Although astrology, fortune-telling, the use of amulets and other superstitious practices are frowned upon by Islam, they have been used throughout history for a variety of purposes, as Theresa Thompson discovers in a new exhibition at the Ashmolean Museum.
The sumptuously illustrated pages of a horoscope with images of planets and the signs of the zodiac on a rich blue and gold decorated background represent the moment of birth of Prince Iskandar ibn ‘Umar Shaykh (1384-1415), the grandson of the great Turco-Mongol ruler Timur, or Tamerlane (1336-1405).
This natal chart was drawn up in 1411 in Shiraz (in today’s Iran) at the prince’s request by his court astrologer Mahmud ibn Yahya ibn al-Hasan al-Kashi. It shows the position of the planets across the heavens at the precise moment when Prince Iskandar was born on 25 April 1384. Horoscopes were usually cast at the time of birth, but Iskandar was 27 when this one was made. Why was that?
The reason, according to Dr Francesca Leoni, Curator of Islamic Art at the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, was that it was essentially an act of propaganda. ‘He is using his personal horoscope as a tool in the larger exercise of power,’ she says. ‘Iskandar saw himself as the rightful heir to Tamerlane, in spite of his late grandfather’s support for his brothers. He was very ambitious. He manipulated the horoscope.’
Dr Leoni, whose exhibition Power and Protection: Islamic Art and the Supernatural is currently on show at the Ashmolean, goes on to explain, ‘At this time Iskandar was consolidating his territorial expansion. By making an official horoscope, which was itself a privilege of rulers, and by manipulating the position of the planets that governed royalty, he is showing that the sky is supporting his political ambitions.’
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ROMAN DISCOVERIES AT ANCIENT AUGUSTODUNUM
More than 230 graves have been uncovered at a necropolis in the French city of Autun, revealing a diverse mix in burial practices over a period of nearly 200 years, as well as luxury grave goods from the 3rd and 4th centuries AD that highlight the wealth of some of its ancient inhabitants.
SHAPING THE WORLD: SCULPTURE FROM PREHISTORY TO NOW
The sculptor Antony Gormley and the art historian and critic Martin Gayford have been talking about sculpture with each other for 20 years.
Amelia Edwards (1831-1892)
“I am essentially a worker, and a hard worker, and this I have been since my early girlhood.”
THE GREAT BEYOND
The ancient Greeks thought much about the dead – how their remains should be disposed of, how their spirits might be summoned, how malignant they could be if unavenged. Classicist David Stuttard brings us face to face with the Greek dead.
INTO THE VALLEY OF THE QUEENS
The Great Royal Wife of Ramesses II, Nefertari, was buried in one of the most spectacular tombs of Egypt’s Valley of the Queens. Well-educated and well-travelled, Nefertari played a crucial part in the political life of the pharaoh, and her importance was reflected through her magnificently decorated tomb. Lucia Marchini speaks to Jennifer Casler Price to find out more.
DEIR EL-BAHRI, 1894
Tensions were already high among the archaeologists, surveyors, and artists of the Archaeological Survey of Egypt in 1891 when an eventful dispute arose on Christmas Eve.
PUSHING BOUNDARIES
When the Etruscans expanded to the south and the vast plains of Campania, they found a land of cultural connections and confrontations, as luxurious grave goods found across the region reveal. An exhibition at the National Archaeological Museum in Naples sheds light on these ancient Italians at the frontier. Paolo Giulierini, director of the museum, is our guide.
CUZCO 'CENTRE AND HEAD OF ALL THE LAND'
Cuzco was the heart of the vast Inca empire, but all changed in the 16th century when the capital was conquered by Spanish invaders. Michael J Schreffler investigates the Inca city, and how it went from the centre of one empire to the periphery of another.
A STUDY IN PURPLE
A tiny speck of purple paint from the 2nd century AD may yield clues to how ancient artists created the extraordinary portrait panels that accompanied mummified bodies into the afterlife.
Rome In The 8th Century: A History In Art
John Osborne CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS, £75 HARDBACK - ISBN 978-1108834582
