This volume presents vessels, fittings and other objects made in Syria, Egypt, Iraq and Yemen from the early Islamic period through to the end of the Ottoman era in the 19th century. The pieces include exquisite platters, serving-vessels, candlesticks and pen-boxes produced for royal courts, but also many beautifully decorated bronze domestic items, such as bowls, lunch-boxes, door-knockers, buckets and lamps. The metalwork traditions in this book reflect the complex history of the Arab world following the advent of Islam. The collection starts in the Late Antique period, which informed the early Islamic royal styles of the Umayyad, Abbasid and Fatimid dynasties, and goes on to trace the emergence of Mosul as a centre for metalwork in the 12th-13th centuries; the courtly Mamluk style during the Bahri period (1250-1380s); the Circassian era (1380s-1517); the growth of the European export market from the 15th century; distinctive vernacular styles in Yemen during the 14th-16th centuries; and the many revivals and fusions of international styles over six centuries of Ottoman rule (1517-1900s). Finally, an enigmatic group of zoomorphic fittings that defies easy dating is celebrated for the craftsmanship and charm of its animal figures. This beautifully illustrated volume features many important unpublished pieces and is essential reading for specialists, but it will fascinate and inform anyone with an interest in Islamic culture and history, metalwork and the decorative arts of the Arab world. With 350 illustrations

Images are the cornerstone of culture. At a single glance, a society’s understanding of itself is crystallized in them; they are the agents of a common perspective, as well as witnesses to it. At the same time, there is a whiff of ideology and distorted perception about them. In between the two poles of the crucifi x and the gold calf, there is a field of tension where Christianity and Islam dwell. The histories of both religions fluctuate between the extremes of idolatry and iconoclasm. Sometimes they lean in one direction, and sometimes in the other, while at other times they seek a conciliatory balance. Outside of theological debates, this opens up an area full of aesthetic distinctions and approaches. This exhibition catalogue offers a richly illustrated, thoroughly informative look at these unusual histories of art and their currency in the world today.

Although beauty, in the pre-modern Arab world, was enjoyed and promoted almost everywhere, Islam does not possess a general theory on aesthetics or a systematic theory of the arts. This is a study of the Arabic discourse on beauty. The author had to search for her evidence in written statements from a wide variety of sources, such as the Qur'an, legal, religious and Sufi texts, chronicles, biographies, belle-lettres, literary criticism, and scientific, geographic and philosophical literature. The result is a compendium of references to beauty in chapters on the Religious Approach, Secular Beauty and Love, Music and Belle-Lettres, and the Visual Arts. This approach is informative and provocative. For the generalist, it provides comparative material for an understanding of the early Arab cultural context. For the specialist, it raises questions of sponsorship and purpose.

This is the first publication in almost three decades to be dedicated to Mamluk art. The fifteen authors in this book explore the architecture and decorative arts of Egypt and Syria under Mamluk rule between the 13th and 16th century. They discuss the evolution of specific crafts regarding their dating and provenance, the patterns of their patronage and the interaction of Mamluk art with other regions of the Muslim world and beyond. Their new research based on fieldwork, archaeology, archive sources and museum collections presents a focused view on certain subjects while also conveying a panoramic perspective of Mamluk artistic approaches and concepts.