In this painstaking iconography, Kuehn compiles an exhaustive survey of the occurrence of dragons in art and architectural decoration in Turkey, especially Anatolia, and stretching east into
Central Asia and Iran. The examples range from the pre-Islamic era to the time of the Seljuks, Armenians, Mongols and other dynasties both large and small of the 9th-13th centuries. The images
discussed include memorial steles, ceramics, metalwork, stone carving, textiles, and manuscripts. The dragon imagery is divided into categories according to the mythical contexts of the dragon
and the natural world; in royal or heroic associations; in astrology, alchemy, medicine, and magic; and as a mystical metaphor, thus expanding the usefulness of the work to scholars in other
fields, including folklore and Chinese art. The study concludes with an exhaustive bibliography and series of b&w and color plates mainly of good quality. Kuehn (Austrian Museum of Applied
Arts) distilled this text from her PhD dissertation of 2008, from the Free U. of Berlin, Germany. Oversized: 8.75x11.75". Annotation 穢2011 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)