Mostly miniatures : an introduction to Persian painting /

Graber (emer., Institute for Advanced Studies, Princeton) has made many contributions to the study of early Islamic art and now turns his considerable powers to the study of the art of Persian painting. The study covers pre-Islamic and Persian painting from the 7th century to 1730. The relatively brief text consists of five chapters on historiography, sources and resources, historical and cultural context, major themes of Persian painting, and finally, toward an aesthetic of Persian painting. His focus is manuscript painting during the years from 1290 to 1730. With his usual enthusiasm, he examines the state of the scholarship in the field that began more than 100 years ago. Persian painting is a courtly, mainly secular art, limited to the princely, aristocratic courts. Graber thoughtfully suggests that future scholarship should be as all-encompassing as possible and drawn from as many sources as feasible. He offers many ways to work toward future avenues of research, all of which will benefit upcoming scholars of Persian painting. The general public will benefit from his advice to examine the paintings for the personal pleasure of entering a very private world. General readers; upper-division undergraduates through faculty. C. Kane formerly, New York School of Interior Design

Formerly Aga Khan Professor of Islamic Art at Harvard University and the author of such books as The Meditation of Ornament, Grabar here introduces Western readers to Persian painting, which consists mainly of miniatures. Grabar wants us to understand Persian culture, examining the art in its historical context and then carefully discussing its defining features. After discussing historiography and the sources of painting in Persia, the author provides some fascinating insights into the historical and cultural context in which the paintings were produced. What results is an invaluable guide to the topic whose informative, well-written text and beautifully reproduced illustrations attest to the author's depth of knowledge. The works shown are chosen from a very wide variety of sources. This is a scholarly book that can also be enjoyed by the uninitiated; recommended for most collections. Martin Chasin, Adult Inst., Bridgeport, CT (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.