 illustrations, authoritative technical treatises, and insightful commentary, Ceramics of Iran assembles a collection of rarely seen treasures from the Persian world and presents a collective history of its renowned ceramic tradition. Included among its comprehensive catalogue entries are numerous translations of the object's inscriptions, providing readers with a richer and more detailed understanding of the cultural heritage from which these items are derived. In addition, the book contains new research and material from previously unknown sites. Featuring all new photography of nearly 250 objects, Ceramics of Iran brings the extraordinary contributions of Persian art into a wider historical context, along with a wealth of images to demonstrate the full scope of its intricate beauty.
Ibn Tulun: his lost city and great mosque
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Ahmad ibn Tulun (835-84), the son of a Turkic slave in the Abbasid court of Baghdad, became the founder of the first independent state in Egypt since antiquity, and builder of Egypt's short-lived third capital of the Islamic era, al-Qata'i' and its great congregational mosque. After recounting the story of Ibn Tulun and his successors, architectural historian Tarek Swelim presents a topographic survey of al-Qata'i', a city lost since its complete destruction in 905. He then provides a detailed architectural analysis of the Mosque of Ibn Tulun, which was spared the destruction and is now the oldest surviving mosque in Egypt and Africa, from the time of its completion until today. Rare archival illustrations and early photographs document the changing appearance and uses of the mosque in modern times, while extraordinary 3D computer renderings take us back in time to recreate its architectural development through its early centuries. Plans, drawings, and maps complement the history, while striking modern color photographs showcase the elegant simplicity of the building's architecture and decoration.This definitive and generously illustrated book will appeal to scholars and students of Islamic art history, as well as to anyone interested in or inspired by the beauty of early mosque architecture.
Istanbul Exchanges: Ottomans, orientalists, and nineteenth-century visual culture
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In Istanbul Exchanges, Mary Roberts offers an innovative way of understanding Orientalism by shifting the focus from Europe to Istanbul and examining the cross-cultural artistic networks that emerged in that cosmopolitan capital in the nineteenth century. European Orientalist artists began traveling to Istanbul in greater numbers in this period, just as the Ottoman elite was becoming more engaged with European art. By the 1870s, a generation of Paris-trained Ottoman artists had returned to Istanbul with ambitions to reshape the visual arts. Drawing on materials from an array of international archives, Roberts reveals that the diverse cultures and motivations that coalesced in this vibrant milieu resulted in a complex web of alliances and exchanges. With many artistic initiatives receiving patronage both from foreign diplomatic communities and from the Ottoman court, visual culture became a significant resource for articulating modern Ottoman identity. Roberts recasts the terms in which the nexus of Orientalist art and the culture of the late Ottoman Empire are understood by charting the nodes and vectors of these international artistic networks. Istanbul Exchanges is a major contribution to the transnational study of modern visual culture and global histories of art.
Iznik : the artistry of Ottoman ceramics
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Covering both Iznik pieces de forme and the famous Iznik tiles that decorate Ottoman imperial monuments, Iznik integrates the entire spectrum of Iznik production, both tiles and wares, and the broader artistic tradition in which it originated. Walter B. Denny begins with a description of the particular nature of Islamic art under the Ottoman empire, as well as the methods of the craftsmen who worked under the imperial auspices.
Ottoman Baroque: the architectural refashioning of eighteenth-century Istanbul
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A new approach to late Ottoman visual culture and its place in the world With its idiosyncratic yet unmistakable adaptation of European Baroque models, the eighteenth-century architecture of Istanbul has frequently been dismissed by modern observers as inauthentic and derivative, a view reflecting broader unease with notions of Western influence on Islamic cultures. In Ottoman Baroque--the first English-language book on the topic--Ünver Rüstem provides a compelling reassessment of this building style and shows how between 1740 and 1800 the Ottomans consciously coopted European forms to craft a new, politically charged, and globally resonant image for their empire's capital. Rüstem reclaims the label "Ottoman Baroque" as a productive framework for exploring the connectedness of Istanbul's eighteenth-century buildings to other traditions of the period. Using a wealth of primary sources, he demonstrates that this architecture was in its own day lauded by Ottomans and foreigners alike for its fresh, cosmopolitan effect. Purposefully and creatively assimilated, the style's cross-cultural borrowings were combined with Byzantine references that asserted the Ottomans' entitlement to the Classical artistic heritage of Europe. Such aesthetic rebranding was part of a larger endeavor to reaffirm the empire's power at a time of intensified East-West contact, taking its boldest shape in a series of imperial mosques built across the city as landmarks of a state-sponsored idiom. Copiously illustrated and drawing on previously unpublished documents, Ottoman Baroque breaks new ground in our understanding of Islamic visual culture in the modern era and offers a persuasive counterpoint to Eurocentric accounts of global art history.
