Horizon Information Portal

HSPLS site

eBooks/Audiobooks

Reading Program

Masterpieces of Islamic art : the decorated page from the 8th to the 17th century / Oleg Grabar ; [translation from the French, Alayne Pullen in association with First Edition Translations].

by Grabar, Oleg.

View full image

Munich ; New York : Prestel, c2009.

Islamic illumination of books and manuscripts.

Islamic art -- Sources.

Illumination of books and manuscripts, Arab.

224 p. : col. ill. ; 36 cm.

A thousand years of images -- From the Atlantic Ocean to China -- First steps -- The birth of book art -- The first blossoming: thirteenth-century Arab painting in Iraq -- The Mongols and the new Iranian painting under the Ilkhanids (1290-1336) -- The dawn of Timurid art -- The blossoming of Safavid art in the sixteenth century -- Ottoman painting -- Mughal painting -- The creation of images -- Books and albums -- The painters -- The main subjects -- Invitations to reverie and reflections of reality -- Opening pages -- Historical texts -- Epic poetry: the Shahnama or "Book of Kings" -- Literary texts -- The Maqamat or "sessions" of al-Hariri -- The Bustan of Muslih al-Din Saadi -- The Mantiq al Tayr or "language of the birds" of al-Farid al-Din Attar -- The Diwan of Hafez -- Lyric poetry -- The Diwan of Khwaju Kirmani -- The Khamsa or "quintet" of Nizami -- The Haft Awrang, "the seven thrones" or "The constellation of the Great Bear" of Jami -- The Istanbul albums -- Portraits -- The Falnameh -- The world of images -- Prince and court -- Nomad world and urban world -- Portraiture and nature -- Islam and the visual expression of faith -- Aesthetics and visual values.

"The evolution of book art and painting in the Islamic world is the product of diverse regions and periods. Islamic art flourished in the great cities and centers of learning of the ottoman Turks, the Iranian Qajars, and the later Indian Mughals, spreading across a region that extended from the Atlantic Ocean to China. In this volume, Greg Grabar, a world-renowned specialist on Islamic Art, introduces a wide range of illuminated manuscripts from the 8th to the 17th century, placing them in their temporal and spatial context as well as identifying the main centers of artistic creation. Illuminated manuscripts of the Koran, epic poetry, and scientific works are accompanied by a text explaining the subject, describing it particular visual features, and highlighting its artistic qualities. The working methods of the artists and calligraphers are reconstructed. [...] In the book's final section the author turns towards the key moments in history, society, faith, devotion, and other aspects of the Islamic world which are represented in the images." -- Book jacket.

Horizon Information Portal 3.25_9884

Powered by Dynix

© 2001-2013 SirsiDynix All rights reserved.

Horizon Information Portal