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Arts & Crafts of the Islamic Lands

Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales and heir to the British throne, says, “Through my school for the traditional arts, I have tried to do what I can to continue the living traditions of the world’s sacred and traditional art forms. It is all too easily forgotten how crucial traditions are in handing on the immense richness of human knowledge, wisdom and skill, and giving them new life and new application. I hope that The School’s practical teaching and outreach programmes will enable the next generation to bring their inheritance to life.”

The Prince’s  School of Traditional Arts, one of the world’s leading schools for the study of the traditional crafts of the East and West, has produced Arts & Crafts of the Islamic Lands, edited by Khaled Azzam and published by Thames and Hudson, which celebrates the rich cultural, philosophical and historical heritage that contemporary artists and craftspeople still draw on today.

Based on decades of research and expertise, and written by tutors at The Prince’s School of Traditional Arts, one of the world’s leading schools for the study of the traditional crafts of the East and West, the book offers what it asserts is “unparalleled and authoritative access to a glorious range of techniques, methods, materials and skills.” These range from an intricate geometric drawing programme to decorative Kufic calligraphy, from ceramics to wood parquetry, from painting to glassblowing.

Each chapter introduces the principle, tool or technique, including examples of masterworks found across the Islamic world, before providing a fully illustrated step-by-step guide to creating a design using a specific method or technique.

The book contains more than 1,000 images, a vital reference and practical resource for craftspeople, artists and students from all cultural backgrounds who seek to engage with the Islamic world.

Khaled Azzam is Director of The Prince’s School of Traditional Arts. The Prince’s School of Traditional Arts specialises in teaching, researching and promoting the practise and theory of the arts and crafts of the world’s great traditions.

Founded by The Prince of Wales in 2004, the School offers practising artists the opportunity to undertake research at the highest level with post-graduate degrees validated by the University of Wales. The Visual Islamic and Traditional Arts programme was pioneered by the late Professor Keith Critchlow, interviewed by Sajid Rizvi and published by Eastern Art Report in 1989.

Arts & Crafts of the Islamic Lands: Principles • Materials • Practice. Edited by Khaled Azzam, The Prince’s School of
Traditional Arts. ISBN 978 0 500 517024. 288pp, 24.5 x 22.0cm. More than 1,000 illustrations in colour and black and white. Hardback. Published 12 August 2013. Price: GBP 29.95. Buy a link on this page.

Author: Editor

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