The Mercantile Effect

`The avenues which bridged bodies of land and water and across which people, ideas, and artefacts moved, the codes which made communication along these avenues possible, and the outcomes of this movement and communication constitute the little-explored bedrock of early modern history. The material hybrids growing out of this bedrock of transcontinental and transoceanic liquidity are even less understood as they defy disciplinary pigeonholing. The Mercantile Effect captures unexpected glimpses of a vast and shifting landscape and brings them into focus; this is what the future of art history looks like.' George Manginis, Benaki Museum, Athens; `From paper fans and gold watches to aromatics and stimulants, art objects, exotic artefacts but also artists, styles and patterns moved freely between the Ottoman lands, Europe and Western Asia between the 16th to 18th centuries. This fine collection of stimulating essays is a fascinating introduction to some of commodities, tastes and ideas that flowed around the Middle East in the premodern era and proves once again how the study of small-scale artefacts and even everyday items powerfully adds to the larger story of trade and exchange.' Julia GonnellaDirector, Museum of Islamic Art, Doha.