Ayyubid Metalwork with Christian Images.

• Author: Komaroff, Linda

Christian figures and scenes were a frequent though certainly not a pervasive theme in early Islamic art. But such Christian imagery is especially notable in the decoration of 13th-century inlaid metalwork produced in Ayyubid Mesopotamia, Syria, and Egypt. Why such images became an important part of the artists' decorative repertoire within this particular temporal and geographical setting, and their use and perception within the contemporary Muslim society are the intriguing questions that Eva Baer sets out to answer in this monograph. Unfortunately, much of the information and ideas contained in this slim volume, which would surely have been better conceived in the form of an article, have been said before.

Baer's first chapter, on the historical, political, and socioeconomic background, is one of the highlights of this book, as it presents an interesting compilation of sources on the interaction between Muslims and Christians (both indigenous and Westem) in the heterogeneous society of Greater Syria in the 12th and 13th centuries. The lifestyle of the Latin Christians, and their evident appetite for luxury goods, is singled out for discussion, as Baer will later on propose that certain of the most elaborate examples of inlaid metalwork with Christian decoration were produced for these consumers.

Chapter two considers a group of eighteen objects - primarily vessels, receptacles and candlesticks, which vary widely in terms of quality and style - that bear Christian images, although precisely what constitutes a Christian scene or figure is not fully explained until the following chapter. Furthermore, the second chapter, which is ostensibly a highly detailed description of the eighteen objects classified and discussed according to their shapes or functions, might have included, for the benefit of the nonspecialist, a brief discussion of Ayyubid metalwork in general. Instead, the objects bearing Christian subject matter are constantly compared to and juxtaposed with other contemporary metalwares in a thoroughly confusing manner. Despite the plethora of detail, there is only occasional reference to the content of the inscriptions carried by these objects. Although the majority of these inscriptions have been published in a number of widely dispersed articles and exhibition catalogues, this study would have been better served if the text of the inscriptions (Arabic and English translations) had been gathered together here, even in an appendix...