Outstanding patrons, beautiful objects: Metaphors for humanism and enlightenment

He gave quite a lot of information, but within a narrative that held the audience's attention with stories and there were even a few moments of suspense and intrigue,” said Dr Kathryn Woodard, an Assistant Professor at Texas A&M University in College Station.

She was commenting on a talk delivered by Alnoor Merchant, Acting Head Librarian and Keeper of the Manuscript Collections at the Library of the Institute of Ismaili Studies in London. Merchant recently conducted a four-city lecture series on Muslim artistic, scientific, and architectural patronage. The lectures were held at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco, Stanford University, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston in February 2009.

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Delicacy and Harmony in Persian Book Covers

The art of binding and the protection of scripts are as old as writing itself. The contribution made by Muslim craftsmen has been a significant element in the history of this craft and the contribution of Persian craftsmen is particularly important. Indeed, it was Persian binders who introduced a range of innovative ideas, both technical as well as artistic, and these were to have a profound impact on subsequent bookbindings made during the Ottoman and Mughal periods. In the earlier period of book production within the Islamic world and particularly during the artistically vibrant Mamluk period, book covers were generally decorated in a restrained and somewhat austere fashion. However, many display virtuoso designs that can often be linked to similar designs in other art forms such as woodwork or metalwork. Sometimes gold paint or gold-tooled decoration was added to highlight certain designs or features.

However, the onset of the 9th/15th century and the collapse of the Burji Mamluk dynasty in 1517 to the Ottoman Turks marked the beginning of a period of cultural stagnation within the Arab world; new influences in this craft tended subsequently to have a Turkish inspiration. Conversely, this was the beginning of a glorious period for Persian book crafts and it was Persia which effectively took up the mantle of artistic leadership from this time. New methods of book production and completely revolutionary techniques were introduced and these were to have a lasting impact on Islamic book production for centuries to come. But, there was a price to be paid and the resulting increase in book production and the accompanying book covers were to lead to a form of mass production through the introduction of block stamped covers. This was eventually to stifle much of the innovative approaches taken by Persian craftsmen.

The main areas of innovation centred on painted book covers, in effect treating many of these bindings as a vehicle for painting akin to that undertaken by miniaturists: elaborate gilding; stamped covers; filigree decoration usually for the inside covers; and lacquer painted covers. It is these areas that we shall now examine, using some examples that have not been published hitherto.

• Baisunghur Mirza’s Academy and Library
• Block Stamped Covers
• Cover Embossing
• The Legacy of Persian Bookbinding

www.iis.ac.uk



Ismailiworld - Be Unite

ismailiworld@gmail.com

Delicacy and Harmony in Persian Book Covers

The art of binding and the protection of scripts are as old as writing itself. The contribution made by Muslim craftsmen has been a significant element in the history of this craft and the contribution of Persian craftsmen is particularly important. Indeed, it was Persian binders who introduced a range of innovative ideas, both technical as well as artistic, and these were to have a profound impact on subsequent bookbindings made during the Ottoman and Mughal periods. In the earlier period of book production within the Islamic world and particularly during the artistically vibrant Mamluk period, book covers were generally decorated in a restrained and somewhat austere fashion. However, many display virtuoso designs that can often be linked to similar designs in other art forms such as woodwork or metalwork. Sometimes gold paint or gold-tooled decoration was added to highlight certain designs or features.
However, the onset of the 9th/15th century and the collapse of the Burji Mamluk dynasty in 1517 to the Ottoman Turks marked the beginning of a period of cultural stagnation within the Arab world; new influences in this craft tended subsequently to have a Turkish inspiration. Conversely, this was the beginning of a glorious period for Persian book crafts and it was Persia which effectively took up the mantle of artistic leadership from this time. New methods of book production and completely revolutionary techniques were introduced and these were to have a lasting impact on Islamic book production for centuries to come. But, there was a price to be paid and the resulting increase in book production and the accompanying book covers were to lead to a form of mass production through the introduction of block stamped covers. This was eventually to stifle much of the innovative approaches taken by Persian craftsmen.
The main areas of innovation centred on painted book covers, in effect treating many of these bindings as a vehicle for painting akin to that undertaken by miniaturists: elaborate gilding; stamped covers; filigree decoration usually for the inside covers; and lacquer painted covers. It is these areas that we shall now examine, using some examples that have not been published hitherto.
Baisunghur Mirza’s Academy and Library
Block Stamped Covers
Cover Embossing
The Legacy of Persian Bookbinding

