Research Catalog

Title

Power and protection : Islamic art and the supernatural / Francesca Leoni ; with essays by Pierre Lory, Christiane Gruber, Francesca Leoni ; and contributions by Farouk Yahya and Venetia Porter.

Author

Leoni, Francesca, 1974-

Publication

• Oxford : Ashmolean Museum, 2016.
• ©2016

Items in the Library & Off-site

Details

Additional Authors

• Lory, Pierre
• Gruber, Christiane, 1956-
• Yahya, Farouk
• Porter, Venetia

Description

104 pages : color illustrations; 28 cm

Summary

• "The desire to know the future, influence life's decisions and repel adversities are deeply human impulses found across time and space. In the Islamic world these could be seen as clashing with Islam's central message -- total surrender to God's will, and its foremost principle -- God's supreme and unmediated authority. Yet history reveals that Muslim societies developed different views towards engaging with the supernatural, ranging from plain acceptance to utter condemnation. Spanning from Morocco to China and the 12th to the 20th century, the books, vessels, garments and jewellery showcased in Power and Protection: Islamic Art and the Supernatural present divinatory and talismanic arts as intellectual resources and founts of artistic inspiration. By reflecting the daily fears and hopes of lower and upper classes alike, they also reveal how the human quest for protection and good luck has often overlapped with the belief in God's all-powerfulness"--Provided by publisher.
• Power and Protection: Islamic Art and the Supernatural' is a ground-breaking investigation of divinatory arts in the Islamic world discussing their impact on, and expression through, material culture. This part of the Islamic tradition has hitherto received limited attention, leaving a fascinating and rich chapter of Islam's cultural production largely unexplored. Essays by three leading experts contextualise over 100 extraordinary objects produced between the twelfth and the twentieth centuries -- including personal ornaments, weaponry, textiles, miniature books, and scrolls -- demonstrating the currency of astrology, geomancy, bibliomancy, dream interpretation, and the science of divination through letters at all levels of society. Insights gleaned from historical sources unveil and chart the animated debates surrounding divinatory "sciences", reflecting changing attitudes towards these practices over the centuries. Thoroughly researched and richly illustrated, 'Power and Protection' offers a stimulating and accessible introduction to this topic for the general reader as well as a fresh and well-balanced account for the specialist. Exhibition: Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, UK (20.10.2016-15.01.2017) / Aga Khan Museum, Toronto, Canada (Spring 2017).

Alternative Title

Islamic art and the supernatural

Subjects

• Ashmolean Museum Exhibitions
• Supernatural in art > Exhibitions
• Islamic art > Exhibitions
• Exhibition catalogs
• Divination > History > Exhibitions
• Islamic civilization > Religious aspects > Exhibitions

Genre/Form

Exhibition catalogs.

Bibliography (note)

• Includes bibliographical references (pages 95-100) and index.

Contents

Introduction -- Divination and religion in Islamic medieval culture / Pierre Lory -- From prayer to protection: amulets and talismans in the Islamic world / Christiane Gruber -- Sacred words, sacred power: Qur'anic and pious phrases as souces of healing and protection / Francesca Leoni.

Call Number

JQF 17-310

ISBN

• 9781910807095
• 1910807095

OCLC

944474907

Author

Leoni, Francesca, 1974- author.

Title

Power and protection : Islamic art and the supernatural / Francesca Leoni ; with essays by Pierre Lory, Christiane Gruber, Francesca Leoni ; and contributions by Farouk Yahya and Venetia Porter.

Publisher

Oxford : Ashmolean Museum, 2016.

Copyright Date

©2016

Type of Content

text

still image

Type of Medium

unmediated

Type of Carrier

volume

Bibliography

Includes bibliographical references (pages 95-100) and index.

Added Author

Lory, Pierre, author.

Gruber, Christiane, 1956- author.

Yahya, Farouk, contributor.

Porter, Venetia, contributor.

Research Call Number

JQF 17-310