In Praise of Song
The Making of Courtly Culture in al-Andalus and Provence, 1005-1134 A.D.
Published on 26. June 2002
Book
Hardback
XXIV, 422 pages
978-90-04-12453-0 (ISBN)
Description
This volume offers a reconstruction of the court culture of the taifa kings of al-Andalus (11th century A.D.), using both visual and textual evidence. A focus of particular attention is the court of the Banu Hud at Zaragoza, and that dynasty's palace, the Aljaferia. Principle written sources are not histories and chronicles, but the untranslated poetic anthologies of al-h?imyari and al-Fath? ibn Khaqan.
The first part of the book addresses taifa visual and literary languages, with especial emphasis on connections between the literary and visual aspects of taifa aesthetics. The sections on the Aljaferia's ornamental program will be of particular interest, not only to historians of Islamic art, but to students of all visual traditions with strong non-figural components.
In addition, Part One also proposes that taifa court culture has been considered as a culture of "courtly love," and this argument also forms the point of departure for Part Two. The second part of the study uses luxury objects of Islamic and Limousine production as a point of departure for a detailed comparison of the thematics of taifa poetry in classical Arabic on the themes of courtly love and pleasures with those of the better-known Provencal tradition.
The first part of the book addresses taifa visual and literary languages, with especial emphasis on connections between the literary and visual aspects of taifa aesthetics. The sections on the Aljaferia's ornamental program will be of particular interest, not only to historians of Islamic art, but to students of all visual traditions with strong non-figural components.
In addition, Part One also proposes that taifa court culture has been considered as a culture of "courtly love," and this argument also forms the point of departure for Part Two. The second part of the study uses luxury objects of Islamic and Limousine production as a point of departure for a detailed comparison of the thematics of taifa poetry in classical Arabic on the themes of courtly love and pleasures with those of the better-known Provencal tradition.
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Leiden
Netherlands
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Laminated cover
Illustrations
34 Abb., 14 Graf.
Dimensions
Height: 234 mm
Width: 155 mm
Thickness: 27 mm
Weight
863 gr
ISBN-13
978-90-04-12453-0 (9789004124530)
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Cynthia Robinson, Ph.D. (1995) in Art History, University of Pennsylvania, is Assistant Professor of Islamic and Medieval Art at the University of New Mexico. She has published on Andalusi art and literature, and together with Oleg Grabar, Islamic Art and Literature (Markus Wiener Press, 2001).
Content
Dedication
Acknowledgements
List of Illustrations
Glossary of Arabic Terms
Introduction
Part One: The Culture of Courtly Love in al-Andalus, 1005-1134 A.D.
Introduction To Part One: Posing the Problem: The Aljaferia and its Historiography
1. Initial Impressions: First Readings of Space and Ornament
2. Approaches and Academic Contexts
Chapter One: Ceremonial Space, Pleasurable Space, and the Majlis al-Uns in Later Taifa Court Culture
1. Introduction
2. Ceremonial Space and the Aesthetic of Variety
3. The Realm of Ritual Pleasure: An Aesthetic of the Ambiguous
Chapter Two: Models of Good Behavior: Early 11th-century Precedents for Culture of Courtly Love at the Courts of the Later Muluk al-Tawa'if
1. The Politics of Legitimacy: Panegyric and the Construction of Royal Identity Under the 'Amiri Rulers and during the Fitna
2. Al-Himyari's Badi` fi Wasf al-Rabi` and Its Subjects, the Kuttab: an Andalusi Anthology
3. The Andalusi "Loving Subject:" Early Appearances at the `Amiri Courts
4. TheElegant King: The Beginnings of "Courtly" Royal Panegyric in al-Andalus
5. The Cult of Pleasure and the "Courtly" Sovereign at the Court of the Banu Hamm
