I. M. Hanash, The Theory of Islamic Art, Aesthetic Concept and Epistemic Structure, The International Institute of Islamic Thought, London – Washington 2017. When dealing with Islamic art, it is good, from time to time, to step back, and look at the bigger picture. Going from the particular – the object studied – to the general – what…
“The Silk Roads” by Peter Frankopan
P. Frankopan, The Silk Roads. A new history of the world, Bloomsbury, London – New York 2015. ‘Greek mythology had it that Zeus, father of the gods, released two eagles, one at each end of the earth, and commanded them to fly towards each other. A sacred stone, the omphalos – the navel of the world –…
#IslamicForgeries – Episode 2, part 3 | The Blue Room in Palermo (to sum up)
The last part of the ‘episode’ on the Blue Room in Palermo. After having narrated how it came to light, and what’s in there, it is time now to provide my own interpretation.
#IslamicForgeries – Episode 2, part 2 | The Blue Room in Palermo (reading its content)
The story of the finding of the blue room is interesting, full of opinions and full of gaps. I am following its developments, as much as I can, since it started, in late 2013. Many interpretations have been proposed so far, but before providing an interpretation on my own, it is necessary to step back…
#IslamicForgeries – Episode 2, part 1 | The Blue Room in Palermo (a story in three chapters)
A blue room with decorations clearly inspired by Islamic epigraphy is found in a private house in Palermo. Since its discovery, a carousel of authorities, scholars and onlookers have visited the house, and everyone seems to have something to say. Including myself.
Amulets, talismans, and Qur’anic inscriptions
In the last few months, two important museums have organized two distinct exhibitions dedicated to amulets and talismans in the Islamic world. The Metropolitan Museum’s exhibition, Power and Piety: Islamic talismans on the battlefield, showcases a selection of arms and armor decorated with inscriptions and images believed to protect the warriors during battles. A second exhibition, titled…
The light at the end of the tunnel – Islamic Art Market
Every year in London two Islamic Art Weeks are held in October and April, in which the three major auction houses (Bonhams, Sotheby’s and Christie’s) organize their four traditional sales of Islamic Art. The last Islamic Art Week, Spring 2016, took place in mid-April. The sales can be analyzed in different ways: the objects sold,…
The biased interpretation of pre-Islamic inscriptions by Haaretz
Today I decided to take the tram to go to work. Sitting there I started to have a look at Twitter, as most of the people around me were doing. It was then when my attention was caught by a title: “Before Islam: When Saudi Arabia was a Jewish Kingdom“. Saudi Arabia was…what? When? Am…
#IslamicForgeries – Episode 1 | The ‘Sicilian’ Council
Sicily is both famous and notorious. The splendour of its past is recognised worldwide: Greeks, Byzantines, Fatimids, Normans and on and on. If you flip the coin you have mafia, corruptions, omertà (code of silence). The story of the Council of Egypt combines in part these two aspects of the island. The historical and artistic legacy…
#IslamicForgeries – Intro | Why are they fascinating?
Forgeries are bad. They are fake reproductions of an original object, made on purpose, to fool people. Museums, collectors and scholars feel sort of ashamed when they realise they have displayed, bought or studied a forgery they believed authentic.
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