The Shape of the Holy: early Islamic Jerusalem
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From the time of Herod through the Crusades, Jerusalem had officially "changed its religion" several times, with Jews, Christians, and Muslims inscribing the story of their faiths on the urban landscape. In this handsomely illustrated book, noted Islamist Oleg Grabar offers a rare account of the great role played by early Islam in defining the "look" of Jerusalem that remained largely intact until the twentieth century. From about 640 to 1100, Muslims transformed Christian Jerusalem, mainly the area now known as the Haram al-Sharif, both physically and ideologically to embody their new faith. Grabar examines this process, showing how it led to great architectural achievements, including The Dome of the Rock, still perhaps the most vivid image to impress any visitor to Jerusalem. Offering a major photographic record of The Dome's mosaics in color together with its interiors, this book shows in rich detail how Islam articulated itself architecturally, touching on historical and legendary memories and on themes of both religious harmony and Islamic triumph. Dominating Jerusalem's landscape today, The Dome of the Rock was commissioned by Abd Al-Malik in 691, and still houses the Rock from which the Prophet Mohammed is believed to have ascended into heaven. Grabar argues that its construction altered the visual equilibrium of Jerusalem by equating its eastern hill, Mt. Moriah, a key landmark in Islam, with its western ones, Golgotha and Mt. Zion, highlighted by Christian monuments. A close look at The Dome's construction and decoration leads to a new explanation of the building as a Late Antique monument of art that could be adapted to several different and at times simultaneous interpretations. Grabar also offers a unique portrait of Jerusalem in the eleventh century under the Fatimid dynasty in Cairo, when the city was at its peak as a peaceful, cosmopolitan center. Through an innovative computer modeling program, Grabar presents fascinating reconstructions of the Haram al-Sharif, taking us down streets and past buildings, of which only remnants exist today.
The Sultan's World: the Ottoman Orient in Renaissance art
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News of the fall of Constantinople on May 29, 1453, spread throughout Europe like wildfire. The geographic approach of the Ottoman Empire coincided with the emergence of a fascination with this highly developed culture and its groundbreaking scientific insight. Artists from every corner of Europe traveled to the shores of the Bosporus; trade flourished, as did cultural interchange, giving rise to a great number of works of art that reflect this intercultural dynamism. The opulent volume presents selected examples of this early enthusiasm for the Orient and illustrates the allure that the Near East exercised on Western artists, drawing attention to the influence of the Islamic world on Renaissance thought. Masterpieces by Giovanni Bellini, Vittore Carpaccio, Albrecht Dürer, Titian, and other artists adorn this elaborate publication. Exhibition: Palais des Beaux-Arts, Brussels, 27.2.31.5.2015
Text and Image in Medieval Persian Art
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Focusing on 5 objects found in the main media at the time - ceramics, metalware, painting, architecture and textiles - Sheila S. Blair shows how artisans played with form, material and decoration to engage their audiences. She also shows how the reception of these objects has changed and that their present context has implications for our understanding of the past. Greater Iranian arts from the 10th to the 16th century are technically some of the finest produced anywhere. They are also intellectually engaging, showing the lively interaction between the verbal and the visual arts.
