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Virtu Art Books

Islamic Art Architecture Ceramics Glass + Design

Islamic Designs (International Design Library)
Islamic designs possess a highly definite style, an entire repertory of motifs and a distinct character, associated with an idea and a faith. The adoption of designs from all races of man served as a basic form of ornament in art and exercised a tremendously unifying effect. In this book the author has illustrated designs found on glass, metal, wood and clay objects, along with designs from carpets, manuscripts and architectural elements. The appeal of these extraordinary Islamic designs is timeless; they contain a seemingly endless variety of patterns created with calligraphy, geometry, arabesques and figurative motifs. Each design reflects the unerring sense of aesthetics characteristic of Islamic art. Included also is an informative introduction by the author

Islamic Patterns: An Analytical and Cosmological Approach
Islamic art has long been misunderstood in the West as no more than decoration. This study explains how the geometrical patterns of Islamic art reveal intrinsic cosmological laws. The primary function of the patterns is to lead the mind from the literal world towards the underlying reality

Islamic Art and Architecture: From Isfahan to the Taj Mahal
From the frontiers of Iran to the heart of India, architects, landscape gardeners, calligraphers, miniaturists and weavers have made their mark on the Islamic tradition. Turquoise marble cupolas; arches adorned with flowers and arabesques; motionless basins reflecting the slender minarets in the form of glittering stalactites; scintillating enamels of floral bouquets - all of these components are an integral part of the luxury, refinement and spirituality that can be defined as 'Persian style'. Islamic Art and Architecture explores and celebrates the cities of Islam, from Tabriz and Yazd to Kerman to Khiva, from Lahore to Fatehpur Sikri and Sikandra. Henri Stierlin offers a key to an intimate understanding of this immense heritage in a thorough text closely allied to crisp, full-colour illustrations.

Samarkand, Bukhara, Khiva
This lavish presentation of the artistic and architectural heritage of three great Central Asian cities will appeal to armchair travellers, historians, artists, and anyone ready to be dazzled. The book was originally published in 2001 by Editions Flammarion in both English and French editions; Rizzoli now distributes it in the US.

Palace and Mosque: Islamic Art from the Middle East
The arts of Islam, a great and ancient culture, are presented here in all their astonishing richness and diversity, through the V&A's magnificent collections. From the Middle East came the earliest astrological clocks, the finest ceramics and lustreware, the development of calligraphy and Arabic scripts, and the intricate skills of carpet-weaving, among many other profoundly significant cultural developments. This cradle of empires was also a vibrant commercial centre, exporting raw materials, skills and techniques to surrounding lands, and spreading its web of influence from Southern Spain to Northern India. This book skilfully traces the main currents of Islamic art, focusing in detail on some of its great masterpieces and the technical skill that created them, illustrated with fine examples from the collections of the V&A. In doing so, it distills a rich and vibrant culture, and will be of lasting value to all those interested in the glories of the Islamic world

The Arts and Crafts of Turkestan
(Arts & Crafts S.)
Hardcover
Publisher:
Thames and Hudson Ltd

Islamic Art and Architecture (World of Art S.)
Covering a thousand years of history and an area stretching from the Atlantic to the borders of India and China, this text is a guide to the arts of Islam. From the supreme confidence of the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem to the scores of exquisite buildings of Ottoman Istanbul; from the elegant palace complex of the Alhambra in Granada to the splendours of 17th-century Isfahan; from the virtuosity of Persian painting in the 15th century to the vivid ceramic tradition of Ottoman Iznik, the evolution of the range of Islamic arts is explored. Supported by a glossary of Islamic terms, a timeline and maps which untangle the complex history of Islamic dynasties and their artistic achievements, the book traces the architecture, calligraphy, book illumination, painting, ceramics, textiles, metalwork and other art forms of this prolific civilization, whose works survive in abundance.

Geometric Patterns from Islamic Art and Architecture
With its concentration on geometrical forms, Islamic design offers a rich source of patterns. Many are taken Moorish Spain and the traditional sites of the Middle East and North Africa, but this book also includes patterns which have been used in mosques in Great Britain.

Ceramics of the Islamic World
Pottery and ceramics from the Islamic world have intrigues Western art historians and collectors, as well as the discerning public. This text presents a wide collection of objects spanning all periods and regions of the Islamic world, including the results of Geza Fehervari's own excavations.

