The Arts of the Book in the Islamic World

The Kitabkhane or library/workshop and the arts of the book can be considered cornerstones of Islamic visual culture, with the central role of the Qur’an driving the development of the arts in general.
In this one-day course we will study the material and visual aspects of book design and production in the Islamic world, tracing an historical timeline starting from the production of early Qur’ans on vellum, looking at layout, the development of Kufic and Cursive Arabic Calligraphy, the introduction of verse-markers, decorative headings and other aspects of Islamic Illumination, and the impact made on book design by the introduction of paper during the ninth and tenth centuries.
We will explore evolution of distinctive styles under key medieval dynasties, including the introduction of Miniature Painting styles for figurative illustration and the sources that inspired them.
Finally we will look at examples of Persianate Book Design and format in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. We will examine the systemization of their Visual Grammar, some of the techniques by which the books were produced, the management of Libraries and workshops, and some of the aesthetic innovations introduced under principal early-modern dynasties across the Islamic world.
We will go on to look at the development and structure of highly illuminated frontispieces which include Carpet Pages and Shamsa with geometric, vegetal and Arabesque designs. We will also consider decorative Islamic Bindings, and the adaptation of Qur’anic Design to secular books.