Description
This beautifully illustrated book presents for the first time the rich Islamic collections of the Tropenmuseum in Amsterdam. Highlighting over 100 artworks and everyday objects, the author demonstrates how Muslims, from the beginning of Islam to the present day, have expressed their faith in art and culture. The book features a wide variety of artifacts from different regions of the world, from Southeast Asia to the Middle East, from West Africa to the Caribbean. Figurative paintings and prints, works of calligraphy and everyday objects embellished with religious motifs testify to the extraordinary richness and diversity of Islamic artistic expression.
This is the fifth volume of a series of ten books that discuss the collections of the Tropenmuseum and the histories and stories that accompany them. The books elucidate the often hidden backgrounds of a museum collection, discussing objects within their original context, social histories and their contemporary meaning. The main emphasis lies on the history of each collection, with its different collecting and presentation practices placed in a particular time and place. Each volume is richly illustrated with objects and photographs from the Tropenmuseum collection.
Author
Mirjam Shatanawi is an expert on Islamic cultural history. She is curator of the Middle Eastern and North African collections at the National Museum of World Cultures, the Netherlands.