Category Archive: Islamic Art History

Expressing the Inexpressible 2

In my previous post I looked at an historical genre of Persianate manuscript paintings of the Night Journey or Isra and Mi’raj of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be Upon Him). Most of these… Continue reading

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Nautilus Spiral Print

Some years ago, an inspired private collector commissioned me to do this painting. Its image online has since become very popular, with many requests for prints – so, I have finally decided to… Continue reading

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Expressing the Inexpressible 1

The painting above expresses a profoundly sacred event that took place during the life of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) – the ultimate revelation. In the year 621 CE. Muhammad was… Continue reading

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Objects of Desire

This month at Art Historical London, I shall be presenting the start of a mini-series of online lectures focusing on craft industries of the medieval Islamic world that filtered into Western Europe –… Continue reading

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Drawing the V&A Ardabil Carpet

The star exhibit of the V&A Jameel Gallery of Islamic Art is a colossal Persian carpet made in the early 16th century for a reception room of the shrine of Shaykh Safi al-Din… Continue reading

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Drawing the Arabesque, Tracing the Palmette: Sketching the British Museum and V&A Islamic Collections

This month I started something that has been in my mind to do for a while – organizing small group sessions in which people can understand and reflect upon objects in the Islamic… Continue reading

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