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Library | Item Barcode | Call Number | Material Type | Item Category 1 | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Searching... | 30000003528670 | NK4670.7.A78 D57 1996 f | Open Access Book | Book | Searching... |
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Summary
Summary
"This highly unusual book gathers together the largest collection of photographs ever published of the astonishing tiled domes, minarets and walls of Islamic Asia." "Michael Barry's text draws on a wealth of historical, technical and iconographic information to illuminate the history and meaning of these remarkable decorations. He traces the history of Islamic architectural tiles from their first major appearance at the end of the twelfth century as a means of protection from the weather, through their apogee in the fifteenth century which saw them perhaps at their most ornate, right up to the present day when Herat's tilemasters still perpetuate the finest medieval traditions." "Beginning with a highly evocative traveller's impression of modern Afghanistan, the text combines profound historical knowledge with insight into the technical innovations that shaped the course of tile decoration in medieval Islam. In addition, in order to explore the symbolism behind the seven colors Michael Barry turns to one of the greatest medieval Persian-language poets, Nezami of Ganjeh, and his verse romance The Brides of the Seven Climes. He translates this series of tales, which are as charming and gripping as any in the Thousand and One Nights, and in his commentary provides a fascinating glimpse of the philosophical, literary and religious context for Nezami's work."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Reviews 2
Publisher's Weekly Review
A pristine 12th-century minaret hidden in Afghanistan's mountains for centuries and discovered only in 1957; a sky-blue mausoleum in Samarkand, built for Timur's niece in 1371; spectacular tiles from Istanbul's Topkapi Palace; intricately decorated medieval Iranian shrines erected under Islamized Mongol rulers‘these are some of the exotic sites explored by the Michauds in their leisurely photo-essay stretching from Central Asia to Pakistan. Their odyssey, splendidly illustrated with 158 color photos, is organized around an unusual framework: their eloquent, free-form translation of Azerbaijani poet Nezami of Ganjeh's Persian verse romance The Brides of the Seven Climes, written in 1197, a Scheherazade-like saga that purports to unlock the sacred cosmic symbolism of the seven colors used by medieval Persian ceramists on their walls and domes. An informative essay by Barry, a Parisian scholar specializing in medieval Islamic civilization, encompasses glazed brickwork architecture ranging from 4th-century B.C. Macedonian mosaics to Moghul forts and palaces in India. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Choice Review
This unusual book, written with authority and insight, interweaves the visual art of ceramic architectural decoration with literary, cosmological, philosophical, and religious aspects of the medieval Persian culture. Barry refers to his own observations of contemporary tile-making in Afghanistan and thus draws a vivid picture of the process of production. The book has a delightful twist: stories from the verse romance The Brides of Seven Climes, by Nizami (1141-1209) of Ganjah (in Azarbayjan), which narrates the journey of an ancient Persian king who visits seven princesses in seven regions. The regions and the princesses are symbolized by different colors. The king's mythical journey through colorful climes--here accompanied with Persian miniatures--creates a framework in which multicolored architectural tile revetments from Morocco to India are illustrated with stunning photographs. If the text sounds too stretched to be of much use to a student of Islamic art, and the use of a 12th-century Persian romance to frame the vast areas and periods of tile production in the Muslim world smacks of "Orientalism," this reader is ready to forgive these foibles. The book is visually captivating, the tales of Nizami and their interpretations are enjoyable. It may be an embroidered discussion of Islamic tile revetments but it is not dull. This is definitely an illuminating coffee-table book worth its weight. General; two-year technical program students; upper-division undergraduates. U. U. Bates CUNY Hunter College
