All Collections
Back to Publications

Monuments and Memorials. Carvings and tile work from the Islamic world

VOLUME XXIV

2025

Ralph Pinder-Wilson and Mehreen Chida-Razvi with contributions by Mitchell A.K. Crites, Rudolph Abraham, Manijeh Bayani, Javad Golmohammadi, Roberta Marin, Peter Morgan and Martina Rugiadi

This volume is devoted to architectural decoration and tombstones in the Collection from across the Islamic world, from the Iberian peninsula to the Indian subcontinent, and datable from the 13th to the 19th centuries.

The largest holdings are of glazed ceramic tiles, which would have decorated a range of secular and religious buildings, including a comprehensive lustre group from Ilkhanid Iran, and other smaller but important groups of cuerda seca from 15th-century Spain and blue, turquoise and white tiles from Multan in the 18th–19th centuries.

Among the many fine tombstones of various materials and origins are: a marble pillar tombstone measuring over a metre high from Tunisia, with a carved foliated Kufic inscription including the date, 2 Safar 436 (29 August 1044), and the name of the deceased; a magnificent carved wooden cenotaph from a shrine in the Caspian area of Iran dated ah 902 (ad 1496–7), which includes the names of the donors and signature of the craftsman; and a marble stela nearly two metres high from Mughal northern India, with exquisite carved floral and calligraphic ornament.

The Collection also includes fine carved sandstone window grilles (jali) from Mughal India and a remarkable group of marble carvings from Ghazni.

About the author(s)

The Late Ralph Pinder-Wilson – Former Keeper of the Department of Oriental Antiquities, British Museum, London; specialist in the arts of Iran, India and Afghanistan

Dr Mehreen Chida-Razvi – Deputy Curator and In-House Editor, Nasser D. Khalili Collection of Islamic Art; Islamic art historian with a specialisation in Mughal art, architecture and material culture; Assistant Editor for the International Journal of Islamic Architecture

Mitchell Abdul Karim Crites – Art historian whose research primarily focuses on Mughal art, architecture and garden design; instrumental in a major revival of Indian and Islamic arts and crafts across West and South Asia

Rudolf Abraham – Former Deputy Curator, Nasser D. Khalili Collection of Islamic Art, London

Manijeh Bayani – Specialist in Persian and Arabic epigraphy; contributor to most of the catalogues in the Nasser D. Khalili Collection of Islamic Art series

The late Dr Javad Golmohammadi – Former Lecturer, Department of Archaeology and History of Art, Tehran University; independent Islamic art historian based in London working on a publication on wooden religious buildings and carved woodwork of Islamic Iran

Roberta Marin – Assistant Curator, Nasser D. Khalili Collection of Islamic Art; tutor of the post-graduate Diploma in Asian Art, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London

Dr Peter Morgan – Former Director, British Institute of Persian Studies, Iran; research interests include Ilkhanid ceramics

Dr Martina Rugiadi – Assistant Curator, Department of Islamic Art, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; specialist in Ghaznavid stonework

Details

fully illustrated in colour; hardback with dust jacket (slipcased); 36 × 26 cm;
ISBN: 978-1-874780-85-4

Gallery

Share this page

Share this page