Iznik: The Artistry of Ottoman Ceramics
Covering both Iznik pieces de forme and the famous Iznik tiles that decorate ottoman imperial monuments, the book integrates the entire spectrum of Iznik production, both tiles and wares, and the broader artistic tradition in which it originated. Professor Denny begins with a discussion of the particular nature of Islamic art under the Ottomans. He then examines the relationship between the court style of Istanbul and the ceramic ateliers in Iznik in nearby Bithynia, and the crucial role of two styles - dubbed by the author the 'enchanted forest' and 'heavenly garden' (the saz and aux quatre fleurs styles) - and their creators, Shah Kulu and Kara Memi. Finally, he covers Iznik works with human or animal imagery, the patronage of non-Muslim communities within the Ottoman Empire, and the chronicle of destruction and damage of tiled monuments due to war, earthquake and fire

Meditation of Ornament (A.W. Mellon Lectures in the Fine Arts)
The text compares these works to Western examples, treating all pieces as testimony of the work, life, thought and emotion experienced in one society. From this discussion, ornament emerges as a consistent intermediary between viewers and artistic works throughout time. Grabar defines ornaments as agents that are not logically necessary to the perception of a visual message but without which the process of understanding would be more difficult - they in fact often draw us into a work by strengthening the pleasure derived from looking at it. A major portion of this book explores four particularly influential forces on the development of ornament: writing (calligraphy), geometry, architecture and nature

Ceramics from Islamic Lands
A collection of ceramics from the lands of Islam, providing a new framework for the understanding and study of Islamic ceramics, their traditions and technical inventiveness

The Art and Archaeology of Ancient Persia: New Light on the Parthian and Sasanian Empires
The art of the Parthian and Sasanian empires exercised enormous influence on art and culture in the early Islamic period and its legacy has continuing relevance in modern times. Pre-Islamic stylistic developments and motifs were widely adopted in the Islamic period: traditional mosque architecture, for example, draws much from Parthian and Sasanian forms. This text brings together an international panel to assess the state of knowledge of the Achaemenid, Parthian and Sasanian empires, and their contributions cover a range of subjects relating to the art and archaeology of Iran and neighbouring countries from the 5th century BC to the 7th century AD. Previously unpublished material from excavations in Central Asia is presented, along with actual evidence of cultural continuity between ancient Persia and the modern Middle East.

Islamic Tiles
(Eastern Art)
Papreback
Publisher:
Interlink Publishing Group

Heaven on Earth: Art from Islamic Lands
This title is a catalogue of Islamic works of art on display in the State Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg and the Khalili Collection in London, supported by authoritative essays by distinguished Islamic scholars

Islamic Art and Architecture, 650-1250 (Yale University Press Pelican History of Art S.)
This richly illustrated book provides an unsurpassed overview of Islamic art and architecture during a time that witnessed the formation of a new artistic culture and its first, medieval, flowering in the vast area from the Atlantic to India. Inspired by Ettinghausen and Grabar’s original text, this book has been completely rewritten and updated, and many new illustrations have been added

Islamic Design (Dover Pictura)
Papreback
Publisher:
Dover Publications

The Formation of Islamic Art
Paperback
Publisher:
Yale University Press

Hunt for Paradise:
Court Arts of Safavid Iran 1501-76
Hardcover
Publisher:
Skira Editore

Early Persian Painting: Kalila Wa Dimna Manuscripts of the Late 14th Century
"Kalila and Dimna" or "The Fables of Bidpai" is one of the gems of world culture, having been translated through the centuries everywhere from China to Spain. "Kalila and Dimna", like the fables of Aesop or Lafontaine, are subtle and suggestive moral tales - a kind of repository of wisdom and understanding about the human condition. It was the most commonly illustrated medieval Islamic text. This book focuses on the group of seven Persian manuscripts from the second half of the 14th century, which contains several of the finest examples of Persian painting

