Art Informant

Isabelle Imbert welcomes Dr Corinne Muehlemann, Assistant Professor and Chair of the History of Textile Arts at the Institute of Art History in the University of Bern. Corinne is one of the rare specialists of silks produced during the Middle-Ages in the Islamic lands, especially in Iran and Spain. In the episode, she talks about striped silks produced in Iran under the Ilkhanid dynasty (1256-1335), the transfer of textile knowledge and technique in the Mediaeval Islamic lands and beyond, as well as the contributions of woman textile curators and conservators to the field of Islamic textile history. 

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Mentioned in the Episode and Further Links

• Follow the Art Informant on Instagram and X
• Follow Corinne Muehlemann on Academia and Instagram
• Corinne Mühlemann, Complex Weaves, Technique, Text, and Cultural History of Striped Silks, Didymos-Verlag, 2023
• C. Mühlemann,Matthew Payne,Helen Wyld,Elizabeth A. New, "Veiled in precious cloth: a seal bag from Westminster Abbey and its connections with Charlemagne’s shrine in Aachen", The Burlington Magazine, vol. 166, no. 1461 (Dec. 2024)
• Olga Bush, Reframing the Alhambra: Architecture, Poetry, Textiles and Court Ceremonial, Edinburgh University Press, 2018
• Avinoam Shalem, The Chasuble of Thomas Becket: A Biography, Hirmer, 2017
• Ahmad Ghabin, Hisba, Arts and Craft in Islam: 7 (Arabisch-Islamische Welt in Tradition Und Moderne), Harrassowitz, 2009
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Click here to see the reproductions of artefacts discussed in the episode. 

In this episode, Isabelle Imbert welcomes Vincent Thérouin, PhD candidate in Islamic archaeology in the university of Paris Sorbonne. Vincent works on a little-known topic: Ottoman Bosnia between the 15th and 17th centuries, and more particularly on the urbanisation of the region and the development of cities such as Sarajevo. In the episode, he talks about the process of founding cities, the Ottoman architecture of Sarajevo, but also the primary sources available to archaeologists to understand the urban network and how he uses this documentation in digital visualization tools to understand the evolution of the region. 

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Mentioned in the Episode and Further Links

• Follow the Art Informant on Instagram and X
• Follow Vincent on Academia and LinkedIn
• Cadastral map of Sarajevo at the end of the Ottoman period
• Bibliographic references: 
  • Aličić, Ahmed S. Sumarni popis Sandžaka Bosna iz 1468-69. godine. Mostar: Islamski kulturni centar Mostar, 2008.
  • Gazić, Lejla, ed. Vakufname iz Bosne i Hercegovine (XV i XVI vijek). Monumenta Turcica historiam slavorum meridionalium illustrantia. Sarajevo: Orijentalni Institut u Sarajevu, 1985.
  • Handžić, Adem, éd. Opširni popis bosanskog Sandžaka iz 1604. godine. 3 vol. Monumenta Turcica historiam Slavorum Meridionalium illustrantia. Serija 2. Defteri. Zürich, Sarajevo: Bošnjački institut Zürich - Odjel Sarajevo, Orijentalni institut, 2000.
  • Šabanović, Hazim. Bosanski pašaluk: postanak i upravna podjela. Nauc̆no drus̆tvo NR Bosne i Hercegovine. Djela 14. Sarajevo: Oslobodenje, 1959.
  • Šabanović, Hazim. Krajište Isa-bega Ishakovića - zbirni katastarski popis iz 1455 godine. Uvod, turski tekst, prevod i komentari. Orijentalni Institut Sarajevo. Monumenta Turcica historiam Slavorum meridionalium illustrantia. Sarajevo, 1964.
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Click here to see the reproductions of artefacts discussed in the episode. 

In today’s episode, we are getting the behind the scenes of an auction house opening with Beatrice Campi and Tomas Jose Aznar Gonzales, founders and directors of Aznar auction, a brand new auction house opened in 2024 and dedicated to Arts of the World, Luxury and Lifestyle, as well as Wines and Spirits. Beatrice is specialised in Indian and Islamic art, and the first ever returning guest on this podcast. Tomas is a watch specialist and watch maker, and together, they talk about the end to end process of opening an auction house, from administration to securing investment and creating their first sale. The episode gives a very rare view behind the veil of a notoriously opaque industry.  

