Art Informant

Isabelle Imbert

A space for lovers, actors and welcomers to Islamic and Indian arts, to explore the actuality of the art market, exhibition and research.Every episode, join Isabelle Imbert as the Art Informant in conversations with specialists of the Islamic and Indian art history and art market.

  1. 12/16/2024

    Medieval Silks and Textile History with Corinne Muehlemann

    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.  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 XFollow Corinne Muehlemann on Academia and InstagramCorinne Mühlemann, Complex Weaves, Technique, Text, and Cultural History of Striped Silks, Didymos-Verlag, 2023C. 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, 2018Avinoam Shalem, The Chasuble of Thomas Becket: A Biography, Hirmer, 2017Ahmad Ghabin, Hisba, Arts and Craft in Islam: 7 (Arabisch-Islamische Welt in Tradition Und Moderne), Harrassowitz, 2009Click here for more episodes of the ART Informant.Click here to see the reproductions of artefacts discussed in the episode.

    1h 23m
  2. 11/18/2024

    Cities of Ottoman Bosnia with Vincent Thérouin

    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.  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 XFollow Vincent on Academia and LinkedInCadastral map of Sarajevo at the end of the Ottoman periodBibliographic 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.Click here for more episodes of the ART Informant.Click here to see the reproductions of artefacts discussed in the episode.

    1h 4m
  3. 04/15/2024

    Arts and Diplomacy of Qajar Iran with Fuchsia Hart

    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.  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 XFollow Fuchsia Hart on Instagram, X and on her websiteFuchsia Hart: "Contagion or Cure? A History of Healing and Pandemic in Qom", Ajam, 5 Dec 2020Fath Ali Shah Qajar and Qajar Iran Fuchsia Hart, "The Tomb of Fath-ʿAli Shah Qajar" (recording), Youtube Video, "Private Video" Channel, April 2023Moya 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: 2024Information 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 50A 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

    57 min
  4. 03/18/2024

    Curating Islamic Manuscripts with Nur Sobers-Khan

    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.  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 XFollow Nur Sobers-Khan on Academia, X, Instagram and LinkedInExhibitions: 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, 2015Qajar 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,

    1h 3m
  5. 02/12/2024

    Turkish Ottoman Figure Painting with Suzanne Compagnon

    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. 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 XFollow Suzanne on AcademiaRead 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) Click here for more episodes of the ART Informant.Click here to see the reproductions of artefacts discussed in the episode.

    1h 26m
  6. 01/15/2024

    Islamic Architecture of the Swahili Coast with Stephane Pradines

    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.   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 XFollow Stephane Pradines on AcademiaStephane's profile and list of publications on the Aga Khan University websiteStephane'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: 2023Historic 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: 2020More 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 2018Click here for more episodes of the ART Informant.Click here to see the reproductions of architectures and objects discussed in the episode.

    1h 24m

About

A space for lovers, actors and welcomers to Islamic and Indian arts, to explore the actuality of the art market, exhibition and research.Every episode, join Isabelle Imbert as the Art Informant in conversations with specialists of the Islamic and Indian art history and art market.