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Islamic art
Islamic art is the supreme triumph of pattern and colour, qualities which the west has historically underrated, and which make a direct appeal that is impossible to resist. 'Both historical and geographical stages are charted by an ingenious choice of examples in almost every medium. The result is an admirable survey' (The Times Literary Supplement)
249 illustrations, 55 in colour
249 illustrations, 55 in colour
288 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1965
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About the author
David Talbot Rice
87 books5 followersDavid Talbot Rice CBE (11 July 1903 in Rugby – 12 March 1972 in Cheltenham) was an English art historian. His father was "Talbot-Rice" and both he and his wife published using "Talbot Rice" as a surname, but are also sometimes found under "Rice" alone, or "Talbot-Rice".
Born in Rugby and brought up in Gloucestershire (England), he was educated at Eton prior to reading archaeology and anthropology at Christ Church, Oxford.[1] At Oxford his circle of friends included Evelyn Waugh and Harold Acton as well as his future wife (Elena) Tamara Abelson (1904–1993) whom he was to marry in 1927. She was a Russian émigrée, who was also an art historian, writing on Byzantine and Central Eastern art and other subjects as Tamara Talbot Rice.
Following his graduation, Talbot Rice undertook a number of archaeological digs overseas and developed a passion for all things Byzantine. His expertise in the area of Islamic art was recognised when, in 1932, Samuel Courtauld endowed the Courtauld Institute at the University of London and Talbot Rice was among the first appointments, taking up a position as lecturer.
Talbot Rice was subsequently appointed to the Watson Gordon Chair of Fine Art at the University of Edinburgh in 1934, a post he held until his death in 1972. In 1937 he gave the Ilchester Lecture, later published as The Beginnings of Russian Icon Painting.
During the Second World War Talbot Rice served with modest distinction as Head of the Near East Section of Military Intelligence (MI3b), which was responsible for Eastern Europe including Yugoslavia but excluding Russia and Scandinavia. Originally commissioned onto the Special List in 1939, he transferred to the Intelligence Corps in 1943. He ended the war with the rank of Major.
When peacetime returned he came back to Scotland and established an Honours degree at the University which combined art history and studio art and is still offered today. His ambition to establish an arts centre in the University was realised posthumously when the Talbot Rice Gallery was founded and named after him.
From 1952 to 1954, he led the excavations of the Great Palace of Constantinople in Istanbul, Turkey.
Born in Rugby and brought up in Gloucestershire (England), he was educated at Eton prior to reading archaeology and anthropology at Christ Church, Oxford.[1] At Oxford his circle of friends included Evelyn Waugh and Harold Acton as well as his future wife (Elena) Tamara Abelson (1904–1993) whom he was to marry in 1927. She was a Russian émigrée, who was also an art historian, writing on Byzantine and Central Eastern art and other subjects as Tamara Talbot Rice.
Following his graduation, Talbot Rice undertook a number of archaeological digs overseas and developed a passion for all things Byzantine. His expertise in the area of Islamic art was recognised when, in 1932, Samuel Courtauld endowed the Courtauld Institute at the University of London and Talbot Rice was among the first appointments, taking up a position as lecturer.
Talbot Rice was subsequently appointed to the Watson Gordon Chair of Fine Art at the University of Edinburgh in 1934, a post he held until his death in 1972. In 1937 he gave the Ilchester Lecture, later published as The Beginnings of Russian Icon Painting.
During the Second World War Talbot Rice served with modest distinction as Head of the Near East Section of Military Intelligence (MI3b), which was responsible for Eastern Europe including Yugoslavia but excluding Russia and Scandinavia. Originally commissioned onto the Special List in 1939, he transferred to the Intelligence Corps in 1943. He ended the war with the rank of Major.
When peacetime returned he came back to Scotland and established an Honours degree at the University which combined art history and studio art and is still offered today. His ambition to establish an arts centre in the University was realised posthumously when the Talbot Rice Gallery was founded and named after him.
From 1952 to 1954, he led the excavations of the Great Palace of Constantinople in Istanbul, Turkey.
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May 3, 2019"if, at the end of this survey, the elements that went to form the art of Islam may be enumerated, the non-representational art of middle Asia must share the glory with the legacy left on the one hand by Hellenism and on the other by the Sassanians" (p.254)
This book has 249 illustrations over 257.3 pages, so I had the feeling that the pictures came first, the text providing some kind of geometric decorative counterpoint to them. The text was pretty smooth and clear flowing, so much so that reaching a chapter on later Spain I sat up with a start and realised that I had missed earlier Spain altogether. And the title you will have guessed means 'art associated with a Muslim context' since in many cases the faith of the artist is unknown, nor is it explicitly Islamic, ie devotional.
