The Performing Arts in Medieval Islam: Shadow Play and Popular Poetry in Ibn Dāniyāl's Mamluk Cairo

Abstract

as considered through a diverse range of objects, from the most humble and ordinary to very opulent and sacred items. Together, all the contributors’ articles highlight the urge to move towards a multi-disciplinary approach that combines art history, archaeology and written sources in order to fully comprehend the essence of objects in their contexts. Although The Material and the Ideal aspires to present an integrated perspective, most essays are still based on iconographical research, neglecting the importance of developing a broader historical contextual picture. Students and experts of Byzantine/medieval art history will be delighted by the discussions proposed, while Byzantine/medieval archaeologists, on the other hand, might ask for more comparative data. Nevertheless, the volume still underlines the potential of contextualised iconographic analyses, showing how objects, their image repertory and their repercussions can be discussed through the exploration of elaborate comparisons and associations.