Universität Wien

080054 PS Case Study II/III: The Mediterranean Horizon: Fatimid Art and its Diffusion (10th-12th C.) (2015S)

5.00 ECTS (2.00 SWS), SPL 8 - Kunstgeschichte und Europäische Ethnologie
Continuous assessment of course work

Registration/Deregistration

Note: The time of your registration within the registration period has no effect on the allocation of places (no first come, first served).

Details

max. 25 participants
Language: English

Lecturers

Classes (iCal) - next class is marked with N

  • Tuesday 03.03. 16:15 - 17:45 Seminarraum 2 d. Inst. f. Kunstgeschichte UniCampus Hof 9 3F-EG-20
  • Tuesday 10.03. 16:15 - 17:45 Seminarraum 2 d. Inst. f. Kunstgeschichte UniCampus Hof 9 3F-EG-20
  • Tuesday 17.03. 16:15 - 17:45 Seminarraum 2 d. Inst. f. Kunstgeschichte UniCampus Hof 9 3F-EG-20
  • Tuesday 24.03. 16:15 - 17:45 Seminarraum 2 d. Inst. f. Kunstgeschichte UniCampus Hof 9 3F-EG-20
  • Tuesday 14.04. 16:15 - 17:45 Seminarraum 2 d. Inst. f. Kunstgeschichte UniCampus Hof 9 3F-EG-20
  • Tuesday 21.04. 16:15 - 17:45 Seminarraum 2 d. Inst. f. Kunstgeschichte UniCampus Hof 9 3F-EG-20
  • Tuesday 28.04. 16:15 - 17:45 Seminarraum 2 d. Inst. f. Kunstgeschichte UniCampus Hof 9 3F-EG-20
  • Tuesday 05.05. 16:15 - 17:45 Seminarraum 2 d. Inst. f. Kunstgeschichte UniCampus Hof 9 3F-EG-20
  • Tuesday 12.05. 16:15 - 17:45 Seminarraum 2 d. Inst. f. Kunstgeschichte UniCampus Hof 9 3F-EG-20
  • Tuesday 19.05. 16:15 - 17:45 Seminarraum 2 d. Inst. f. Kunstgeschichte UniCampus Hof 9 3F-EG-20
  • Tuesday 02.06. 16:15 - 17:45 Seminarraum 2 d. Inst. f. Kunstgeschichte UniCampus Hof 9 3F-EG-20
  • Tuesday 09.06. 16:15 - 17:45 Seminarraum 2 d. Inst. f. Kunstgeschichte UniCampus Hof 9 3F-EG-20
  • Tuesday 16.06. 16:15 - 17:45 Seminarraum 2 d. Inst. f. Kunstgeschichte UniCampus Hof 9 3F-EG-20
  • Tuesday 23.06. 16:15 - 17:45 Seminarraum 2 d. Inst. f. Kunstgeschichte UniCampus Hof 9 3F-EG-20
  • Tuesday 30.06. 16:15 - 17:45 Seminarraum 2 d. Inst. f. Kunstgeschichte UniCampus Hof 9 3F-EG-20

Information

Aims, contents and method of the course

“Fatimid” is the name of an Arab dynasty that traced descent from Fatima, the Prophet Muhammad's daughter, via the Ismaili sect of the Shi'i branch of Islam. The dynasty was established in Tunisia in 909. It soon controlled Sicily, then Egypt, founding the city of Cairo in 969. The dynasty also expanded towards Syria and controlled the lucrative trade between India, the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean, thus leaving its mark on the whole of the Mediterranean world. The Fatimid capital of Cairo became one of the wealthiest cities and most brilliant cultural and artistic centers of the medieval world. In addition to monumental religious and secular architecture, the Fatimid caliphs and viziers showed an unparalleled taste for pomp and luxury, which found expression in their artistic products. In addition to sophisticated architectural decoration, Fatimid art includes ceremonial clothes made from silk and linen, carved rock-crystal and ivory art works, ceramic objects with metallic tints (lusterware)… that were amongst the best examples of medieval art works. These objects were treasured by the caliphs and court members, but many were exported or lost, and some were brought to European churches and royal collections, contributing to the diffusion of Fatimid art even after the defeat of the dynasty by Saladin in 1171.

Assessment and permitted materials

Continuous assessment

Minimum requirements and assessment criteria

Introduction to Islamic art through the arts of the Fatimid period. The diffusion of Fatimid art in European collections.

Examination topics

Critical reading, observation, comparison, discussion

Reading list

Barrucand, Marianne, ed., L'Egypte Fatimide: son Art et son Histoire. Actes du Colloque organisé à Paris les 28, 29 et 30 mai 1998. (Presses de l'Université de Paris-Sorbonne, 1999). Bloom, Jonathan, Arts of the City Victorious, Islamic Art and Architecture in Fatimid North Africa and Egypt (Yale University Press, 2007). Grabar, Oleg, “Imperial and Urban Art in Islam: The Subject Matter of Fatimid Art”, Colloque International sur l‘Histoire du Caire (Cairo, 1969) 173-189. Shalem, Avinoam, Islam Christianized: Islamic Portable Objects in the Medieval Church Treasuries of the Latin West. Ars Faciendi, band 7 (Frankfurt am Main, 1996). Schätze der Kalifen. Islamische Kunst zur Fatimidenzeit (Vienna, 1998). Exhibition held at the Künstlerhaus, Vienna, 16 November 1998-21 February 1999.

Association in the course directory

Last modified: Mo 07.09.2020 15:31