It has the same faults as Art of the Byzantine era in that it attempts to cover everything: carpets, architecture, books, metalwork, painting, ceramics, woodwork, clothing and everywhere from Spain up to the borders of India, and that border is an entirely arbitrary one it seems but a book has to come to an end somewhere. Islamic Art works better than Art of the Byzantine era, in part I suspect because in dealing with Islamic Art the author didn't feel the need to stop and tell the poor reader that such and such a production was of great spiritual significance, also the author is relaxed enough to enjoy a bit of colour and composition. Everything here has to stand on its own merits.
The political context is a weakness - you just are exposed to a blizzard of dynasties who whip past the eye and mostly appear to have only a tangential connection to the Art created during their rule. The social and intellectual context is almost entirely absent apart from the issue of the representation of human figures.
Islam is famous for taking the second commandment more seriously than Christianity , admittedly a low hurdle, in any case the author points out that working for Christian patrons, for exampleRoger II in Sicily, Muslim artists were quite happy to represent the human form, indeed the author mentions several times that the Caucasus region and central Asia both had strong non-representative traditions so a like tendency towards the abstract in Islamic Art could have been the result of waves of influence washing over the Muslim world as much as an intrinsic response to scripture. Still as with Art of the Byzantine era I have the impression of having seen a lot but not learnt much, just that the Art of Muslim Spain and that of Sicily are hard to distinguish, that Sicily was a centre for ivory carving that despite being in an earthquake zone builders in the area of modern Turkey were fond of constructing massive brick buildings. There's an explosion of colour in the last couple of chapters dealing with the Ottomans and the Safavids, but before we get there the Seljuk's of Rum pop up as innovators creating the ancestor of the caravanserai and bringing in Chinese or Central Asian influences into their tilework, with the Ottomans there is architecture and then pottery. Iznik pottery abruptly died out at the close of the sixteenth century to be replaced by other centres.
Then we finish up with the world of My name is red, paying attention to the shape of horse's noses, with the work of Behzad, and over the border in Reza Abbasi.
There's the same issue here as was apparent in Buddhist Art and Architecture, the influence of Chinese art is plain to see - but if it came via wandering artisans or wandering works of Art is both completely obscure and an important occurrence in the history of art.
I'm surprised that more isn't made of Turkey's Seljuk heritage for tourism purposes. Otherwise this is very much an introduction, and actually a tease throughout, but one gets the sense of enormous openness, with styles and ways of working transformed as they met each other.
This book has 249 illustrations over 257.3 pages, so I had the feeling that the pictures came first, the text providing some kind of geometric decorative counterpoint to them. The text was pretty smooth and clear flowing, so much so that reaching a chapter on later Spain I sat up with a start and realised that I had missed earlier Spain altogether. And the title you will have guessed means 'art associated with a Muslim context' since in many cases the faith of the artist is unknown, nor is it explicitly Islamic, ie devotional.
It has the same faults as Art of the Byzantine era in that it attempts to cover everything: carpets, architecture, books, metalwork, painting, ceramics, woodwork, clothing and everywhere from Spain up to the borders of India, and that border is an entirely arbitrary one it seems but a book has to come to an end somewhere. Islamic Art works better than Art of the Byzantine era, in part I suspect because in dealing with Islamic Art the author didn't feel the need to stop and tell the poor reader that such and such a production was of great spiritual significance, also the author is relaxed enough to enjoy a bit of colour and composition. Everything here has to stand on its own merits.
The political context is a weakness - you just are exposed to a blizzard of dynasties who whip past the eye and mostly appear to have only a tangential connection to the Art created during their rule. The social and intellectual context is almost entirely absent apart from the issue of the representation of human figures.
Islam is famous for taking the second commandment more seriously than Christianity , admittedly a low hurdle, in any case the author points out that working for Christian patrons, for exampleRoger II in Sicily, Muslim artists were quite happy to represent the human form, indeed the author mentions several times that the Caucasus region and central Asia both had strong non-representative traditions so a like tendency towards the abstract in Islamic Art could have been the result of waves of influence washing over the Muslim world as much as an intrinsic response to scripture. Still as with Art of the Byzantine era I have the impression of having seen a lot but not learnt much, just that the Art of Muslim Spain and that of Sicily are hard to distinguish, that Sicily was a centre for ivory carving that despite being in an earthquake zone builders in the area of modern Turkey were fond of constructing massive brick buildings. There's an explosion of colour in the last couple of chapters dealing with the Ottomans and the Safavids, but before we get there the Seljuk's of Rum pop up as innovators creating the ancestor of the caravanserai and bringing in Chinese or Central Asian influences into their tilework, with the Ottomans there is architecture and then pottery. Iznik pottery abruptly died out at the close of the sixteenth century to be replaced by other centres.
Then we finish up with the world of My name is red, paying attention to the shape of horse's noses, with the work of Behzad, and over the border in Reza Abbasi.
There's the same issue here as was apparent in Buddhist Art and Architecture, the influence of Chinese art is plain to see - but if it came via wandering artisans or wandering works of Art is both completely obscure and an important occurrence in the history of art.
I'm surprised that more isn't made of Turkey's Seljuk heritage for tourism purposes. Otherwise this is very much an introduction, and actually a tease throughout, but one gets the sense of enormous openness, with styles and ways of working transformed as they met each other.
