For the first time, these Islamicate objects were read, studied and classified – and given a new place in history. Freed by scientific interest, they were used in new ways and found new homes, including in museums. More generally, the process of "rediscovery" opened up the prehistory of the discipline of Islamic art history and had a significant impact on conceptions of cultural boundaries, differences and identity.
The book will be of interest to scholars working in the history of art, the art of the Islamic world, early modern history and art historiography.
Isabelle Dolezalek is Junior Professor of History of Art at the University of Greifswald, Germany.
Mattia Guidetti is Senior Assistant Professor of History of Islamic Art at the University of Bologna, Italy.