The Art of the Book in the Islamic World: Four Studies by Temple Graduate Students

By Joe S. RSS Mon, December 5, 2022

Books have long occupied a central place in the visual culture of the Islamic world.

This seminar, held during Temple University’s Fall 2021 semester, traced the key developments in the “arts of the two pens”—namely, calligraphy and manuscript painting—from the 13th to 19th centuries, while also considering contemporary artistic engagements, the practical aspects of book production and broader topics including models of patronage and collecting, the social performance of reading and recitation, mobility of artists and objects across different geographies, and the complex interplay between word and image.

Frontispiece of Lewis O 165 showing Chapter 1 (the Fatiha) and the beginning of chapter 2 of the Qur’an.]
Frontispiece of Lewis O 165 showing Chapter 1 (the Fatiha) and the beginning of chapter 2 of the Qur’an.]
Mi’raj, or Ascension of the Prophet Muhammad. Leaf from Yusuf and Zulaikha. Late eighteenth century, Mughal Empire. Free Library of Philadelphia, Lewis M 464.
Mi’raj, or Ascension of the Prophet Muhammad. Leaf from Yusuf and Zulaikha. Late eighteenth century, Mughal Empire. Free Library of Philadelphia, Lewis M 464.
“Incident in a Mosque,” from the Divan of Hafiz, painting attributed to Shaykh Zada (c. 1525-27). Image courtesy of the Harvard Art Museum
“Incident in a Mosque,” from the Divan of Hafiz, painting attributed to Shaykh Zada (c. 1525-27). Image courtesy of the Harvard Art Museum
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