Medieval Mediterranean between Islam and Christianity

Sami Luigi De Giosa is assistant professor at the College of Fine Arts and Design, University of Sharjah. His most recent publication is The Crosses of the Sultan. He has curated exhibitions on Islamic art around the world including Hajj: Memories of a Journey Exhibition at the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi. Nikolaos Vryzidis is assistant professor at the University of West Attica. His latest publications include the article "Between Three Worlds: The ‘Veneto-Saracenic’ Candleholder of Docheiariou Monastery" for which he has received the N. Drandakis Prize by the Christian Archaeological Society.

"The collection is a valuable contribution to the broader conversation of cross-cultural exchange that well describes Christian/Islamic interaction within the Mediterranean."—Drew Narayanan, Material Religion"The volume presents a captivating array of micro-historical case studies in which two of the world’s largest religions, Islam and Christianity, meet, engage, and intermingle."—Leon Barkho, Muslim Heritage"In what is often an unwieldy field, the editors have set out clear frameworks which help the reader find accessible glimpses into specific examples."—Justine M. Andrews, The Medieval Review"The strength of the contributions and the intent of this volume lie in exploring as yet little-examined areas of objects of very different materiality. The individual contributions are carefully edited and documented, combining research on objects or structures with historical contextualizing text sources and archival materials."—Bärbel Beinhauer-Köhler, ArtHist.net“An original and valuable addition to the growing number of studies on Christian-Islamic artistic interactions in the greater Mediterranean. By the breadth, both geographical and in terms of the variety of works and media covered, and the depth accorded the case studies in each chapter, it sheds new and different light on reasons for them.”—Scott Redford, SOAS University of London"There are not many essay volumes where the editors have consciously adopted a Mediterraneanist approach with such fruitful results." —Mariam Rosser-Owen, Victoria and Albert Museum"The voices of authors in this volume can be added to an expanding chorus of scholars who orientate their output towards what has been termed 'The Global Turn’, the effort to make global processes manifest at multiple levels—transnational, regional, national, and local—all of which are interconnected and mutually constitutive; essays encompass ‘microhistorical’ case studies across the media of architecture, sculpture, pottery, metalwork, textiles, book binding, and even cosmetics, painting a ‘macrohistorical’ picture that emphasises connections across the Mediterranean world." —George Manginis, Benaki Museum

• Introduction: The Aesthetic Space of Interreligious Encounter: Microhistorical Case Studies from the Medieval MediterraneanSami Luigi de Giosa and Nikolaos Vryzidis Islamo-Christian Mediterranean Trade and Its Artistic Ramifications1. From One Edge of the Mediterranean to the Other: Prolegomena on Mamluk and Iberian Ceramics in Venetian CreteMaria Bormpoudaki2. Reconsidering “Andalusi” Textiles in Two Christian Contexts: The San Isidoro and Bayonne Silks between Art Historical Myth and RealityAna Cabrera-Lafuente3. Balsam Oil of Mattariyya: Mamluk Contribution to Christian LiturgyHani Hamza4. Judging a Book by Its Cover: The Contribution of Islamic Bindings to the Look of the European BookAlison OhtaRituals and Liturgies: Objects, Meaning, and Decoration5. Counter-propaganda and Talismanic Power: The Conciliar Edict of 1166 from Hagia Sophia to Suleiman’s MausoleumFaruk Bilici and Eleni Fragaki6. Venetian Cross Fixed on aSeljuk Candleholder: Composite Mediterraneanism at Saint Paul’s Monastery, Mount AthosNikolaos Vryzidis and Paschalis Androudis7. Inscribing the Christian Body in Life and Death: Tiraz Textiles with Coptic and Greek InscriptionsArielle WinnikMonumental Legacies8. Stone and text: Christian Architectural Spolia in Egypt during the Mamluk Period (1250–1517)Sami Luigi de Giosa9. The Syncretism of Regal Images in Georgia: The Sculpted Program of the Church of Saint John the Baptist of Oshki (963–976)Nino Simonishvili10. The Use of Muqarnas in the Christian Buildings of Mediaeval Anatolia and MosulRichard McClary