Glass of the Sultans: Twelve Centuries of Islamic Masterworks (Metropolitan Museum of Art S.)
Islamic glassmakers were not only brilliant technicians and innovators in their own right, but they also preserved many of the methods of Late Antique Roman craftsmen, passing them on centuries later to Venetian and other European masters. This lovely book is the first comprehensive study of the accomplishments of these artisans. The volume presents glass objects from collections throughout the world - from perfume flasks to pitchers, mosque lanterns to boxes, inkwells to vases - ranging from the seventh to the nineteenth century and through many of the major artistic centres of the Muslim world. Five introductory essays cover all facets of the subject, including historical background, archacological excavations, issues of connoisseurship, technology and science. The authors then discuss 150 masterworks of Islamic glass, grouped by technique or type of decoration (blown, mould-blown, hot-worked, mosaic, painted, cut, and engraved) each of which is illustrated in full colour

The Mosque and the Modern World: Architects, Patrons and Designs Since the 1950s
In the decades since the ending of colonial rule, new mosques have been built in significant numbers throughout the Islamic world, as well as to serve Muslim communities in other countries. This text features over 70 projects ranging from commissions by wealthy private individuals and local communities to imposing State Mosques. The international nature of Islamic architecture is seen in the buildings featured; in Pakistan, for example, in the Ottoman-style minarets of the King Faisal Mosque, Islamabad, designed bu the Turkish architect Vedat Dalokay. In the West, major complexes such as the Islamic Cultural Centre of New York, the Islamic Centre and Mosque in Rome and the Regent's Park Mosque in London, provide a new dimension to the urban landscape

Islamic Patterns:
An Analytical and Cosmological Approach
Originally published by Thames and Hudson (London) in 1976. The author is affiliated with the Prince of Wales Institute of Architecture in England, and is an expert on Islamic art. This provocative study explores the geometrical patterns of Islamic art

Crafts and Craftsmen of the Middle East: Fashioning the Individual in the Muslim Mediterranean (Islamic Mediterranean S.)
Crafts and Craftsmen of the Middle East presents research on craft workers within and outside the guild structure from the modern and contemporary Mediterranean world. From the late sixteenth-century Ottoman Empire to traditional style crafts in twentieth-century Turkey and Egypt, the book surveys a multitude of traditions. It begins in 1582 when Istanbul artisans paraded in front of Sultan Murad III; moves through to the eighteenth-century struggles between artisans and tax farmers in Tokat, the artisans of Cairo and the craftsmen of Adana; and into nineteenth-century accounts of Istanbul's women workers and Jewish butchers. This book is essential to all those interested in the history of the culture and society of the Islamic Mediterranean

Islamic Art Collections: An International Survey
An annotated index and general orientation of Islamic art collections in museums, libraries, other institutions and on private hands. Includes a short description of each collection, its main characteristics, documentation, publications and exhibitions

THE ABBASID TRADITION: Qur'ans of the 8th to 10th Centuries AD (The Nasser D. Khalili Collection of Islamic Art, VOL I)
The Khalili Collection is the greatest collection of Islamic art in private hands; it is continuing to grow and improve. It contains a large and comprehensive range of Qur'anic material, covering the entire history of Qur'an production from the seventh to the twentieth centuries, including examples from centres as far apart as Spain and India. This is the first of four volumes cataloguing the Qur'ans in the Khalili Collection. It includes Abbasid Qur'ans from the eighth to the tenth centuries. This catalogue combines examples of detailed scholarship encompassing the history of the subject

Qajar Portraits: Figure Paintings from Nineteenth Century Persia
The Qajars were a tribe of Turkic origin who controlled Iran for 140 years until the early 20th century. This book presents a comprehensive overview of Qajar imperial portraiture through 40 remarkable works of art. Portraiture was used intensively to further their dynastic and political ends

Islamic Art and Literature
Edited by Oleg Grabar, one of the leading experts in Islamic art history, along with Cynthia Robinson, this book breaks new ground in the field of Middle Eastern art history. While illuminated manuscripts from Persia and the Arab world are outstanding masterpieces of art, only recent scholarship in Islamic visual culture includes written sources in its consideration of the relationships between the textual and visual worlds. Likewise, scholars of Arabic and Persian literature have become aware of the comparative and interpretive possibilities contained within visual sources. Nevertheless, separation between the two fields of inquiry remains prevalent. These six essays - three by art historians and three by specialists in Arabic and Persian literature - examine specific instances in which texts and images which would seem to have been intended as one cultural product have traditionally been studied separately

The Arab Islamic Art: From the Seventh to the Fifteenth Centuries
Islamic civilization represents one of the richest and most prolific phases in the cultural history of humanity. This text appraises the early periods of Islamic art within its own cultural framework and traces the development of the Islamic aesthetic.