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Mentioned in the Episode and Further Links

• Follow the Art Informant on Instagram and X
• Follow Beatrice Campi on Instagram
• Follow Tomas Aznar on Instagram
• Azca Auctions website and Instagram
  • A Loose Indian courtly album, Delhi school, first half of 19th c., sold for £18,450 (incl. premium)
• Fondazione Tassara, Brescia (carpet museum)
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Click here to see the reproductions of artefacts discussed in the episode. 

 Isabelle Imbert welcomes Dr Richard McClary, Senior lecturer in Islamic art history at the University of York. Throughout his career, Richard has published extensively on artistic and architectural productions across the Islamic world. In July 2024, his latest monograph was published at Edinburgh university press, titled “Mina’i Ware: A Reassessment and Comprehensive Study of Iranian Polychrome Overglaze Wares through Sherds”. The episode dives into this production of ceramic, limited to Iran between 1180 and 1220, its technique, classification, use, and the problems of fakes and forgeries tied to the art market at the end of the 19th century. 

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Mentioned in the Episode and Further Links

• Follow the Art Informant on Instagram and X
• Follow Richard McClary on Academia and on LinkedIn
• Mina’i Ware: A Reassessment and Comprehensive Study of Iranian Polychrome Overglaze Wares through Sherds, Edinburgh University Press, 2024
• Oliver Watson, Persian Lustre Ware, Faber & Faber, 1985 (open access)
• Abu'l Qasim Kashani, historian of the reign of the Il-khan Olǰāytū (r. 703-16/1304-16)  (Encyclopaedia Iranica)
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Click here to see the reproductions of artefacts discussed in the episode.

Isabelle Imbert welcomes Fuchsia Hart, Sarikhani Curator for the Iranian Collection at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Fuchsia is an art historian specialised in the artistic productions of 19th century Iran, ruled by the Qajar dynasty between 1789 and 1925, and particularly on the reign of Fath 'Ali Shah Qajar, who reigned from 1797 till 1834. His patronage is known to us today through his numerous portraits and courtly arts, but also his important architectural patronage of Shia shrines, which is the topic of Fuchsia's ongoing doctoral research. In the episode, she talks about the arts, kingship and diplomacy of Fath 'Ali Shah, as well as her work in the V&A. 

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Mentioned in the Episode and Further Links

• Follow the Art Informant on Instagram and X
• Follow Fuchsia Hart on Instagram, X and on her website
  • Fuchsia Hart: "Contagion or Cure? A History of Healing and Pandemic in Qom", Ajam, 5 Dec 2020
• Fath Ali Shah Qajar and Qajar Iran 
  • Fuchsia Hart, "The Tomb of Fath-ʿAli Shah Qajar" (recording), Youtube Video, "Private Video" Channel, April 2023
  • Moya Carey, Persian Art: Collecting the Arts of Iran in the 19th Century, London: V&A, 2018 (available on Amazon)
  • Markus Ritter, Moscheen und Madrasabauten in Iran 1785-1848: Architektur zwischen Rückgriff und Neuerung [The Architecture of Mosque and Madrasa in Early Qajar Iran: between re-adaptation and innovation], Leiden and Boston: Brill 2006 (partially available on Academia)
  • Keelan Overton, Kimia Maleki, "The Emamzadeh Yahya at Varamin: A Present History of a Living Shrine, 2018–20", Journal of Material Cultures in the Muslim World, vol. 1, 1-2 (2021) (open source)
  • Assef Ashraf, Making and Remaking Empire in Early Qajar Iran, Cambridge Uni Press: 2024
  • Information and pictures of the Masjid-e Shah in Tehran, built by Fath 'Ali Shah (Archnet.org)
  • A set of six Coalport plates made for Nasir al-Din Shah Qajar, England, dated 1290 AH/ 1873-74, Sotheby's London 24 April 2024, lot 50
  • A large Canton bowl and dishes made for Nasir al-Din Shah Qajar, Persia, dated 1294 AH/ 1877, Sotheby's London 24 April 2024, lot 87

In this episode, Isabelle Imbert welcomes Nur Sobers-Khan, doctor in Islamic studies and curator of Islamic arts. Nur started working in curation immediately after getting her Ph.D. in 2012, and has since worked in several collections, looking at Islamic manuscripts, but also objects and archival material. Her various experiences constitute a great opportunity to learn more about the different layers of a curator role and the skills learned along the way. In the episode, she talks about the different institutions she has worked in, as well as her ongoing research on South-Asian manuscripts and the so-called Delhi collection of manuscripts in the British Library. 

