The Dragon in Medieval East Christian and Islamic Art

In this painstaking iconography, Kuehn compiles an exhaustive survey of the occurrence of dragons in art and architectural decoration in Turkey, especially Anatolia, and stretching east into Central Asia and Iran. The examples range from the pre-Islamic era to the time of the Seljuks, Armenians, Mongols and other dynasties both large and small of the 9th-13th centuries. The images discussed include memorial steles, ceramics, metalwork, stone carving, textiles, and manuscripts. The dragon imagery is divided into categories according to the mythical contexts of the dragon and the natural world; in royal or heroic associations; in astrology, alchemy, medicine, and magic; and as a mystical metaphor, thus expanding the usefulness of the work to scholars in other fields, including folklore and Chinese art. The study concludes with an exhaustive bibliography and series of b&w and color plates mainly of good quality. Kuehn (Austrian Museum of Applied Arts) distilled this text from her PhD dissertation of 2008, from the Free U. of Berlin, Germany. Oversized: 8.75x11.75". Annotation c2011 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Sara Kuehn, Ph.D. (2008) in Islamic Art History and Archaeology, Free University of Berlin, is researcher at the Austrian Museum of Applied Arts (MAK). Following earlier studies in Chinese and Japanese art and archaeology, her research now centres on the art and archaeology of the Irano-Turkish world. She is currently preparing a monograph on the iconography of angels in Islamic art.