Islamic Designs
Paperback
Publisher:
Agile Rabbit

The Art and Architecture of Islam 650-1250 (The Yale University Press / Pelican History of Art)
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

Glass of the Early Islamic Period
(Metropolitan Museum of Art S.)
Hardcover:
A survey of glass in the early Islamic period throughout the Near East and an examination of the excavation sites

Pottery of the Early Islamic Period
(Metropolitan Museum of Art S.)
Hardcover:
A definitive study of the pottery discovered in the Metropolitan Museum's 1935-39 excavations at the medieval site of Nishapur in northeastern Iran

Islamic Art
Review: Although this book is extreamly detailed and contains much history and research, there are at the begining a few images taken from ancient paintings which show pictures of the prophet Muhammad (PBUH.) This is STRICTLY forbidden in Islam. Such imagery is not alowed. With so much detail given to research, the authors of this title should have given this more attention

Islam and the Religious Arts (Religion & the Arts)
Aimed at educationalists and students interested in the world of Islam, this work reveals something of the rich variety and diversity of the religious arts of Islam, an aspect of Islamic art which still remains misunderstood and under-researched. Rather than concentrating solely on the Middle East, it includes examples of visual expression from West Africa to South-east Asia and beyond, from the first century of Islamic history to the present day. The book draws the readers' attention to the enduring impact of 19th century Western perceptions of Islamic art as traditional and decorative, rather than as fine art. The relationship between Islamic theological opinion, the artist-maker and the object is explored in this discussion of religious artistic expression, from early Islamic calligraphy and the mosque to contemporary Iranian poster art, from prayer rugs to sufi performance

Glass from Islamic Lands
Hardcover
Publisher:
Thames + Hudson

Royal Bronze Statuary from Ancient Egypt, with Special Attention to the Kneeling Pose (Egyptological Memoirs)
This study exploits the clues offered by bronze royal statuary to carefully analyze this large subgroup by identifying 125 datable examples out of nearly 300. It also establishes a more precise understanding of the role of small royal bronze statuary through a focus on the popular kneeling pose

Islamic Empires
(History in Art)
Hardcover
Publisher:
Raintree

Staging a Revolution: The Art of Persuasion in the Islamic Republic of Iran
A visual survey of the public myths and collective symbols used in the making of the Islamic Revolution in Iran and the subsequent war with Iraq. The book traces a remarkable period of history in which the power of words and images successfully challenged the military might of an established state, setting forth an avalanche of public sentiment that led to revolution. The authors uncover the visual and iconographic history of the Islamic revolution of Iran, from the fiery words of Ayatollah Khomeini to revolutionary posters, graffiti, slogans, murals, posters and banners - words and images that unified much of the nation. The book surveys a wealth of primary sources produced by the various active organs of the Islamic Revolution. The authors examine the popular beliefs and rituals disseminated on such objects as stamps, textbooks, banknotes and even chewing gum wrappers, objects that deeply influenced the national psyche, stirring people into a revolutionary trance through all aspects of daily life.

Royal Persian Paintings: the Qajar Epoch 1785-1925: Two Hundred Years of Painting from the Royal Persian Courts
The flowering of Persian painting and the visual arts of Iran's Qajar period (1779-1925) is examined in this work, which focuses on the growth of a remarkable tradition of life-size figural painting, virtually unseen in the Islamic world. Historic manuscripts, lacquer works, calligraphies and enamels further illuminate the subject. Essays in the book explore the historical and social context of the period, and detailed entries describe and interpret a wide variety of paintings and artifacts. The illustrations include many unseen masterpieces from museums such as the Hermitage and private collections

Discovering Islamic Art: Scholars, Collectors and Collections, 1850-1950
Written by leading specialists in Islamic art, this collection of essays explores the development of collecting and scholarship in the field between 1850 and 1950, the period when the intellectual foundations for the study of Islamic art were established