Ismailiworld - Be Unite
ismailiworld@gmail.com

Delicacy and Harmony in Persian Book Covers

The art of binding and the protection of scripts are as old as writing itself. The contribution made by Muslim craftsmen has been a significant element in the history of this craft and the contribution of Persian craftsmen is particularly important. Indeed, it was Persian binders who introduced a range of innovative ideas, both technical as well as artistic, and these were to have a profound impact on subsequent bookbindings made during the Ottoman and Mughal periods. In the earlier period of book production within the Islamic world and particularly during the artistically vibrant Mamluk period, book covers were generally decorated in a restrained and somewhat austere fashion. However, many display virtuoso designs that can often be linked to similar designs in other art forms such as woodwork or metalwork. Sometimes gold paint or gold-tooled decoration was added to highlight certain designs or features.

However, the onset of the 9th/15th century and the collapse of the Burji Mamluk dynasty in 1517 to the Ottoman Turks marked the beginning of a period of cultural stagnation within the Arab world; new influences in this craft tended subsequently to have a Turkish inspiration. Conversely, this was the beginning of a glorious period for Persian book crafts and it was Persia which effectively took up the mantle of artistic leadership from this time. New methods of book production and completely revolutionary techniques were introduced and these were to have a lasting impact on Islamic book production for centuries to come. But, there was a price to be paid and the resulting increase in book production and the accompanying book covers were to lead to a form of mass production through the introduction of block stamped covers. This was eventually to stifle much of the innovative approaches taken by Persian craftsmen.

The main areas of innovation centred on painted book covers, in effect treating many of these bindings as a vehicle for painting akin to that undertaken by miniaturists: elaborate gilding; stamped covers; filigree decoration usually for the inside covers; and lacquer painted covers. It is these areas that we shall now examine, using some examples that have not been published hitherto.

• Baisunghur Mirza’s Academy and Library
• Block Stamped Covers
• Cover Embossing
• The Legacy of Persian Bookbinding

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ismailiworld@gmail.com

Coinage of the Fatimids

Coinage of the Fatimids

“Coins and the discipline of numismatics which deals with them, lie at the crossroads of so many historical, cultural and artistic concerns that hardly anyone studying a traditional civilization or an earlier period of history has been able to avoid handling or dealing with these thousands of small gold, silver or copper objects. Economic historians see in them the abstract standards used for maintaining regional or international exchanges, and draw from them important conclusions about inflationary practices, or the presence or absence of gold and silver. To political historians the primary interest of coins derives from their official character. Manufactured under strict governmental control in state-run mints, coins exhibit signs of power and authority, and changes in those signs usually imply major political or ideological changes. Historians of art have many reasons for being fascinated by coins, but a methodologically important one is that most are dated and thus provide benchmarks for the art historian’s maniacal passion for chronological sequence. In addition, coins are visual messages carried to a vast public, and their sheer number gives a sense of what was meant to be part of the natural visual language of a culture or of a historical moment. Social historians and ethnographers know how much coins were part of the complex system of gift-giving which characterises any human group.” Oleg Grabar, Centuries of Gold: The Coinage of Medieval Islam. London: Zamana Gallery, 1986, “Introduction”, p. 6.

