The search for meaning in Islamic art is of enduring interest. This book explores the iconography of Islamic art and presents a diverse range of approaches. Despite this variety, there is an overarching theme—the linking of the interpretation of objects to textual sources. This results in a collection of in-depth studies of motifs as diverse as the peacock, trees, and the figure holding a cup and branch. In addition, new interpretations are presented of other objects, such as an Ayyubid metal basin or Mongol paintings. Textual sources on the Ka’ba or the use of marble provide a starting point for the examination of objects and their relationship to history. The architectural decoration of monuments from Egypt to India is analysed, and Arab and Safavid paintings are mined for meaning. Links with Christian elements in Sicily or Buddhist stupas are appraised. Professor Robert Hillenbrand’s writings on Islamic art and architecture cover an enormous range, from the seventh to the nineteenth centuries, and from Spain to India. The multiplicity of approaches to the search for meaning in Islamic art found in this book mirrors the broad range of his scholarship. Lavishly illustrated throughout, with color and black-and-white photographs and line-drawings Contributors: Sylvia Auld, Marianne Barrucand, Sheila S. Blair, Jonathan M. Bloom, Barbara Brend, Anna Contadini, Abbas Daneshvari, Geza Fehervari, Barbara Finster, Finbarr Barry Flood, Oleg Grabar, Ulrike al-Khamis, Marcus Milwright, Bernard O’Kane, B. W. Robinson, Avinoam Shalem, Raya Y. Shani, Rachel Ward.
The Iconography of Islamic Art
Studies in Honor of Robert Hillenbrand
Edited by
Bernard O’Kane
376 pp.
175 illus. incl. 32 in color
19X24.5cm
ISBN 9789774249228
For sale only in the Middle East
35.00
Also available by this author
The World of Islamic Art
Bernard O’KaneThe World of Islamic Art presents a vivid portrait of the cultural heritage of Islam and its great artistic traditions, across an enormous span of geography and time. Having originated in the remote deserts of the Arabian peninsula, Islam grew so quickly that within a century it had dominated North Africa and the former Christian heartlands of Syria and Anatolia. From there the community of believers spread eastward to Persia, Afghanistan, Central Asia, and India, eventually reaching China, Indonesia, and elsewhere in the Far East. The historical diffusion of this truly global religion is related in seven chapters devoted to regionally dominant kingdoms and empires. Each chapter contains an illuminating commentary revealing the beauty and breadth of the many artistic influences—it is explained, for example, how figural imagery was often displaced by calligraphic and geometric forms, and how the sense of the divine in Islam came to be symbolized by the harmonious use of color, pattern, and proportion. Illustrated throughout with a wealth of ornate, often sublime, examples, which include paintings, jewelry, metalwork, sculpture, architecture, and many other art forms, The World of Islamic Art celebrates Islam’s truly magnificent contribution to the cultural and spiritual heritage of humankind.
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Hardbound
224 pp.170 color photographs
23.5X30cm
24.95
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