The Topkapi scroll: geometry and ornament in Islamic architecture. With an essay on the geometry of the muqarnas by Mohammad al-Asad
Santa Monica, CA: Getty Center for the History of Art and the Humanities, 1995. 59 color plates reproduce at half size the 114 patterns of the entire scroll from late 15th-to-16th-century Iran. In addition, there are scores of illustrations and diagrams in black and white. 395 pp. Black cloth with blind-stamped black-on-black decoration and gilt titling. 28.5 x 33.5 cm & 5t cm thick (oversquare). Dustjacket. ISBN 0-89236-335-5. The five sections are: "The scroll tradition"; "The discourse on the geometric 'arabesque'"; "The geographical, chronological, and semantic horizons of the geometric mode"; "Geometry and the contributions of the mathematical sciences"; and "Geometry and aesthetic theory." Map, bibliography, and index. The important scholar Oleg Grabar calls it "Just about the best book on Islamic art for the past one hundred years," and that's not puffery. Very fine. Properly packed for shipping, this massive book will weigh about 10 pounds; overseas shipping will cost $75 to $100. **Free domestic shipping with direct order. Item #64001
Price: $750.00