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Mentioned in the Episode and Further Links

• Follow the Art Informant on Instagram and X
• Follow Nur Sobers-Khan on Academia, X, Instagram and LinkedIn
  • Exhibitions: 
    • Marvellous Creatures : Animal Fables in Islamic Art, exhibition catalogue from the Museum of Islamic Art, Doha, 2015
    • 'Building Our Collection: Mughal and Safavid Albums' Museum of Islamic Art, Doha, 2015
    • Qajar Women: Images of Women in 19th-century Iran (Milan: Silvana Editoriale, 2016)
  • Doctoral research: 
    • Slaves Without Shackles: Forced Labour and Manumission in the Galata Court Registers, 1560–1572 (Berlin: Klaus Schwarz Verlag, 2014)
  • The "Delhi library" in the British Library: 
    • “Muslim Scribal Culture in India Around 1800: Towards a Disentangling of the Mughal Library and Delhi Collection” in Scribal Practice and the Global Cultures of Colophons, 1400-1800 New Transculturalisms, ed. C.D. Bahl and S. Hanß (Switzerland, 2022)
• More information on the "Delhi Library": 
  • Dr Saqib Baburi, "Sufism and Persian Manuscripts from the Delhi Collection, British Library", talk given at the British Library in 2018 (audio)
• "Learning Lessons from the Cyber-Attack", British Library cyber incident review, 

In today’s episode, Isabelle Imbert welcomes Dr Suzanne Compagnon, post-doctoral fellow at the university of Utrecht. Suzanne recently got her Ph.D. from the University of Vienna with a thesis focused on Turkish Ottoman painting, and more specifically on the single-page figures produced by the painters Levni and Bukhari in the first quarter of the 18th century. Ottoman painting in general has not been studied as much as its Persian and Indian counterparts, and Suzanne dived into the topic with passion. In the episode, they talk about the career and work of these two painters, their sources of inspiration, powdered wigs, bonnets, and much more.

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Mentioned in the Episode and Further Links

• Follow the Art Informant on Instagram and X
• Follow Suzanne on Academia
• Read Suzanne's Ph.D. dissertation online (open access)
• Esin Atil, Levni and the Surname: the Story of an Eighteenth-Century Ottoman Festival, University of Washington Press, 2000. 
  • Review of the book and reproductions of paintings on Istanbul traveloguewebsite (2014)
• Gwendolyn Collaço, "‘Word-Seizing’ Albums: Imported Paintings from ʿAcem and Hindūstān on an Eclectic Ottoman Market", Ars Orientalis, 51 (2021), pp. 133-187 (open access on Academia)
• Album Arabe 6076, Bibliotheque nationale de France (digitised) 
• Album Arabe 6077, Bibliotheque nationale de France (digitised) 
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Click here to see the reproductions of artefacts discussed in the episode. 

Isabelle Imbert welcomes Pr Stephane Pradines, Professor of Islamic Art, Architecture and Archaeology at the Aga Khan University in London. Stephanes is an archaeologist with a particular expertise on Sub-Saharan Africa, a large region that is being discussed for the first time on this podcast, and for today the Swahili coast in the East. In the episode, they talk about Stephane’s past and ongoing archaeological projects, before diving into the architecture of the Swahili coast, artistic exchanges in the Indian ocean, as well as the practice of archaeology in different terrains and climates.  

