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© 2023. This work is published under https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ (the “License”). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.

Abstract

Kurt Erdmann was one of the foremost German art historians of the first half of the 20th century in the field of medieval and early modern Middle Eastern art.1 In order to understand his life it is important not only to ask who he was, but under what conditions he performed his studies and to look at the context of his life in the history of his time.

During much of his life he was a scholar in the Islamic Department of the State Museums of Berlin but was also active in teaching at universities. Although he is perhaps best-known for his publications on Oriental carpets, he wrote on various subjects as his studies encompass the early Iranian dynasties from the Achaemenians to the Sasanians as well as different topics of the long period of Islamic rule and its art production. Like other art historians of the Islamic Department such as Friedrich Sarre (1865-1945) and Ernst Kühnel (1882-1964),2 he started with Western art history and continued from there on into the medieval and early modern Middle Eastern art. He always kept his interest in Western art and was thus able to include this knowledge for his studies in Sasanian art and on Oriental carpets.

Details

Title
Kurt Erdmann (1901-1964)
Author
Kröger, Jens
Pages
1-26
Publication year
2023
Publication date
Jun 2023
Publisher
Journal of Art Historiography
e-ISSN
20424752
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
2830951521
Copyright
© 2023. This work is published under https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ (the “License”). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.