Zeren Tanındı Festschrift: Art and Culture of Books in the Islamic World, ed. Aslıhan Erkmen, Şebnem Tamcan Parladır (İstanbul: Lale Yayıncılık), 2022
Yazıların sorumlulukları yazarlara aittir. Kitaptaki metin ve resimlerin, tamamının veya bir kısm... more Yazıların sorumlulukları yazarlara aittir. Kitaptaki metin ve resimlerin, tamamının veya bir kısmının, elektronik, mekanik, fotokopi veya herhangi bir kayıt sistemi ile çoğaltılması, yayımlanması ve depolanması, başka dillere çevrilmesi yayıncıdan ve ilgili müze müdürlükleri ve kurumlardan alınacak yazılı izne tabidir. Lale Yayıncılık, Lale Organizasyon Ticaret Limited Şirketi'nin markasıdır. Bu kitabın yayın hakları Lale Yayıncılık ve Lale Organizasyon'a aittir.
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Books by Bernard O'Kane
Papers by Bernard O'Kane
One of the wali sanga, Sunan Kalijaga, reputedly employed the Javanese shadow puppet theater (wayang) as an aid to spreading Islam. It is therefore not surprising, perhaps, that the syncretism that is seen in mosque plans is equally evident in decoration. This syncretistism has often been remarked upon, but I revisit some of the most important early examples to argue that Chinese motifs have an almost equal footing with pre-Islamic Javanese ones.
The paper first gives a background to the rise of the neo‑Mamluk style in Egypt before analyzing Lasciac’s contributions to it. In one of his early buildings, the neo‑Renaissance palace of Yūsuf Kamāl at Matariyya, a newly‑discovered neo‑Mamluk room is discussed. The detailed analysis of his villa at Rafut and later buildings show the unusual extent to which the decorative motifs he used were accurately based on earlier Mamluk designs, reflecting his long‑standing involvement as a board member of the Comité de conservation des monuments de l’art arabe.
In early Quranic manuscripts words were freely divided between lines. This is also a feature of early inscription panels and remained extremely common in subsequent centuries. One of the most common placings for inscriptions is on the four sides of the base of the zone of transition of a domed bay, necessitating four right-angled turns. Here too there was an initial tendency to spread words over the turns (seen first at the Zaytuna mosque in Tunis (864 CE). Another area where this was a problem was on mihrabs and portals, since the introduction of inscriptions on these areas from the 10th century onwards. With framing inscriptions epigraphers had to deal with the question of how to negotiate the corner turns, posing layout problems different to that of an inscription on the four sides of a square where ligatures could be extended horizontally around a corner. From the late Ayyubid period onwards religious architecture in Cairo is distinguished by elaborate fenestration often set within stepped recesses; placing an inscription on the succession of narrow right-angled turns entailed more challenges for designers.
The paper examines how the continuing conflicts between ease of design (or perhaps in the case of craftsmen, ease of application) and legibility were gradually resolved. One reason was the necessity for foundation inscriptions to be actually read, given their legal status as conveying ownership of the building. Another is an increased reliance on calligraphers who drew up the inscriptions more accurately beforehand, in turn helped by the more readily availability and reduction in the cost of the paper used to plan them. With inscriptions where a calligrapher is unlikely to have been involved, such as epitaphs, the increasing literacy of the craftsmen may have been a factor. What is surprising is how long it took for the custom of spreading words over turns to disappear; it was not until the sixteenth century that the practice almost completely died out.
were made in the 14th century, and they are ubiquitous on the buildings of Khiva in the 19th century. This article illustrates these discoveries and discusses the reasons for their rarity. Then the related topic of seemingly incorrect placement or design of medieval tile panels is discussed. It is concluded that the numbering of the tiles clearly reflects the practice of having a life-size tiled panel first painted on the ground and then cut for firing
into smaller tiles, regardless of the symmetrical pattern it might display. Perhaps this reflects the uncertainty of ceramicists in the ability of masons or tilers to correctly place even symmetrical cladding on the wall.
parts of the Islamic world, precedes the discussion of Mughal examples in the body of the paper. The paper highlights the initial links with Sultanate tilework, whether underglaze-painted, as in the Punjab, or with tile mosaic, in northern India.
