Art History 334 - History of Decorative Arts

Historical survey of the decorative arts from the middle ages into the present century; emphasis on the European and American period styles of the 18th century onward. Various media of the decorative arts, including furniture, glass, textiles.

This seminar examines various aspects of cross-cultural exchange across the pre-modern Mediterranean basin, not only between Muslim and Christian polities but also among different Muslim centers. Focusing on the western Mediterranean (North Africa, Italy, and Iberia)?an area historically known as the Western Islamic world (al-Maghrib al-Isl?m?)?the course explores a range of media, including architecture, sculpture, woodwork, metalwork, rock crystal, and mural painting. It considers episodes of cultural interaction such as military conquests, gift-bearing embassies, political alliances, the movement of artists and objects, and complex trade networks, all of which contributed to a highly interconnected basin characterized by shared visual languages. The seminar combines engagement with primary sources and visual materials with in-depth discussion, addressing questions of cultural negotiation; the agency of both influencing and receiving parties; processes of integration, assimilation, and acculturation; identity formation; transculturation and Convivencia.