6. Images of "Courtliness:" Depicting the Majlis and the Courtly Sovereign
Chapter Three: Analogy, Metaphor and Courtly Love: A Reconstruction of the Nadim's Sensibilities
1. The Analogical Habit of Thought
2. A World of Similarities: Badi` and the Wondrous Possibilities of Metaphor
3. The Esthetics of Metaphor: Badi` in a Later Taifa Court Context
4. Mystical Possibilities: the Symbol as a Point in Common between Mystical and Philosophical Paths Toward Illumination
5. Courtliness, Love and Language
Chapter Four: The Makings of Paradise: The Consequences of Analogical Thought for Palace Ornament and its Reception in a Later Taifa Court Context
1. Introduction
2. The Nadim Looks Up and Listens
3. Seeing Paradise
4. Philosophical Implications
5. The Majlis: Analogical Portal to the Seven Heavens
Conclusion To Part One: Tawhid: The Unity of Sacred and Profane in the Aljaferia's Microcosmos
Part Two: Courtly Courts as a Sites of Cultural Interaction
Intro To Part Two: The Case of the Two Caskets: Comparative Considerations
Chapter One: A Question of Influence?: Some Considerations on the Muwashshaha
Chapter Two: In the Context of Courtliness
Chapter Three: The Question of Language
Chapter Four: The Andalusi-Occitan Panegyric: Poetics of Courtly Love
Chapter Five: Al-`Arab wa-l-`Ajam: Cultural Interaction Along the Northern Frontier in the 11th Century
Conclusion: The Two Caskets Again: Conclusion
Bibliography
Index
Acknowledgements
List of Illustrations
Glossary of Arabic Terms
Introduction
Part One: The Culture of Courtly Love in al-Andalus, 1005-1134 A.D.
Introduction To Part One: Posing the Problem: The Aljaferia and its Historiography
1. Initial Impressions: First Readings of Space and Ornament
2. Approaches and Academic Contexts
Chapter One: Ceremonial Space, Pleasurable Space, and the Majlis al-Uns in Later Taifa Court Culture
1. Introduction
2. Ceremonial Space and the Aesthetic of Variety
3. The Realm of Ritual Pleasure: An Aesthetic of the Ambiguous
Chapter Two: Models of Good Behavior: Early 11th-century Precedents for Culture of Courtly Love at the Courts of the Later Muluk al-Tawa'if
1. The Politics of Legitimacy: Panegyric and the Construction of Royal Identity Under the 'Amiri Rulers and during the Fitna
2. Al-Himyari's Badi` fi Wasf al-Rabi` and Its Subjects, the Kuttab: an Andalusi Anthology
3. The Andalusi "Loving Subject:" Early Appearances at the `Amiri Courts
4. TheElegant King: The Beginnings of "Courtly" Royal Panegyric in al-Andalus
5. The Cult of Pleasure and the "Courtly" Sovereign at the Court of the Banu Hamm
6. Images of "Courtliness:" Depicting the Majlis and the Courtly Sovereign
Chapter Three: Analogy, Metaphor and Courtly Love: A Reconstruction of the Nadim's Sensibilities
1. The Analogical Habit of Thought
2. A World of Similarities: Badi` and the Wondrous Possibilities of Metaphor
3. The Esthetics of Metaphor: Badi` in a Later Taifa Court Context
4. Mystical Possibilities: the Symbol as a Point in Common between Mystical and Philosophical Paths Toward Illumination
5. Courtliness, Love and Language
Chapter Four: The Makings of Paradise: The Consequences of Analogical Thought for Palace Ornament and its Reception in a Later Taifa Court Context
1. Introduction
2. The Nadim Looks Up and Listens
3. Seeing Paradise
4. Philosophical Implications
5. The Majlis: Analogical Portal to the Seven Heavens
Conclusion To Part One: Tawhid: The Unity of Sacred and Profane in the Aljaferia's Microcosmos
Part Two: Courtly Courts as a Sites of Cultural Interaction
Intro To Part Two: The Case of the Two Caskets: Comparative Considerations
Chapter One: A Question of Influence?: Some Considerations on the Muwashshaha
Chapter Two: In the Context of Courtliness
Chapter Three: The Question of Language
Chapter Four: The Andalusi-Occitan Panegyric: Poetics of Courtly Love
Chapter Five: Al-`Arab wa-l-`Ajam: Cultural Interaction Along the Northern Frontier in the 11th Century
Conclusion: The Two Caskets Again: Conclusion
Bibliography
Index