The development of Mughal tile mosaic is emphasized, as this was the medium most frequently used for tile decoration. Changes in the colour palette and in the introduction of new patterns are examined, highlighting the extensive use of figural imagery at the Lahore Fort and the simultaneous introduction of naturalistic vegetal panels. The less-frequent
Mughal use of underglaze-painted and cuerda seca tiles is also examined. The conclusions summarize the characteristic features of Mughal tilework and suggest areas for future study.
Unlike the printed version, this has all color illustrations.
One of the wali sanga, Sunan Kalijaga, reputedly employed the Javanese shadow puppet theater (wayang) as an aid to spreading Islam. It is therefore not surprising, perhaps, that the syncretism that is seen in mosque plans is equally evident in decoration. This syncretistism has often been remarked upon, but I revisit some of the most important early examples to argue that Chinese motifs have an almost equal footing with pre-Islamic Javanese ones.
The paper first gives a background to the rise of the neo‑Mamluk style in Egypt before analyzing Lasciac’s contributions to it. In one of his early buildings, the neo‑Renaissance palace of Yūsuf Kamāl at Matariyya, a newly‑discovered neo‑Mamluk room is discussed. The detailed analysis of his villa at Rafut and later buildings show the unusual extent to which the decorative motifs he used were accurately based on earlier Mamluk designs, reflecting his long‑standing involvement as a board member of the Comité de conservation des monuments de l’art arabe.
In early Quranic manuscripts words were freely divided between lines. This is also a feature of early inscription panels and remained extremely common in subsequent centuries. One of the most common placings for inscriptions is on the four sides of the base of the zone of transition of a domed bay, necessitating four right-angled turns. Here too there was an initial tendency to spread words over the turns (seen first at the Zaytuna mosque in Tunis (864 CE). Another area where this was a problem was on mihrabs and portals, since the introduction of inscriptions on these areas from the 10th century onwards. With framing inscriptions epigraphers had to deal with the question of how to negotiate the corner turns, posing layout problems different to that of an inscription on the four sides of a square where ligatures could be extended horizontally around a corner. From the late Ayyubid period onwards religious architecture in Cairo is distinguished by elaborate fenestration often set within stepped recesses; placing an inscription on the succession of narrow right-angled turns entailed more challenges for designers.
The paper examines how the continuing conflicts between ease of design (or perhaps in the case of craftsmen, ease of application) and legibility were gradually resolved. One reason was the necessity for foundation inscriptions to be actually read, given their legal status as conveying ownership of the building. Another is an increased reliance on calligraphers who drew up the inscriptions more accurately beforehand, in turn helped by the more readily availability and reduction in the cost of the paper used to plan them. With inscriptions where a calligrapher is unlikely to have been involved, such as epitaphs, the increasing literacy of the craftsmen may have been a factor. What is surprising is how long it took for the custom of spreading words over turns to disappear; it was not until the sixteenth century that the practice almost completely died out.
were made in the 14th century, and they are ubiquitous on the buildings of Khiva in the 19th century. This article illustrates these discoveries and discusses the reasons for their rarity. Then the related topic of seemingly incorrect placement or design of medieval tile panels is discussed. It is concluded that the numbering of the tiles clearly reflects the practice of having a life-size tiled panel first painted on the ground and then cut for firing
into smaller tiles, regardless of the symmetrical pattern it might display. Perhaps this reflects the uncertainty of ceramicists in the ability of masons or tilers to correctly place even symmetrical cladding on the wall.
parts of the Islamic world, precedes the discussion of Mughal examples in the body of the paper. The paper highlights the initial links with Sultanate tilework, whether underglaze-painted, as in the Punjab, or with tile mosaic, in northern India.
The development of Mughal tile mosaic is emphasized, as this was the medium most frequently used for tile decoration. Changes in the colour palette and in the introduction of new patterns are examined, highlighting the extensive use of figural imagery at the Lahore Fort and the simultaneous introduction of naturalistic vegetal panels. The less-frequent
Mughal use of underglaze-painted and cuerda seca tiles is also examined. The conclusions summarize the characteristic features of Mughal tilework and suggest areas for future study.
Unlike the printed version, this has all color illustrations.