Ottoman Iconodules?

The contemporary outbursts of Islamic iconoclasm are not all reflective of Islamic history when it comes to art, a point that Emine Fetvaci makes in his new book released just last month: Picturing History at the Ottoman Court (Indiana University Press, 2013), 332pp.  

About this book the publisher tells us:

The Ottoman court of the late 16th century produced an unprecedented number of sumptuously illustrated chronicles. While usually dismissed as imperial eulogies, Emine Fetvacı demonstrates that these books commented on contemporary events, promoted the political agendas of courtiers as well as the sultan, and presented their patrons and creators in ways that helped shape the perspectives of their elite audience.Picturing History at the Ottoman Court traces the simultaneous crafting of political power, the codification of a historical record, and the unfolding of cultural change.