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Mentioned in the Episode and Further Links

• Follow the Art Informant on Instagram and X
• Follow Stephane Pradines on Academia
• Stephane's profile and list of publications on the Aga Khan University website
• Stephane's publications mentioned in the episode: 
  • "Early Swahili Mosques: The Role of Ibadi and Ismaili Communities, Ninth to Twelfth Centuries", Muslim Cultures of the Indian Ocean, Edinburgh Uni Press: 2023
  • Historic Mosques in Sub-Saharan Africa, from Timbuktu to Zanzibar, Brill: 2022
  • "Islamic Archaeology in the Comoros: The Swahili and the Rock Crystal Trade with the Abbasid and Fatimid Caliphates", Journal of Islamic Archaeology, vol 6-1 (2019)
  • "Madagascar, the Source of the Abbasid and Fatimid Rock Crystals: New Evidence from Archaeological Investigations in East Africa", Seeking Transparency: Rock Crystals across the Medieval Mediterranean, A. Shalem, C. Hahn (eds), Gebr. Mann Verlag: 2020
• More information: 
  • Pradines, S., Blanchard, P., "From Zanzibar to Kilwa : Eighteenth and Nineteenth Century Omani Forts in East Africa", Fort, 47 (2019)
  • Pradines, S., "Sufi in War: Persian influence on African weaponry in the 19th century Mahdist Sudan", JAAS, XXII (2018)
  • Pardines, S., "Swahili Archaeology New edition", Encyclopedia of Global Archaeology, Springer International Publishing 2018
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Click here to see the reproductions of architectures and objects discussed in the episode. 

For the 2 years anniversary of the ART Informant podcast, I welcome... myself. A very special host comes in to ask me questions about my newly released children's book, La Tortue et les Deux Canards, et autres fables de La Fontaine de source arabe, published at Versant Sud Jeunesse. We also talk about the podcast, of course, how and why it started, how it is going, and where I hope to take it in 2024. I hope you'll enjoy this very special episode!

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Mentioned in the Episode and Further Links

• Follow the Art Informant on Instagram and X
• Follow Isabelle Imbert on Instagram, LinkedIn and Academia
• La Tortue et les Deux Canards et autres fables de la Fontaine d'origine arabe, Versant Sud Jeunesse, 2023.
• Kalila wa Dimna in Islamic Arts and Literature with Annie Vernay-Nouri and Aida El Khiari, ART Informant Podcast, 2022.
• Shahnama made for the Mughal emperor Jahangir in 1021H/ 1612. Millon, 3 May 2018, lot 227
• A Page of the Royal Padshahnama, From the St Petersbourg Muraqqa’, Millon & Associés, 3 Dec. 2019, lot 366
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Click here to see the reproductions of artefacts discussed in the episode. 

In today’s episode, we take a step aside from Islamic & Indian art history to welcome Alexander Herman, director of the Institute of Art & Law in London. Alexander is specialised in the complex legislation of art and cultural heritage, and has recently published The Parthenon Marble dispute: Heritage, Law, Politics (Bloomsbury). In the episode, he offers the most valuable introduction to cultural heritage and provenance laws. He talks about his investigation in the dispute surrounding the Parthenon marbles, as well as several high profile cases involving art pieces, protection of cultural heritage and how to make sure the art you buy is legal and protected.

If you've liked this episode and want to support the Podcast, buy me a coffee! 

Mentioned in the Episode and Further Links 

•  Follow the Art Informant on Instagram and X
• Follow Alexander Herman on X and LinkedIn
• The Institute of Art and Law
• Alexander Herman, The Parthenon Marbles Dispute: Heritage, Law, Politics, Bloomsbury, 2023 (Bloomsbury)
• The 1970 UNESCO convention
• The 1954 Hague Convention
• United Nations Security Council Resolution 2347 for protection of cultural heritage in Iraq and Syria
• The 1995 UNIDROIT convention
• Anne-Marie O'Connor, The Lady in Gold: The Extraordinary Tale of Gustav Klimt's Masterpiece, Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer, Knopf Doubleday: 2015 (Amazon)
• Peter Watson, The Medici Conspiracy: The Illicit Journey of Looted Antiquities. From Italy's Tomb Raiders to the World's Greatest Museums, PublicAffairs, 2007 (Amazon)
• Art Law Podcast: "Turkey’s Quest for the Stargazer", part 1, 2 Dec. 2021
• Art Law Podcast: "Turkey’s Quest for the Stargazer", part 2, 2 Mar 2022
• The Art Loss Register
• The Lost Art Database
• The ICOM Red Lists
• Alexander Herman, "Methods of Securing Returns: Tough Stance of New York District Attorney Over Ancient Persian Artefact", Art, Antiquity and Law, Vol 23, Issue 4, 2018 (get in touch for a free copy)

 Click here to see the reproductions of artifacts discussed in the episode.