|
|
|
Ludvik Kalus, J.M. Rogers, Manijeh Bayani and Chris Cavey
The collection of seals and talismans, with more than 2,800 examples,
is the largest in the world, by far outstripping its nearest rival,
the Hermitage in St Petersburg. Carved from a variety of precious
and semi-precious stones, and inscribed in Arabic or Persian, they
are mostly of Ottoman, Iranian or Mughal origin and span the entire
Islamic period. Drawing on this wealth of material, the volume will
be the most important work in the field to date.
The material presented in this volume ranges from a fine group of
personal seals from the early Islamic period, to an impressive collection
of 15th- and 16th-century seals from Iran and Turkey, and a large
selection of seals of office from the Qajar period.
Among the early seals is a rare dated example - a seal of the privy
treasury bearing the date AH 132 (AD 750-51) which corresponds to
the last year of the reign of the last Umayyad Caliph, Marwan II.
Royal seals from later periods are also represented, and these include
the seal of the first Qara Qoyunlu ruler, Qara Muhammad; of the
Safavid shahs Tahmasp and Suleyman; and of Fath 'Ali Shah Qajar.
Essays include a study of the materials and techniques used in the
production of Islamic seals and talismans and another on the theory
and practice of the use of seals in the early Islamic period.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Professor Ludvik Kalus teaches at the Department of Arabic Studies,
Université de Paris IV (Sorbonne).
Professor J. M. Rogers is The Nasser D. Khalili Professor of Islamic
Art, School of Oriental and African Studies, London, and Honorary
Curator of the Khalili Collection; he is a Fellow of the Society
of Antiquaries and a leading authority with numerous publications
covering many aspects of Islamic art and history.
DETAILS
(to be published)
fully illustrated in colour; line drawings; inscriptions reproduced
in their original language, with translations
35.5 x 25.5 cm
hardback with dust jacket (slipcased)
£89 $180
Back to listing
|
