Rediscovering objects from Islamic lands in Enlightenment Europe

Abstract

"This book argues that the provenance of early modern and medieval objects from Islamic lands was largely forgotten until the 'long' eighteenth century, when the first efforts were made to reconnect them with the historical contexts in which they were produced. For the first time, these Islamicate objects were read, studied and classified - and given a new place in history. Freed by scientific interest, they were used in new ways and found new homes, including in museums. More generally, the process of 'rediscovery' opened up the prehistory of the discipline of Islamic art history and it had a significant impact on conceptions of cultural boundaries, differences and identity. The book will be of interest to scholars working in the history of art, the art of the Islamic world, early modern history and art historiography"--Provided by publisher.

Contents

Part I: Changing Perceptions -- 1. Changing Perceptions of Middle Eastern Objects and Cultures in Eighteenth-Century Europe / Anna Contadini -- 2. Reading Ottoman Banners in the State of the Church / Mattia Guidetti -- Part II: Protagonists -- 3. Oluf Gerhard Tychsen: Orientalist and Object Interpreter in Rostock / Isabelle Dolezalek -- 4. Beyond Manuscripts: Maronite Christians as Object Interpreters in Early Modern Europe / Tobias Mörike -- Part III: Whose Heritage? -- 5. The "Baptistère de Saint Louis": The Making of a "Historical Monument" / Carine Juvin -- 6. "Nuestros árabes"? The Rediscovery of Spanish Islamic Architecture from an Enlightened Gaze / Miriam Cera Brea.