The Image and the Orient

INSPIRED BY THE EAST: HOW THE ISLAMIC WORLD INFLUENCED WESTERN ART, edited by William Greenwood and Lucien de Guise. London: British Museum, 2019. Pp. 256. ISBN: 9780714111933. THE IMAGE DEBATE: FIGURAL REPRESENTATION IN ISLAM AND ACROSS THE WORLD, edited by Christiane Gruber. London: Ginko, 2019. Pp. 240. ISBN: 9781909942349. ORIENTALIST LIVES: WESTERN ARTISTS IN THE MIDDLE EAST 1830–1920, by James Parry. Cairo & New York: The American University in Cairo Press, 2018. Pp. 294. ISBN: 9789774168352. Who has travelled to North Africa or the Middle East and not been entranced by meandering in the alleyways of a Medina, eyes roving around a bewildering array of merchandise with their instant evocations of eastern mysteries and promises? Even though most of the crafts are no longer entirely made by hand using local materials, the colours, smells and styles are still enticing enough to warrant a protracted bargaining session with the vendor.