Metalwork Of The Islamic World

The material and visual culture of the Islamic World casts vast arcs through space and time, and encompasses a huge range of artefacts and monuments from the minute to the grandiose, from ceramic pots to the great mosques. Here, Venetia Porter and Mariam Rosser-Owen assemble leading experts in the field to examine both the objects themselves and the ways in which they reflect their historical, cultural and economic contexts. With a focus on metalwork, this volume includes an important new study of Mosul metalwork and presents recent discoveries in the fields of Fatimid, Mamluk and Qajar metalwork. By examining architecture, ceramics, ivories and textiles, seventeenth-century Iranian painting and contemporary art, the book explores a wide range of artistic production and historical periods from the Umayyad caliphate to the modern Middle East. This rich and detailed volume makes a significant contribution to the fields of Art History, Architecture and Islamic Studies, bringing new objects to light, and shedding new light on old objects.

Whether destined for a sultan's palace or provincial household, a vast array of functional and often luxurious metal vessels and utensils have been produced throughout the Islamic world. Although not primarily religious objects, they were traditionally made with the same skill and imagination, and their designs and decoration reflect the strong cultural influence of Islam which extended from Spain and North Africa in the west to Central Asia and the Indian subcontinent in the east.

The essays in this volume bring to light the artistic exchanges that occurred between successive Islamicdynasties and those further afield in China, Armenia, India and Europe from the 12th to the 19th centuries. All the articles present original research, many of them taking advantage of innovative scientific means allowing us to look at already familiar objects in a new light. Subjects include tile production during the reign of Qaytbay, book bindings associated with Qansuh al-Ghuri, depictions of fish on Mamluk textiles, the relationship between Mamluk metalwork and Rasulid Yemen and Italy respectively. A number of the articles are concerned with epigraphic inscriptions found on the buildings of the Fatimid, Mamluk and Ottoman periods, examining the inscriptions on the Mausoleum of Yahya al-Shibihi in Cairo, others trace the revival of building inscriptions in 19th century Egypt, and how a Mamluk inscription from the Madrasa Qartawiya in Tripoli is replicated in Istanbul during the Ottomanperiod. The relationship between ceilings of the Cappella Palatina in Palermo and the MoukhroutasPalace in Constantinople is also explored, as is the unacknowledged debt that European lacquer worksowes to Persian craftsmen. Other topics covered include the architecture of the Nusretiye Mosque in Istanbul, the role played by Armenian architects in the reshaping of Ottoman cities in the 19th century, the role of the hammam in Ottoman culture and representations of beauty on Iznik pottery. Arictles on Port St. Symeon ceramics, the Armenian patrons of Chinese export wares of the 18th century, the history of the art of khatam khari in Iran, the artistic, architectural and literary influences in India between the 15th and 17th centuries, the influence of Timurid architecture in 15th century Bidar and the influence of a 16th century Hindavi Sufi Romance are also included. "

The Nuhad Es-Said Collection of Islamic metalwork is one of the finest in private hands. It contains examples of inlaid bronzes and brasses from 6th/12th and 7th/13th Herat and 7th/13th century Mosul, from Ayvubid Syria, Saljuk Anatolia, the Mamluk empire and the Dehli sultanate, and from Il-Khanid, Timurid and Safavid Iran. Inlaid with gold, silver and copper, and bearing planetary and astrological figures, mystical symbols, and effusive dedications to sultans and petty rulers, these objects take the reader into a world where superstition, religion and politics jostle for supremacy, and are evidence that works of art reflect the societies they serve. An extensive introduction puts the collection in its social and artistic context. This is followed by the catalogue which describes and discusses each piece in detail. Every object is illustrated with at least one color plate and there are numerous black and white photographs. In this revised edition the author has updated all important aspects of the text; he has also added a table of analyses with a short commentary at the end of the book.

The catalogue begins with five informative introductory essays in which James Allan discusses Islamic metalwork produced in the Mediterranean area and in the Medieval Yemen, the history of incense burners in the Islamic Near East, the continuing use of classical libation vessels in Islamic culture and finally the complex question of Venetian-Saracenic metalwork. With over fifty drawings of comparative pieces, this book makes an important contribution to the study of Islamic metalwork.