Islamic art of the 19th century has received very little attention, and this is the first work devoted entirely to the subject.
Through a series of essays and the entries on 188 objects in various media, the catalogue reflects the issues confronting Islamic artists and their patrons in the 19th century, namely the desire to maintain traditional forms of expression with their requisite skills, while acknowledging a need to develop new modes of expression suitable for the modern world.
The first section of the book examines objects related to the Muslim faith and its expansion through Africa and South-east Asia. The second discusses the effect of royal patronage on the arts of the Ottoman empire, Iran and the Muslim courts of India. Domestic items are the subject of the third section. The concluding chapters examine Islam’s interaction with the West through objects made both in Europe and in the Islamic lands, including the revival of Mamluk and Safavid styles.
Dr Stephen Vernoit – Former Assistant Professor, Al-Akhawayn University, Ifrane, Morocco; former Lecturer, Institute for Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies, Durham University; specialist in the art and cultural history of the Islamic world in the 17th–20th centuries
256 pages; fully illustrated in colour; hardback with dust jacket (slipcased); 36 x 26 cm; 1997; ISBN 1-874780-64-1
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