The Fatimid caliphate was established in 909 in North Africa, and soon extended into Sicily, Egypt, Palestine and Syria reaching the peak of its power during the long reign of the 8th Fatimid Imam-caliph al-Mustansir bi’llah (d. 1094). During this period of almost 2 centuries, the Fatimids created a prosperous state with a remarkable intellectual, economic and cultural vitality.

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The selection of Fatimid coins presented here are important documents providing unique chronological and historical details. Further, the fine, elegant epigraphy, the more open design characterised by its circular emphasis, and the myriad of stylistic and artistic variations makes Fatimid coinage particularly interesting.

The Art Of Fatimid Period ( 909-1171 A . D )

The Art Of Fatimid Period ( 909-1171 A . D )

The greatest extent of the Fatimid caliphate (909–1171). Enlarge for more detail The minaret of the Mosque of al-Hakim (r. 996–1013), Cairo. Enlarge for more detail City wall, Bab al-Nasr (1087), Cairo. Enlarge for more detail The Mosque of al-Aqmar (1125), Cairo. Enlarge for more detail In the tenth to twelfth centuries, an area including present-day Algeria, Tunisia, Sicily, Egypt, and Syria came under the rule of the Fatimid dynasty (909–1171), an offshoot of a Shici sect from North Africa. The Fatimid rulers traced descent from Muhammad's daughter Fatima (hence Fatimid) via Ismacil, the seventh Shici imam, and thus presented a threat to the political and religious authority of the orthodox Sunni cAbbasid caliph. The circular design of the city of al-Mansuriya, one of their first capitals, founded in 947, can be interpreted as a deliberate challenge to the round city of cAbbasid Baghdad, the "city of peace" (madinat al-salam). This opposition became more significant following the Fatimid conquest of Egypt in 969. At this time, the Fatimids founded the city of Cairo (al-Qahira, "the triumphant") and established it as their new capital (973). While Egypt came to enjoy enormous prosperity primarily due to its intermediary role in the lucrative trade between the Mediterranean and India, Cairo soon rivaled the cAbbasid capital of Baghdad. The opulence of the Fatimid court fueled a renaissance in the decorative arts, which made Cairo the most important cultural center in the Islamic world. Nearby, Old Cairo, known as al-Fustat, became a major center for the production of pottery, glass, and metalwork, and rock-crystal, ivory, and wood carving; textile factories run by government officials created tiraz fabrics in the name of the caliph elsewhere in the Egyptian region, especially the Nile Delta. A novel, more refined style developed in pottery; bands with small animals and inscriptions now formed the major decoration in textiles; and rock-crystal carvers demonstrated great skill in works created for and treasured by the caliphs themselves. The artwork from this period exemplifies the creativity and ingenuity of Fatimid craftsmen. The technique of lusterware on ceramic, developed originally in Iraq, was revived in Egypt and Syria. Some lusterware pieces from this period are signed by their makers, an indication of the esteem in which the craftsmen were held. Wood carving and jewelry were executed with equal skill and inventiveness. Fatimid artists created new decorative motifs and made greater use of figural forms, both human and animal. Figures were stylized but lively, while traditional vegetal and geometric decorations maintained their abstract quality. In architecture, the Fatimids followed Tulunid techniques and used similar materials, but also developed those of their own. In Cairo, their first congregational mosque was al-Azhar ("the splendid") founded along with the city (969–73), which, together with its adjacent institution of higher learning (al-Azhar University), became the spiritual center for Ismacili Shici. The Mosque of al-Hakim (r. 996–1013), an important example of Fatimid architecture and architectural decoration, played a critical role in Fatimid ceremonial and procession, which emphasized the religious and political role of the Fatimid caliph. Besides elaborate funerary monuments, other surviving Fatimid structures include the Mosque of al-Aqmar (1125) as well as the monumental gates for Cairo's city walls commissioned by the powerful Fatimid emir and vizier Badr al-Jamali (r. 1073–94).

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