The Mediation of Ornament

Ornamentation enables a direct and immediate encounter between viewers and art objects, particularly in the Islamic world. Oleg Grabar's book explores how ornament serves as a consistent intermediary between viewers and artistic works from all cultures and periods, comparing early and medieval Islamic objects to Western examples. It is a must-read for admirers of Islamic art and anyone interested in the ways of perceiving and understanding the arts more broadly.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 336 pages
Publication date: 15 August 2023
Publisher: Princeton University Press

Based on universal motifs, ornamentation occurs in many artistic traditions, though it reaches its most expressive, tangible, and unique form in the art of the Islamic world.

The Mediation of Ornament explores a veteran art historian's profound appreciation for the sheer sensuality of Islamic ornamentation, while also utilizing this art to demonstrate how ornament serves as a consistent intermediary between viewers and artistic works from all cultures and periods. Oleg Grabar meticulously analyzes early and medieval Islamic objects, ranging from frontispieces in Yemen to tilework in the Alhambra, and compares them to Western examples, treating all pieces as testimony to the work, life, thought, and emotion experienced in one society.

The Mediation of Ornament is an essential reading for admirers of Islamic art and anyone interested in exploring the ways of perceiving and understanding the arts more broadly.

Weight: 736g
Dimension: 203 x 255 x 22 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780691252766