LOST TREASURES OF PERSIA:
Persian Art in the Hermitage Museum
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Hardcover --- $59.95 --- 280 pages
ISBN 0-934211-49-3
ABOUT THE BOOK
The Hermitage Museum and other institutes, libraries and museums in Russia and the republics of the former Soviet Union house some of the most magnificent treasures of Persian art. Many of these works are published and cataloged here for the first time with an unsurpassed selection of color plates. In an expansive introduction Vladimir Loukonine, Director of the Oriental Art section of the Hermitage Museum, broadly documents the major developments of Persian art: from the first signs of civilization on the plains of Iran some ten centuries BCE up to the early twentieth century. The second part of the book is a catalog of Persian art in the collections of the former Soviet Union giving their location, provenance, descriptions and biographies of the artists when known. Lost Treasures of Persia demonstrates a common theme running through Persian art during the past 3000 years. Despite many religious and political upheavals, Persian art-whether it is in its architecture, sculpture, frescoes, miniatures, porcelain, fabrics or rugs; whether in the work of humble craftsmen or the high art of court painters-displays a delicate touch (letafat) and a subtle refinement that has had a profound influence on art throughout the world.
The Hermitage Museum
National Library of Russia
Moscow Museum of Oriental Peoples
Kremlin Museum
Tiblisi Museum of Fine Arts
St. Petersburg Museum of Ethnography
Museum of Georgian History
Tashkent Institute of Oriental Studies
Moscow Historical Museum
Kiev Museum of Western and Oriental Art
Russian Academy of Sciences Institute of Oriental Studies
Museum of Azerbaijani History
Rudaki Museum
Library Journal: Persia's history is a complex and fascinating tale. Loukonine, former director of the Oriental Art Department of the Hermitage Museum, and his assistant, Ivanov, sketch an introduction to the tale in this work. Loukonine attempts to construct a framework for classification of Persian art while at the same time explaining the pitfalls of his approach, such as a lack of source material, the tremendous looting of archeological sites during the 1950s and 1960s, and regional stylistic developments. Nearly 300 color and 150 black-and-white plates showing works from 13 museums across the former Soviet Union splendidly illustrate Loukonine's conceptualization. The scant but representative bibliography of scholarly literature in Persian art shows that there is a need for a book like this. Another piece of useful history is told in Abolala Soudavar's Art of the Persian Courts; it focuses on book arts following the Mongol invasion. These two "chapters" in the story of Persia are worthy pieces in an otherwise wide-open field of art history; as such, this is strongly recommended for larger public as well as academic libraries.
CHOICE: This strangely titled but valuable volume publishes reproductions of Persian art treasures in the former Soviet Union, many for the first time. These "treasures" are no longer among the "lost," thanks to this book. The authors attempt to cover an incredibly long period of art production in Iran, from 10th century BCE to 19th century CE, and to explain "the coherent ... and profoundly traditional" aspect of Persian art; the attempt, predictably, does not succeed. The generalized explanations about the art of continuously changing cultures of a region, especially when compressed into five pages, leave much obscured rather than clarified. The editors and translator are not too familiar with the material and the art historical topic; the text is sometimes vague and awkward. The merit and significance of the book, however, are in the catalog section: the illustrations of the objects and their descriptions are excellent. The authors, the late Loukonine on ancient Iran, and Ivanov, the Islamicist, are meticulous scholars in the traditional sense, and the catalog entries demonstrate their erudition. The bibliographic references to Russian publications are useful; however, the Western sources mentioned are sadly dated, which may point to the current shortage of the recent published materials available to scholars in St. Petersburg. This volume is sure to alert art historians, whether interested in the arts of Iran or not, to the riches hidden in the collections in Russia and other republics of the former Soviet Union.
Middle East Journal: This book presents an extensive collection of Persian art which is located in Russia and the republics of the former Soviet Union. The book consists of two sections. The introduction provides an outline of the basic stages in the development of Persian art in the period from the tenth century BC up to the early 20th century AD. The second part provides factual information along with detailed commentaries on the works of art, reproduced on color plates. Many of the objects are described, illustrated, and catalogued for the first time in this book.