Korn, Lorenz, Ana Marija Grbanovic, Iman Aghajani & Moslem Mishmastnehi (eds.). 2026. Stucco in the Architecture of Iran and Neighbouring Lands. New Research – New Horizons (Arts and Archaeology of the Islamic World, 25). Brill: Leiden.
This volume examines stucco as a key medium of architectural ornamentation in Islamic Iran and neighbouring lands. It features articles that explore a range of sites, materials, and meanings from late antiquity through the Islamic periods. Drawing on disciplines such as art history, archaeology, conservation science, and aesthetics, the book offers new research and interdisciplinary approaches that expand current scholarship. The contributions range from focused case studies to broader methodological reflections. Originating from a 2022 conference at the University of Bamberg, the volume brings together scholars from Iran, Europe, and North America in a collaborative and wide-ranging inquiry.
Table of Contents:
- Lorenz Korn: Introduction: Stucco in Iran and Neighbouring Lands. Reviving Faded Colours through Art History and Science
- Ruba Kanaʾan: Matter, Making, and Mode: Stucco in the Legal Texts of Iran and Central Asia (11th–13th c.)
- Iman Aghajani and Majid Montazer Zohouri: Archaeological Study of Islamic Stucco Decorations in the Storage of the National Museum of Iran
- Niloufar Ehteshami: Continuity or Discontinuity in the Stucco Motifs from the Sasanian to the Early Islamic Periods: Finds from the Sites of Jahangir and Guriyah in Ilam, Iran
- Giuseppe Labisi: Stucco Decoration in Semi-Dome Squinches: Sasanian Architectural Heritage within Early Islamic Architecture
- Iman Aghajani: From Tradition to Innovation: Iranian Stucco Decoration from the Early Islamic Period to the Saljuq Era
- Andrea Luigi Corsi: Beyond the ‘Samarra Styles’: Reconsidering the Early-10th century Stuccowork in Dayr al-Suryan (Monastery of the Syrians) in Egypt as a Reflection of Post-Samarra Mesopotamian Stucco Production
- Robert Hillenbrand: Twelfth-Century Stucco Decoration in the Ulu Cami of Van
- Bernard O’Kane: Mamluk Stucco ‒ the Iranian Connections?
- Elaheh Khakbaz Alvandian: The Unique Stucco of Sayyid Rukn al-Din Muhammad’s Tomb in Yazd: A Fresh Look at Understanding the Art and Technique of Stucco during the Muẓaffarid Period
- Ana Marija Grbanovic: Some Remarks Concerning Uljaytu’s Mausoleum at Sultaniyah and Its Architectural Revetments
- Marco G. Brambilla: Prefabricated Plaster Decorations in the Mausoleum of Uljaytu at Sultaniyah
- Yves Porter and Anaïs Leone: Designing Architectural Décors in Ilkhanid Iran: Combinations of Stucco and Lustre
- Sheila Blair: Stucco Workers, Lustre Potters, and Builders: the Case of Hasan ibn ʿAli ibn Ahmad Babawayh al-Vidguli
- Moslem Mishmastnehi and Tomasz M. Stawski: Crystals of Gypsum in the Hands of Masters: an Interdisciplinary Approach to Understanding the chaîne opératoire of Saljuq and Ilkhanid Stuccoes
- Meysam Labbaf-Khaniki and Atefeh Shekofteh: Technical Examination of Stucco Decorations from Bazeh Hur in North-Eastern Iran. Case Study: the High Relief of a Reclining Ram
- Amir-Hossein Karimy and Parviz Holakooei: Blue ‘Out of the Blue’: Scientific Studies on the Blue Pigments Applied on Persian Stucco
- Stefan Masarovic: Iranian Stuccoes from the 12th–14th Centuries: Material Examination of Three Monumental Figurative Panels and Two Additional Objects at the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha
- Yaser Hamzavi: A Contemporary Challenge for Conservators to Preserve Creative Stuccoes from the Past: Moulded Stuccoes of the Tombs of Sayyid Rukn al-Din and Sayyid Shams al-Din in Yazd
- Hamed Sayyadshahri and Mohammad Mortazavi: Reconstruction of the Missing Parts of Stucco Decorations: Some Restoration Experiences