8vo. xxiv, 371 pp., 232 b/w illus., 1 map, cloth, notes, biblio, index, minor shelf wear to cover, copy in very good condition, State University of New York Press, Albany, first edition, 1983.

Synopsis

“The study of medieval Islamic metalwork seems to suggest that metalwork had a certain priority among other artistic media, and ranked to judge by its excellence and artistic elaboration among the highly regarded artefacts of the time.
One easily observable fact is the suitability of metal and its alloys for an enormously wide range of purposes. Metal was used in conjunction with architecture – for the planting of doors and certain type of furniture, for the casting of door knockers, locks and keys or the creation of window grills. Even the personal outfit of a dignitary or court official comprised pieces of artistic metalwork: stirrups, decorative metal tongues for leather belts, bronzes, buckles as well as arms and armoury for tourniers and games for the battlefield. In this study the extensive use of metal in medieval Islamic art is particularly evident in the quantities of objects, which in their multiplicity of types and forms seem to have exceeded even ceramics and glass vessels” (Chapter Five, p. 303).