Tree of Pearls: the extraordinary architectural patronage of the 13th-century Egyptian slave-Queen Shajar al-Durr
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Shajar al-Durr--known as "Tree of Pearls"--began her remarkable career as a child slave, given as property to the Ayyubid Sultan Salih of Egypt. She became his favorite concubine, was manumitted, became the sultan's wife, served as governing regent, and ultimately rose to become the legitimately appointed sultan of Egypt in 1250 after her husband's death. Shajar al-Durr used her wealth and power to add a tomb to his urban madrasa; with this innovation, madrasas and many other charitably endowed architectural complexes became commemorative monuments, a practice that remains widespread today. A highly unusual case of a Muslim woman authorized to rule in her own name, her reign ended after only three months when she was forced to share her governance with an army general from the ranks of the Mamluks (elite slave soldiers) and for political expediency to marry him. Despite the fact that Shajar al-Durr's story ends tragically with her assassination and hasty burial, her deeds in her lifetime offer a stark alternative to the continued belief that women in the medieval period were unseen, anonymous, and inconsequential in a world that belonged to men. This biography--the first ever in English--will place the rise and fall of the sultan-queen in the wider context of the cultural and architectural development of Cairo, the city that still holds one of the largest and most important collections of Islamic monuments in the world. D. Fairchild Ruggles also situates the queen's extraordinary architectural patronage in relation to other women of her own time, such as Aleppo's Ayyubid regent. Tree of Pearls concludes with a lively discussion of what we can know about the material impact of women of both high and lesser social rank in this period, and why their impact matters in the writing of history.
The Umayyad mosque of Damascus: art, faith and empire in early Islam
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An expansive illustrated history of the historic Umayyad Mosque in Damascus. The Umayyad Mosque of Damascus is one of the oldest continuously used religious sites in the world. The mosque we see today was built in 705 CE by the Umayyad caliph al-Walid on top of a fourth-century Christian church that had been erected over a temple of Jupiter. Incredibly, despite the recent war, the mosque has remained almost unscathed, but over the centuries has been continuously rebuilt after damage from earthquakes and fires. In this comprehensive biography of the Umayyad Mosque, Alain George explores a wide range of sources to excavate the dense layers of the mosque's history, also uncovering what the structure looked like when it was first built with its impressive marble and mosaic-clad walls. George incorporates a range of sources, including new information he found in three previously untranslated poems written at the time the mosque was built, as well as in descriptions left by medieval scholars. He also looks carefully at the many photographs and paintings made by nineteenth-century European travelers, particularly those who recorded the building before the catastrophic fire of 1893.
The World of the Fatimids
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This survey in 14 essays of Fatimid art between the 10th and 12th centuries showcases the pottery, rock crystal, metalwork, textile, architectural, wood, and calligraphic creations of one of t he most artistically inventive periods in Islamic culture, with special attention paid to the art of Christian and Jewish communities under the Fatimids. Between the 10th and 12th centuries CE, the Fatimid caliphate ruled parts of presentday Algeria, Tunis ia, Egypt, Sicily and Syria. Tracing their descent from the Prophet Muhammad ' s daughter, Fatima, the Fatimids reinvigorated Islamic art, producing splendid pottery, metalwork, rock crystal, wood, textile and calligraphic creations. This art showcased ingen ious techniques, superb decorative methods and lively motifs displaying an inventive dynamism in the use of human, animal, vegetal, and abstract forms. Architecture, too, became a hallmark of Fatimid grandeur, resulting in such magnificent structures as al - Azhar University in Cairo, the Fatimids ' capital.
The Empire of the Great Mughals: history, art, and culture
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From Stone to Paper: architecture as history in the late Mughal Empire
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By the 18th century, the Mughal Empire was well beyond its so-called golden age. Its control of the Indian subcontinent was increasingly threatened by regional Indian states, as well as by the encroaching British Empire. In response to a rapidly changing sociopolitical landscape, the Mughal emperors used architecture to harness their illustrious past and stage cultural authority for contemporary audiences. Chanchal Dadlani provides the first in-depth look at this crucial period of architectural history. Discussing a rich array of built forms and urban spaces--from grand imperial mosques to Delhi's bustling thoroughfares--the volume sheds light on long-overlooked buildings. It also explores representations of architectural monuments that circulated in the form of building plans, manuscript paintings, and postcards. Ultimately, the book reveals how Mughal architects, artists, and patrons built on the cultural legacy of their imperial predecessors to create the very concept of a historical style identifiable as Mughal.
