Islamic Art and Architecture, 650-1250 [Hardcover]

From the Dome of the Rock to a pair of gold earrings, all manner of art is explored in a new edition of Islamic Art and Architecture 650-1250, which surveys works from Spain, Northern Africa and the Middle East. With new illustrations and an expanded text by the late New York University Institute of Fine Arts professor Richard Ettinghausen, Princeton University Institute for Advanced Studies history professor Oleg Grabar and Metropolitan Museum of Art Islamic art curator Marilyn Jenkins-Madina, the book traces the growth of art centers in Muslim lands and examines buildings, textiles, books, ceramics and other forms.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

This is the second edition of what is probably the standard reference work on Islamic art and architecture, originally written by two of the most eminent scholars in the field and published in the "Pelican" series as The Art and Architecture of Islam, 650-1250. Owing to Ettinghausen's untimely death, the sections on art were reorganized and rewritten by Marilyn Jenkins-Madina, research curator of Islamic art at New York City's Metropolitan Museum of Art. Oleg Grabar rewrote his chapters on Islamic architecture. This edition divides the period into two sections: Early Islamic art, c.650 to c.1000, and Medieval Islamic art, c.1000 to c.1250. Within these divisions, there are three geographic subdivisions Central, Eastern, and Western which are further subdivided into the categories of architecture and architectural decoration, art of the object (as opposed to decorative arts), and art of the book. In the later period, there are some interesting sections on Saljuqs, Artuqids, Zangids, and Ayyubids in Iraq, Anatolia, Syria, Palestine, and Egypt. It is difficult to do justice to this magnificent volume in a short review. It is an authoritative, highly readable, and beautifully produced work that should please specialists and educated readers alike. The photographs are plentiful and clearly reproduced, and many architectural drawings and plans illuminate the topic under discussion. The bibliography and index to the bibliography are very helpful, and notes appear at the end of the book. Highly recommended for academic and larger public libraries. Martin Chasin, Adult Inst., Bridgeport, CT
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

"Including all media, and the entire territory from Spain to Central Asia, this book is the indispensable point of departure for the study of early Islamic art." Choice "This is the second edition of what is probably the standard reference work on Islamic art and architecture... It is difficult to do justice to this magnificent volume in a short review. It is an authoritative, highly readable, and beautifully produced work that should please specialists and educated readers alike." Library Journal --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

The transformation of a vast area - from central Spain to the delta of the Indus and from the Sahara desert and the Indian Ocean to the Mediterranean, the Caucasus, the Central Asian deserts, and the Hindu Kush - into a land controlled by Islam was accomplished within roughly a century. The traditions of this world were many and diverse, and the historical, political, religious, social and art-historical threads of these varied influences are woven together into an illuminating narrative.

This volume presents a historical survey of the period which is based on the wealth of available information and the steps which are being made towards a critical discourse on Islamic art. Within the historical structure, the subject is divided by region, covering architecture, architectural decoration, the art of the book and the art of the object - textiles, ceramics, metalwork, woodwork. The broader impact of Islamic art on the non-Muslim world is also considered.

The artistic and social development of identifiable areas, of the people who lived in them and the wealth of different ways of creating a beautiful environment are the focus of this book. It will be richly illustrated and will provide an unsurpassed overview of the origins of Islamic art. It is based on Ettinghausen and Grabar's original text, but has been completely rewritten to take account of subsequent information and methodological advances.

Pelican History of Art Series

Richard Ettinghausen was Professor of Islamic Art at the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University until his death in 1979.
Oleg Grabar is Professor Emeritus of the School of Historical Study at the Institute of Advanced Study, Princeton University.
Marilyn Jenkins-Madina is Curator of Islamic Art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. They are both former students of Professor Ettinghausen as well as long-time associates.