Power and Protection

"The desire to know the future, influence life's decisions and repel adversities are deeply human impulses found across time and space. In the Islamic world these could be seen as clashing with Islam's central message -- total surrender to God's will, and its foremost principle -- God's supreme and unmediated authority. Yet history reveals that Muslim societies developed different views towards engaging with the supernatural, ranging from plain acceptance to utter condemnation. Spanning from Morocco to China and the 12th to the 20th century, the books, vessels, garments and jewellery showcased in Power and Protection: Islamic Art and the Supernatural present divinatory and talismanic arts as intellectual resources and founts of artistic inspiration. By reflecting the daily fears and hopes of lower and upper classes alike, they also reveal how the human quest for protection and good luck has often overlapped with the belief in God's all-powerfulness"--Provided by publisher.