Islamic Architecture of Deccan India
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The buildings erected in the Deccan region of India belonged to a number of pre-Mughal kingdoms that reigned in the Deccan from the middle of the 14th century onwards. The monuments testify to a culture where local and imported ideas, vernacular and pan-Islamic traditions fused and re-interpreted, to create a majestic architectural heritage with exceptional buildings on the edge of the Islamic world. Many are still standing - yet outside this region of peninsular India, they remain largely unknown. General publications on Indian Islamic architecture usually devote a single chapter to the Deccan. Even specialist monographs can only cover a portion of the region, due to the sheer number of sites. While it is impossible to encompass the full breadth of the subject in a single volume, this book aims to embrace the visual diversity of the Deccan without sacrificing the rigour of academic study. Structures of historical or architectural significance are placed in their context, as the authors discuss building typologies, civic facilities and ornamental techniques, from plaster and carved stone to glazed tiles and mural painting. A chapter is dedicated to each principal Deccan site, interweaving the rise and fall of these cities with a pictorial journey through their ruins, and each building is accompanied by an overhead plan view. AUTHOR: Dr George Michell is a world authority on South Asian architecture, and one of the most distinguished living architectural scholars. His research concentrates on the Deccan, Bengal, Gujarat and Southern India. Alongside Dr Helen Philon and Mary Anne Cordeiro, he is co-founder of the Deccan Heritage Foundation. Helen Philon is an Independent scholar with an MPh in Pre-Islamic Persian Art and a PhD on the Bahmani of the Deccan and Early Islamic Deccani architecture. She was the curator of Islamic Art department at the Benaki Museum, Athens, Greece and has travelled widely throughout the Islamic world focusing the last twenty five years on Deccani architecture and its interaction with vernacular cultures. Antonio Martinelli began his career as an architecture student, but his love of photography was spurred by a journey to India. He brings these three passions - photography, India, and architecture - together in this project. SELLING POINTS: * One of the first in-depth studies on the Deccan: a major survey on unpublished Islamic buildings * Stunningly illustrated, featuring high-quality, full-colour photographs of palaces, mosques and tombs, taken by Antonio Martinelli, as well as architectural plans for almost every featured building * Compiled by leading academics in the field, this book is sure to become a seminal text 267 colour illustrations
Mughal Paintings: art and stories
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The mighty Persian warrior Rustam; the Israelite prophets Joseph, Moses, and Elijah; the Christian Messiah; the Mughal emperors Babur, Humayun, and Akbar; and the women of the harem; Mughal paintings tell the stories of these figures from epic poetry, holy texts, and the real-life history of the Mughals, one of the greatest empires of the early modern period. Captured in this unique art form, Mughal paintings blend Persian and Indian themes and styles, along with Central Asian and European elements. The results are works of great beauty: intense, delicate, detailed, luxurious, and unique. This, the third volume in a series dedicated to the Cleveland Museum's light-sensitive treasures, casts new light on these stunning paintings--splendid works of wisdom and delight. The provenance, publication history, and technical information of each manuscript painting is also accompanied by full transcriptions of Persian and Arabic calligraphy. Sonya Quintanilla is the George P. Bickford Curator of Indian and Southeast Asian Art at the Cleveland Museum of Art. Catherine Glynn Benkaim is a former curator of Indian Art at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Pedro Moura Carvalho is chief curator of the Asian Civilizations Museum in Singapore. Marcus Fraser is an independent Islamic art consultant and specialist in Islamic calligraphy. Mohsen Ashtiany is an associate research scholar at Columbia University. Ruby Lal is professor of South Asian Studies in the Department of Middle Eastern and South Asian Studies at Emory University, Atlanta.
