LibGuides: Islamic Art: Books & eBooks

Featured eBooks

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Art of Islam Following the ideals of beauty of Islamic art, the book shows high-quality representations of numerous monumental masterpieces, such as the Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem, the Taj Mahal in Agra or the Alhambra in Granada, in which one recognises the stylisation of motives of the Muslim ceramics.
Muqarnas: An Annual on the Visual Cultures of the Islamic World Muqarnas: An Annual on the Visual Cultures of the Islamic World is sponsored by the Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture at Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts. The articles in Muqarnas 27 address topics such as spolia in medieval Islamic architecture, Islamic coinage in the seventh century, the architecture of the Alhambra from an environmental perspective, and Ottoman Mamluk gift exchange in the fifteenth century. The volume also features a new section, entitled Notes and Sources , with pieces highlighting primary sources such as Akbar s Kath sarits gara. Contributors include Ebba Koch, Elizabeth Lambourn, Elias Muhanna, Rina Avner, Kathryn Moore, Alicia Walker, Todd Willmert, Julia Gonnella, Zeynep Ertu , Jere Bacharach, Persis Berlekamp, Heike Franke, Vincenza Garofalo, and Fabrizio Agnello.
The Transformation of Islamic Art During the Sunni Revival The transformation of Islamic architecture and ornament during the eleventh and twelfth centuries signaled profound cultural changes in the Islamic world. Yasser Tabbaa explores with exemplary lucidity the geometric techniques that facilitated this transformation, and investigates the cultural processes by which meaning was produced within the new forms. Iran, Iraq, and Syria saw the development of proportional calligraphy, vegetal and geometric arabesque, muqarnas (stalactite) vaulting, and other devices that became defining features of medieval Islamic architecture. Ultimately, the forms and themes described in this book shaped the development of Mamluk architecture in Egypt and Syria, and by extension, the entire course of North African and Andalusian architecture as well. These innovations developed and were disseminated in a highly charged atmosphere of confrontation between the Seljuk and post-Seljuk proponents of the traditionalist Sunni revival and their main opponents in Fatimid Egypt. These forms stood as visual signs of allegiance to the orthodox Abbasid caliphate and of difference from the heterodox Fatimids. Tabbaa proposes that their rapid spread throughout the Islamic world operated within a system of reciprocating, ceremonial gestures, which conveyed a new and formal language that helped negotiate the gap between the myth of a unified Sunni Islam and its actual political fragmentation. In subject matter and approach, The Transformation of Islamic Art during the Sunni Revival makes original contributions to the study of art, revealing that this relatively neglected sector of medieval art and architecture is of critical importance for reevaluating the entire field of Islamic studies. It challenges the essentialist and positivist approaches that still permeate the study of Islamic art, and offers a historical and semiotic alternative for exploring meaning within ruptures of change.

Featured Print Books

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Islamic Art This gorgeous survey of art from the Islamic world covers three continents and fourteen centuries. From its birth in the seventh century through modern times, the Islamic religion has inspired glorious works of art. This stunning book includes more than four hundred reproductions of treasures of Islamic art that span the world: from southern Europe, along the entire Mediterranean basin to sub-Saharan Africa through the Middle East, India, and Central Asia. Arranged geographically, the objects include paintings, miniatures, ceramics, calligraphy, textiles, carpets, and metal works. Each region is given a thorough introduction that offers historical context and extensive descriptions of its artifacts. Accompanying essays offer guidance in interpreting the many themes that tie these works together, including typology, calligraphy, and religious beliefs. Despite its wide-ranging history and origins, Islamic art is unified by its devotion to faith and beauty. With its large format, exquisite reproductions, and extensive research, this book is a thorough introduction to the Islamic artistic tradition.
Treasures of Islam : Artistic Glories of the Muslim World Discover the grandeur of Islam in a vivid portrait of some of the greatest and most creative civilizations ever to have existeda wide range of peoples and cultures all united spiritually by their adherence to Islam and its holy book. This important surveywhich features outstanding production values, an oversized volume, a foil-trimmed cover, and special five-color printingcelebrates the remarkable diversity of Muslim art, from beautiful textiles and peerless ceramics to awe-inspiring architecture and exquisite metalwork. With superb photography throughout, this guide marries the religion’s artistic legacy with its rich history, travelling from the royal mosque at Isfahan to the beauty of Quranic illumination.
What Is 'Islamic' Art? Revealing what is 'Islamic' in Islamic art, Shaw explores the perception of arts, including painting, music, and geometry through the discursive sphere of historical Islam including the Qur'an, Hadith, Sufism, ancient philosophy, and poetry. Emphasis on the experience of reception over the context of production enables a new approach, not only to Islam and its arts, but also as a decolonizing model for global approaches to art history. Shaw combines a concise introduction to Islamic intellectual history with a critique of the modern, secular, and European premises of disciplinary art history. Her meticulous interpretations of intertextual themes span antique philosophies, core religious and theological texts, and prominent prose and poetry in Arabic, Persian, Turkish, and Urdu that circulated across regions of Islamic hegemony from the eleventh century to the colonial and post-colonial contexts of the modern Middle East.