The dragon in medieval East Christian and Islamic art / by Sara Kuehn ; with a foreword by Robert Hillenbrand.

• Author: Kuehn, Sara.
• Place / Publishing House: Leiden ;, Boston : : Brill,, 2011.
• Year of Publication: 2011
• Language: English
• Series: Islamic History and Civilization 86.
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (404 p.)
• Notes: Description based upon print version of record.

This book is a pioneering work on a key iconographic motif, that of the dragon. It examines the perception of this complex, multifaceted motif within the overall intellectual and visual universe of the medieval Irano-Turkish world. Using a broadly comparative approach, the author explores the ever-shifting semantics of the dragon motif as it emerges in neighbouring Muslim and non-Muslim cultures. The book will be of particular interest to those concerned with the relationship between the pre-Islamic, Islamic and Eastern Christian (especially Armenian) world. The study is fully illustrated, with 209 (b/w and full colour) plates, many of previously unpublished material. Illustrations include photographs of architectural structures visited by the author, as well as a vast collection of artefacts, all of which are described and discussed in detail with inscription readings, historical data and textual sources.

Table of Contents

Preliminary Material / S. Kuehn -- Introduction / S. Kuehn -- The Medieval Islamic World From Central Asia To Anatolia: The Historical And Cultural Context / S. Kuehn -- Dragons On Monumental Settings In Regions West Of Iran / S. Kuehn -- The Dragon Motif On Portable Objects / S. Kuehn -- Dragons And The Powers Of The Earth / S. Kuehn -- Dragons And Animals Of The Natural And The Mythical Realms / S. Kuehn -- The Dragon In Scenes Of Combat / S. Kuehn -- The Dragon In Relation To Royal Or Heroic Figures / S. Kuehn -- The Dragon And Astrology / S. Kuehn -- Vestiges Of The Dragon In Ancient Iconographies / S. Kuehn -- The Knotted Dragon Motif / S. Kuehn -- The Dragon And The Magico-Medical Sphere / S. Kuehn -- The Dragon And The Province Of Magic And Divination / S. Kuehn -- The Dragon And Sound / S. Kuehn -- The Dragon As Symbol Of Transformation / S. Kuehn -- Concluding Remarks / S. Kuehn -- Epilogue / S. Kuehn -- List Of Abbreviations / S. Kuehn -- Bibliography / S. Kuehn -- List Of Illustrations / S. Kuehn -- General Index / S. Kuehn -- Illustrations / S. Kuehn.