Portraiture in South Asia since the Mughals: art, representation and history
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One of the most remarkable artistic achievements of the Mughal Empire was the emergence in the early seventeenth century of portraits of identifiable individuals, unprecedented in both South Asia and the Islamic world. Appearing at a time of increasing contact between Europe and Asia, portraits from the reigns of the great Mughal emperor-patrons Akbar, Jahangirand Shah Jahan are among the best-known paintings produced in South Asia. In the following centuries portraiture became more widespread in the visual culture of South Asia, especially in the rich and varied traditions of painting, but also in sculpture and later prints and photography. This collection seeks to understand the intended purpose of a range of portrait traditions in South Asia and how their style, setting and representation may have advanced a range of aesthetic, social and political functions. The chapters range across a wide historical period, exploring ideals of portraiture in Sanskrit and Persian literature, the emergence and political symbolism of Mughal portraiture, through to the paintings of the Rajput courts, sculpture in Tamil temples and the transformation of portraiture in colonial north India and post-independence Pakistan.This specially commissioned collection of studies from a strong list of established scholars and rising stars makes a significant contribution to South Asian history, art and visual culture.
Sultans of Deccan India, 1500-1700: opulence and fantasy
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A survey of the stunningly beautiful visual and decorative arts created by India's Deccan kingdoms In the 16th and 17th centuries, the Deccan plateau of south-central India was home to a series of important, highly cultured Muslim kingdoms and was a nexus of international trade. Invigorated by cultural connections to Iran, Turkey, East Africa, and Europe, Deccani art is celebrated for its unmistakable, otherworldly character: in painting, a poetic lyricism; in architecture, a somber grandeur; and in the decorative arts, lively creations in inlaid metalwork and dyed textiles. This beautifully illustrated catalogue, which includes extraordinary new site photographs and lush landscape images, along with discussions of 200 of the finest Deccani works, creates the most comprehensive examination to date of this fascinating and remote world. The text not only discusses paintings, drawings, textiles, arms, manuscripts, and other decorative arts from this rich culture, but also explores the history, architecture, literature, and music of the period. Essays by prominent international authors, supplemented by informative maps, illustrated appendices, and select primary sources, make this pioneering book a key resource on the subject.
Architecture of the Islamic West: North Africa and the Iberian Peninsula, 700-1800
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An authoritative survey situating some of the Western world's most renowned buildings within a millennium of Islamic history Some of the most outstanding examples of world architecture, such as the Mosque of Córdoba, the ceiling of the Cappella Palatina in Palermo, the Giralda tower in Seville, and the Alhambra Palace in Granada, belong to the Western Islamic tradition. This architectural style flourished for over a thousand years along the southern and western shores of the Mediterranean--between Tunisia and Spain--from the 8th century through the 19th, blending new ideas with local building practices from across the region. Jonathan M. Bloom's Architecture of the Islamic West introduces readers to the full scope of this vibrant tradition, presenting both famous and little-known buildings in six countries in North Africa and southern Europe. It is richly illustrated with photographs, specially commissioned architectural plans, and historical documents. The result is a personally guided tour of Islamic architecture led by one of the finest scholars in the field and a powerful testament to Muslim cultural achievement.
The Arts of Intimacy: Christians, Jews, and Muslims in the making of Castilian culture
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A dynamic vision of medieval Castilian culture and the Arabic, Hebrew, and Latin strands that are woven into its fabric Named a Book of the Year by the Times Literary Supplement, this lavishly illustrated work explores the vibrant interaction among different and sometimes opposing cultures, and how their contacts with one another transformed them all. It chronicles the tumultuous history of Castile in the wake of the Christian capture of the Islamic city of Tulaytula, now Toledo, in the eleventh century and traces the development of Castilian culture as it was forged in the new intimacy of Christians with the Muslims and Jews they had overcome. The authors paint a portrait of the culture through its arts, architecture, poetry and prose, uniquely combining literary and visual arts. Concentrating on the eleventh and twelfth centuries, the book reveals the extent to which Castilian identity is deeply rooted in the experience of confrontation, interaction, and at times union with Hebrew and Arabic cultures during the first centuries of its creation. Abundantly illustrated, the volume serves as a splendid souvenir of southern Spain; beautifully written, it illuminates a culture deeply enriched by others.
