Mirror of the Intellect: Essays on Traditional Science and Sacred Art (SUNY Series in Islam) [Hardcover]

Titus Burckhardt (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0887066836 | ISBN-13: 978-0887066832 | Publication Date: October 1987

A virtually complete collection of Burckhardt's essays, originally published throughout his long life in a variety of German and French journals. Their range is tremendous--from sacred cosmology and modern science through Christianity and Islam to symbolism and mythology. The chief virtue of the collection is precisely its comprehensiveness; both quantitatively and qualitatively it is extremely rich.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English, French (translation)

About the Author

Titus Burckhardt, son of Swiss sculptor Carl Burckhardt and great nephew of famous art historian Jacob Burckhardt, was born in Florence in 1908. His youth was devoted to studies in art, art history, and oriental languages, and to journeys through North Africa and the Near East. In 1942, he became director of the Graf-Verlag publishing house, which specialized in facsimile editions of ancient manuscripts. He presided over the interesting series Statten des Geistes (Homesteads of the Spirit) covering Mount Sinai, Celtic Ireland, and Constantinople. To this he contributed two of his own works, Siena: City of the Virgin and Chartres and the Genesis of the Gothic Cathedral.

In 1972 he was appointed to UNESCO for the preservation of the ancient city of Fez, and at the same time, immersed himself in the Arabic language and assimilated the classics of Sufism in their original form. He later shared these treasures through his translations of Ibn Arabi's Letters of a Sufi Master and other works. He died in 1984. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 269 pages
• Publisher: State Univ of New York Pr (October 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0887066836
• ISBN-13: 978-0887066832
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,373,399 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

TITUS BURCKHARDT, a German Swiss, was born in Florence in 1908 and died in Lausanne in 1984. An eminent member of the perennialist school, he is perhaps best known to the general public as an art historian. He won much acclaim for producing and publishing the first successful full-scale facsimiles of the Book of Kells, a copy of which he presented to Pope Pius XII at his summer residence at Castel Gandolfo. He later acted as a specialist advisor to UNESCO, with particular reference to the preservation of the unique architectural heritage of Fez. Besides his studies in Islamic art, mysticism, and culture, such as Introduction to Sufi Doctrine, Fez: City of Islam, and Moorish Culture in Spain, his best known works are: Sacred Art in East and West, Siena: City of the Virgin, Chartres and the Birth of the Cathedral, and Alchemy: Science of the Cosmos, Science of the Soul. Two notable compendiums of his work have also been published: Mirror of the Intellect: Essays on Traditional Science and Sacred Art and The Essential Titus Burckhardt: Reflections on Sacred Art, Faiths, and Civilizations, both translated and edited by William Stoddart.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THE REAL MEANING OF ART, March 30, 2005

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MATEUS SOARES DE AZEVEDO (SÃO PAULO, BRAZIL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mirror of the Intellect (Hardcover)

IT IS GRATIFYING TO KNOW THAT TITUS BURCKHARDT IS BEING READ BY AN EVER INCREASING NUMBER OF PEOPLE.

This wide ranging book includes all the articles by Burckhardt which have not been previously published in book form. It offers to the reader much relevant work which has been so far hidden in relatively inacessible journals.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED TO STUDENTS OF HISTORY OF ART.