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Art of the divineAn extraordinary collection of divinatory art objects provides a new angle on the Islamic faith, explains Francesca Leoni, Curator of Islamic Art at the AshmoleanBelief in the supernatural and the practice of divination have held a place in people’s lives across all times and cultures. In Islam, as in all religions, such beliefs and practices have often merged and been integrated into popular religion. This autumn’s exhibition at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, Power and Protection: Islamic Art and the Supernatural, explores a range of divinatory practices through objects and works of art. While what was considered acceptable or not varied greatly across times and Islamic societies, divinatory arts such as the interpretation of dreams, bibliomancy (divination through books), astrology and the Ôilm al-raml (divination through the interpretation of marks and patterns on soil), in addition the Ôilm al-huruf (divination by letters) and the science of talismans, were regularly employed for personal, social, political and ideological reasons at all social levels.Combining over 100 works of staggering scale and quality, many of which have never presented in public before, the exhibition offers an opportunity to refl ect about the place held by these practices in the Islamic tradition and about the ways in which the continuous debates in favour or against them ultimately shaped Islam itself. Among the objects are dream-books, talismanic clothing and jewel-encrusted amulets dating from the 12th century to modern times. While addressing general themes, Power and Protection occasionally spotlights exceptional individual stories. One of the most compelling is that of Iskandar Mirza, the grandson of the Turco-Mongol ruler Timur (or Tamerlane), and of his ambitions as refl ected in his personal horoscope. This extraordinary document is a captivating example of how at the time astrology was tightly connected to the exercise of power (horoscopes were made fi rst and foremost for rulers), and could thus be bent to serve ideological pursuits. Although based on the observations taken when the prince was born, in fact, the horoscope was only compiled when the prince reached the age of 27, at the peak of his power. It comes as no surprise then that the data was manipulated to place all the ‘right stars’ in the most favorable position, and thus claim celestial support for his goals.An illustrated catalogue with a useful historical introduction accompanies the display. It provides an informative and accessible tool to navigate the complex techniques and sophisticated works of art that sparked from the desire to know the future and infl uence one’s existence.• Power and Protection: Islamic Art and the Supernatural is at the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, until January 15, 2017. See www.ashmolean.org for details. ■Left: Pages from the personal horoscope of Iskandar Mirza, 1411Below: Celestial globeImages: Horoscope © Wellcome Library; Globe © Museum of History of Science.ISLAMIC ART www.nadfas.org.uk NADFAS REVIEW / WINTER 2016 25