January 4, 2014
كتاب ممتع ورائع للغاية لمن يحبون الفن الإسلامي ويرغبون بالتعرف عليه دون تعمق طويل في التفاصيل الفنية المختصصة، يأخذك الكتاب في رحلة جميلة لمناطق الحضارة الإسلامية متتبعاً تطور الفنون وملامحها وأبرز مظاهرها وصفاتها وأسماء أبرز الآثار والتحف التي خلفوها مع بعض الصور (بالأبيض والأسود للأسف)
في عدد من المواضع قارن وفصل في الفروقات بين فنون المناطق المختلفة، ونفى بالأدلة بعض الشبه التي تتعلق بالفنون أو العمارة
الفترة الزمنية كانت منذ الأمويون حتى العصر الصفوي والعثماني أخيراً، المناطق التي غطاها الكتاب بلاد الشام سوريا وفلسطين ومصر والعراق والأندلس ودول المغرب وتركيا وبلاد فارس وسمرقند، مع تركيز على فارس ربما لإهتمام الغربيين بالسجاد الفارسي عادة
في عدد من المواضع قارن وفصل في الفروقات بين فنون المناطق المختلفة، ونفى بالأدلة بعض الشبه التي تتعلق بالفنون أو العمارة
الفترة الزمنية كانت منذ الأمويون حتى العصر الصفوي والعثماني أخيراً، المناطق التي غطاها الكتاب بلاد الشام سوريا وفلسطين ومصر والعراق والأندلس ودول المغرب وتركيا وبلاد فارس وسمرقند، مع تركيز على فارس ربما لإهتمام الغربيين بالسجاد الفارسي عادة
October 24, 2016
This is a classic and much-reprinted primer on the highlights of Islamic art. I got the 1975 revised Thames & Hudson edition for free at a library giveaway (yippee!) so this is the edition I'm reviewing. I found the text clear and wide ranging. While it didn't go into as much detail as I would have liked, this is meant as a short introduction to a huge subject and does that quite well. I've studied Islamic art in a casual way for 25 years now and I still learned a lot from the text.
My main complaint is that the illustrations aren't up to par. Most are in somewhat grainy black and white and don't do these magnificent works of art justice. Even some of the images of illustrated manuscripts are in black and white. There are several color plates in this book but they are not of terribly good quality. I recommend this book for anyone looking to learn more about one of the world's great art traditions, but suggest that you look for a later, better illustrated edition.
My main complaint is that the illustrations aren't up to par. Most are in somewhat grainy black and white and don't do these magnificent works of art justice. Even some of the images of illustrated manuscripts are in black and white. There are several color plates in this book but they are not of terribly good quality. I recommend this book for anyone looking to learn more about one of the world's great art traditions, but suggest that you look for a later, better illustrated edition.
April 15, 2023
This is a pretty interesting book that, especially for those just starting down the rabbit hole of Islamic art, provides a pretty comprehensive (if brief) history. The book is older though, and so some of the archeological publications since this do update some of the subject matter contained herein. There are a lot of decent photos, some of objects/buildings that have since been destroyed or lost, including some colour photos which are always appreciated. Because of the brevity, he covers architecture, textiles, metal and glasswork, pottery and illumination all very briefly, but discusses all of them over time, starting in the first century CE up to the late 18th. If I have any real criticism, aside from some of the dated information, it is that the author is quite the art snob and imbues levels of quality on pieces that I’m not sure are either warranted or justified. Otherwise, I recommend this book for those just starting down this avenue of research, or for those looking for photos of places/items that I haven’t seen in other collections.
January 8, 2021
كتاب از انتشارات 'علمي و فرهنگي'، با ترجمه ي خوب و ويراستاراري نه چندان خوب منتشر شده.
كتاب ارزشمندي است. نويسنده ي با مطالعه دقيق و شوق بسيار به بررسي آثار هنري دنياي اسلام تا عهد صفويه ايران ميپردازد.دوره هاي مختلف هنري از نظر زماني-مكاني تقسيم بندي شده و اشراف نويسنده به سير تاريخي-اجتماعي مكان ها و دوره هاي مختلف ستودني است. اما سياه-سفيد بودن اكثريت قريب به اتفاق عكس ها( كه البته بسيار زياد و ارزشمند است) به شدت آزار دهنده است.
كتاب ارزشمندي است. نويسنده ي با مطالعه دقيق و شوق بسيار به بررسي آثار هنري دنياي اسلام تا عهد صفويه ايران ميپردازد.دوره هاي مختلف هنري از نظر زماني-مكاني تقسيم بندي شده و اشراف نويسنده به سير تاريخي-اجتماعي مكان ها و دوره هاي مختلف ستودني است. اما سياه-سفيد بودن اكثريت قريب به اتفاق عكس ها( كه البته بسيار زياد و ارزشمند است) به شدت آزار دهنده است.
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