Appel à communications: Glass in the Islamic World (Romont, 4-6 Jul 24)

Glass is an exceptionally diverse material that has been highly valued ever since its discovery by human beings in the 4th millennium BC. Yet the artistic and cultural-historical significance of the material is still underestimated or even neglected by art historical research. Research on glass art has been given new directions and has been considerably spurred by two international initiatives, the Corpus Vitrearum Medii Aevi (CVMA) and the Association international pour l’histoire du verre (AIHV), both founded in the 1950s.
In the field of Islamic art, glass continues to be one of the less researched media. While glass mosaics, stucco glass windows or blown glass produced in the region aroused the interest of scholars in the emerging disciplines of Islamic archaeology and art history in the 19th and early 20th centuries, its study increasingly lost importance in the course of the 20th century and is now largely confined to specialized circles, even though glass has always played a significant role in the art and architecture of the Islamic world.
This colloquium intends to stimulate the study of glass in the art and architecture of the Islamic world and to ensure that the topic finds a place in the general discourse. By presenting ongoing research, the colloquium will address art-historical, architectural, archaeological, as well as material, technical and socio-cultural aspects.

The organizers welcome proposals on the following topics:
– ongoing investigations on glass in the art and architecture of the Islamic world;
– typologies and techniques;
– patrons, artists and workshops;
– a precious commodity: art market and trans-Mediterranean trade with glass;
– geographies, translocations, and transformations;
– the potential of material analysis of glass;
– museum collections: history, provenance, and the challenge of conservation.

The Ernst Herzfeld Society is committed to the study of Islamic periods in the fields of art history, archaeology and architectural research and serves as an international platform for networking and exchange. The 19th annual Colloquium of the Ernst Herzfeld Society, in 2024, is hosted by the Vitrocentre Romont. As the Swiss Research Centre for Stained Glass and Glass Art, the Vitrocentre Romont is a centre of excellence in the field of glass art in Europe.

The Colloquium starts on Thursday July 4 with a keynote speech in the early evening. The keynote speaker will be Stefano Carboni (Museums Commission, Saudi Arabia Ministry of Culture – Riyad / University of Western Australia). The main part of the Colloquium takes place on Friday and Saturday July 5–6. As in previous colloquia, there will be a section with a restricted number of papers on ongoing research outside the conference theme. The annual graduate meeting of the Society will be held on Thursday before the keynote; the invitation will be issued separately.

The presentation time for each paper is 20 minutes. Papers may be delivered in English, German, or French. Proposals for individual papers and for thematic panels with three papers are accepted. For individual papers, please submit a proposal of maximum 300 words and a brief curriculum vitae. For thematic panels, please submit an abstract of maximum 500 words outlining the topic and aim of the panel, in addition to the paper abstracts and the curricula vitae of the speakers.
Please send your proposal by 15 December 2023 to sarah.tabbal@vitrocentre.ch All proposals undergo a peer-review selection process. Notification of acceptance will be c. 1 February 2024.

Registration for and participation in the colloquium are free for members of the Ernst Herzfeld Society. Other speakers and participants are requested to join the Society by paying the annual membership fee, see: https://ernst-herzfeld-gesellschaft.com/en/beitrittsformular/