I am currently teaching as a Professor of Islamic Art at the University of St Andrews. I specialise in Islamic art, with three main areas of interest: Umayyad art
The article sets the discussion of Islamic art within the very animated discussions of the last f... more The article sets the discussion of Islamic art within the very animated discussions of the last few decades by many prominent scholars that have sought to pinpoint its nature and that have highlighted the twin dangers of over-generalisation and too narrow a focus. Given that the parameters of the discussion have undergone radical change, and the need to revise traditional paradigms, the article confines itself to Islamic art in the medieval period and the central Islamic lands, especially through the prism of nature. Problems of definition and of the usefulness of medieval texts, and the roles of abstraction and contemplation, are reviewed in turn and the article ends with an attempt to define more closely the aesthetics of a single branch of Islamic art, namely medieval Persian book painting.
This volume is devoted to one of the most important 16th-century buildings still extant in the Ye... more This volume is devoted to one of the most important 16th-century buildings still extant in the Yemen - the Amiriya Madrasa in Rada. The building is fully described and its place in the development of Rasulid and Tahirid architecture fully discussed. A final section details the extensive restoration of the building which was led by Dr Al-Radi of the University of New York's Institute of Fine Arts over a period of four years. The project employed a team of local craftsmen and made full use of indigenous materials to return the monument to its former glory. One intention of this volume is to encourage other developing countries to use their resources to rejuvenate their own national heritage. Dr Venetia Porter of the British Museum and Dr Ruth Barnes of the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford have made detailed contributions regarding the architectural decoration and history of the building.
Published in honour of Basil W. Robinson, Keeper Emeritus of the Victoria and Albert Museum and a... more Published in honour of Basil W. Robinson, Keeper Emeritus of the Victoria and Albert Museum and a key contributor to the growing scholarly interest in Persian miniatures for over 50 years, this book contains both personal appreciations of his work and a bibliography of his writings. The contributions cover Persian painting from Ilkhanid to Qajar times, and include material from Turkey, Central Asia and India.
TheChronology of Ancient Nationsmirrors both al-Biruni the polymath and Mongol Iran in its wide c... more TheChronology of Ancient Nationsmirrors both al-Biruni the polymath and Mongol Iran in its wide calendrical, geographical and historical horizons. The pictorial programme highlights multi-ethnicity, Iranian national sentiment and religion: orthodox and heretical Islam, Zoroastrianism, Buddhism and Christianity (Annunciation and Baptism).1
The article sets the discussion of Islamic art within the very animated discussions of the last f... more The article sets the discussion of Islamic art within the very animated discussions of the last few decades by many prominent scholars that have sought to pinpoint its nature and that have highlighted the twin dangers of over-generalisation and too narrow a focus. Given that the parameters of the discussion have undergone radical change, and the need to revise traditional paradigms, the article confines itself to Islamic art in the medieval period and the central Islamic lands, especially through the prism of nature. Problems of definition and of the usefulness of medieval texts, and the roles of abstraction and contemplation, are reviewed in turn and the article ends with an attempt to define more closely the aesthetics of a single branch of Islamic art, namely medieval Persian book painting.
This volume is devoted to one of the most important 16th-century buildings still extant in the Ye... more This volume is devoted to one of the most important 16th-century buildings still extant in the Yemen - the Amiriya Madrasa in Rada. The building is fully described and its place in the development of Rasulid and Tahirid architecture fully discussed. A final section details the extensive restoration of the building which was led by Dr Al-Radi of the University of New York's Institute of Fine Arts over a period of four years. The project employed a team of local craftsmen and made full use of indigenous materials to return the monument to its former glory. One intention of this volume is to encourage other developing countries to use their resources to rejuvenate their own national heritage. Dr Venetia Porter of the British Museum and Dr Ruth Barnes of the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford have made detailed contributions regarding the architectural decoration and history of the building.
Published in honour of Basil W. Robinson, Keeper Emeritus of the Victoria and Albert Museum and a... more Published in honour of Basil W. Robinson, Keeper Emeritus of the Victoria and Albert Museum and a key contributor to the growing scholarly interest in Persian miniatures for over 50 years, this book contains both personal appreciations of his work and a bibliography of his writings. The contributions cover Persian painting from Ilkhanid to Qajar times, and include material from Turkey, Central Asia and India.
TheChronology of Ancient Nationsmirrors both al-Biruni the polymath and Mongol Iran in its wide c... more TheChronology of Ancient Nationsmirrors both al-Biruni the polymath and Mongol Iran in its wide calendrical, geographical and historical horizons. The pictorial programme highlights multi-ethnicity, Iranian national sentiment and religion: orthodox and heretical Islam, Zoroastrianism, Buddhism and Christianity (Annunciation and Baptism).1
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Papers by Robert Hillenbrand