Caliphs and Kings: the art and influence of Islamic Spain
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Caliphs to Kings includes rarely seen Islamic objects ranging from textiles to ceramics to gold. Emphasizing themes of longevity, continuity, and transmission in the Islamic decorative arts and sciences of medieval Spain, the book includes works dating from the time of the Arab conquest of the Iberian Peninsula in the eighth century to the final phase of Muslim life in Spain in the sixteenth century. Objects from tenth-century Cordoba illustrate the creation of a unique court aesthetic under the calipate that was widely copied by both Muslim and Christian rulers in the following centuries. that resulted from the Christian conquests in the eleventh to the fifteenth centuries of the cities of Andalusia. During the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, Muslim craftsmen working both in the kingdom of Granada and for Christian patrons (the crown, nobility, and the Church) in Seville, Toledo, Cordoba, and Valencia produced some of the most beautiful and evocative ceramics and textiles of the time, items that were exported throughout Europe and served as models for silk and ceramic industries in regions including the Italian peninsula. Works of particular note include a tenth-century ivory pyxis from Cordoba, an early fifteenth-century amorial carpet from Murcia made for the queen of Argon, and two exquisite, illuminated Hebrew Bibles.
Islamic palace architecture in the Western Mediterranean: a history
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Palaces like the Aljaferia and the Alhambra rank among the highest achievements of the Islamic world. In recent years archaeological work at Cordoba, Kairouan and many other sites has vastly increased our knowledge about the origin and development of Islamic palatial architecture, particularlyin the Western Mediterranean region. This book offers a comprehensive and up-to-date overview of Islamic palace architecture in Spain, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and southern Italy. The author, who has himself conducted archaeological field work at several prominent sites, presents all Islamicpalaces known in the region in ground plans, sections and individual descriptions.The book traces the evolution of Islamic palace architecture in the region from the 8th to the 19th century and places them within the context of the history of Islamic culture. Palace architecture is a unique source of cultural history, offering insights into the way space was conceived and the wayrulers used architecture to legitimize their power. The book discusses such topics as the influence of the architecture of the Middle East on the Islamic palaces of the western Mediterranean region, the role of Greek logic and scientific progress on the design of palaces, the impact of Islamicpalaces on Norman and Gothic architecture and the role of Sufism on the palatial architecture of the late medieval period.
Kingdoms of Faith: a new history of Islamic Spain
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A magisterial, myth-dispelling history of Islamic Spain spanning the millennium between the founding of Islam in the seventh century and the final expulsion of Spain's Muslims in the seventeenth In Kingdoms of Faith, award-winning historian Brian A. Catlos rewrites the history of Islamic Spain from the ground up, evoking the cultural splendor of al-Andalus, while offering an authoritative new interpretation of the forces that shaped it. Prior accounts have portrayed Islamic Spain as a paradise of enlightened tolerance or the site where civilizations clashed. Catlos taps a wide array of primary sources to paint a more complex portrait, showing how Muslims, Christians, and Jews together built a sophisticated civilization that transformed the Western world, even as they waged relentless war against each other and their coreligionists. Religion was often the language of conflict, but seldom its cause -- a lesson we would do well to learn in our own time.
The Ornament of the World: how Muslims, Jews, and Christians created a culture of tolerance in medieval Spain
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This classic bestseller -- the inspiration for the PBS series -- is an "illuminating and even inspiring" portrait of medieval Spain that explores the golden age when Muslims, Jews, and Christians lived together in an atmosphere of tolerance (Los Angeles Times). This enthralling history, widely hailed as a revelation of a "lost" golden age, brings to vivid life the rich and thriving culture of medieval Spain, where for more than seven centuries Muslims, Jews, and Christians lived together in an atmosphere of tolerance, and where literature, science, and the arts flourished. "It is no exaggeration to say that what we presumptuously call 'Western' culture is owed in large measure to the Andalusian enlightenment...This book partly restores a world we have lost." --Christopher Hitchens, The Nation
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