In the wake of controversies over printing or displaying images of the Prophet Muhammad, Christiane Gruber's aim is to bring back into scholarly and public discussion the 'lost' history of imagining the Prophet in Islamic cultures. By studying the various verbal and visual constructions of the Prophet's character and persona over the course of more than one thousand years, Gruber seeks to correct public misconceptions and restore to Islam its rich artistic heritage, illuminating the critical role Muhammad has played in Muslim constructions of self and community at different times and in various cultural contexts. 
 The Praiseworthy One is an exploration of the Prophet Muhammad's significance in Muslim life and thought from the beginning of Islam to today. It pays particular attention to procedures of narration, veneration, and sacralization. Gruber stresses that a fruitful approach to extant textual and visual materials is one that emphasizes the harnessing of Muhammad's persona as a larger metaphor to explain both past and present historical events, to build and delineate a sense of community, and to help individuals conceive of and communicate with the realm of the sacred. The Praiseworthy One shows that Muhammad has served as a polyvalent symbol rather than a historical figure with fixed significance.

The Praiseworthy One: The Prophet Muhammad in Islamic Texts and Images

Arts & Photography

Gruber, Christiane

History & Criticism

Indiana University Press

This catalogue of a Kelsey Museum of Archaeology exhibition showcases a selection of Islamic art works held in the University of Michigan's collections. Rather than arranged chronologically, geographically, or by media, the objects are organized thematically and conceptually. Themes include the intersections between function and decoration, the aesthetic power of everyday objects, visual play, wit, and magic, connections and interrelationships across art forms, and light symbolism and illumination. The volume not only highlights the strengths of the university's collections of Islamic art but also explores various issues integral to the conception and production of art in the Islamic world from the medieval period until the present day.

Pearls of Wisdom: The Arts of Islam at the University of Michigan (Kelsey Museum Publication, 10)

Dimmig, Ashley

Kelsey Museum Publications

Between 1964 and 1971, renowned Islamic art historian Oleg Grabar directed a large-scale archaeological excavation at the site of Qasr al-Hayr al-Sharqi. Drawn to the remote eighth-century complex in the hopes of uncovering a princely Umayyad palace, Grabar and his team instead stumbled upon a new type of urban settlement in the Syrian steppe. A rich lifeworld emerged in the midst of their discoveries, and over the course of the excavation's six seasons, close relationships formed between the American and Syrian archaeologists, historians, and workers who labored and lived at the site. Featuring previously unpublished documents and illustrating over fifty photographs from the Qasr al-Hayr dig, City in the Desert, Revisited recounts the personal experiences and professional endeavors that shaped the fields of Islamic archaeology, art, and architectural history during their rise in the US academy.

City in the Desert, Revisited: Oleg Grabar at Qasr Al-Hayr Al-Sharqi, 1964-71 (Kelsey Museum Publication) (Kelsey Museum Publication, 17)

Al-Ferzly, Michelle

• Power and Protection is an innovative, beautifully illustrated account of the link between artistic production and divinatory practices in pre-modern and early modern Islamic societies • An exhibition of the same title will be displayed at the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford from 20 October 2016 to 15 January 2017. It will tour to the Aga Khan Museum, Toronto in March to May 2017 Power and Protection: Islamic Art and the Supernatural is a ground-breaking investigation of divinatory arts in the Islamic world discussing their impact on, and expression through, material culture. This part of the Islamic tradition has hitherto received limited attention, leaving a fascinating and rich chapter of Islam s cultural production largely unexplored. Essays by three leading experts contextualize over 100 extraordinary objects produced between the twelfth and the twentieth centuries - including personal ornaments, weaponry, textiles, miniature books, and scrolls - demonstrating the currency of astrology, geomancy, bibliomancy, dream interpretation, and the science of divination through letters at all levels of society. Insights gleaned from historical sources unveil and chart the animated debates surrounding divinatory 'sciences', reflecting changing attitudes towards these practices over the centuries. Thoroughly researched and richly illustrated, Power and Protection offers a stimulating and accessible introduction to this topic for the general reader as well as a fresh and well-balanced account for the specialist. Contents: 1. Introduction 2. Divination and religion in Islamic medieval culture (Pierre Lory) 3. From Prayer to Protection: Amulets and Talismans in the Islamic World (Christiane Gruber) 4. Sacred Words, Sacred Powers: Qur'anic and Pious Phrases as Sources of Healing and Protection (Francesca Leoni) 5. 9 extended catalogue entries and a fully illustrated checklist of 115 objects in the exhibition 6. Glossary 7. Bibliography

Power and Protection: Islamic Art and the Supernatural

Leoni, Francesca

Ashmolean Museum

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Gruber, Christiane. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Gruber, Christiane

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Gruber, Christiane. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

The Praiseworthy One: The Prophet Muhammad in Islamic Texts and Images

Pearls of Wisdom: The Arts of Islam at the University of Michigan (Kelsey Museum Publication, 10)

City in the Desert, Revisited: Oleg Grabar at Qasr Al-Hayr Al-Sharqi, 1964-71 (Kelsey Museum Publication) (Kelsey Museum Publication, 17)

Power and Protection: Islamic Art and the Supernatural