These abstract designs not only adorn the surfaces of monumental Islamic architecture but also function as the major decorative element on a vast array of objects of all types. While geometric ornamentation may have reached a pinnacle in the Islamic world, the sources for both the shapes and the intricate patterns already existed in late antiquity among the Greeks , Romans , and Sasanians in Iran.
Islamic artists appropriated key elements from the classical tradition, then complicated and elaborated upon them in order to invent a new form of decoration that stressed the importance of unity and order.
The significant intellectual contributions of Islamic mathematicians, astronomers , and scientists were essential to the creation of this unique new style. Consisting of, or generated from, such simple forms as the circle and the square, geometric patterns were combined, duplicated, interlaced, and arranged in intricate combinations, thus becoming one of the most distinguishing features of Islamic art.
However, these complex patterns seem to embody a refusal to adhere strictly to the rules of geometry. As a matter of fact, geometric ornamentation in Islamic art suggests a remarkable amount of freedom; in its repetition and complexity, it offers the possibility of infinite growth and can accommodate the incorporation of other types of ornamentation as well.
In terms of their abstractness, repetitive motifs, and symmetry, geometric patterns have much in common with the so-called arabesque style seen in many vegetal designs. Calligraphic ornamentation also appears in conjunction with geometric patterns. It is clear, however, that the complex patterns found on many objects include a number of different shapes and arrangements, allowing them to fit into more than one category. Department of Islamic Art. Santa Monica, Calif. Visiting The Met? Fragment of a Cover with Geometric and Interlace Decoration.
Tile from a Mihrab. Folio from a Qur'an Manuscript Muhammad al-Zanjani. High-Tin Bronze Bowl. Basin with Figural Imagery.
Hexagonal Tile Ensemble with Sphinx. For many Muslims, arabesque reflects the absolute power of Allah the one God. Moreover, the Islamic arabesque artist conveys a sense of spirituality in humans. Although the arabesque is known as a simple type of art, it has a great possibility of creativity; it produces a relaxing, calming effect, and conveys the great essence of the marvelous Islamic art. It also reflects the peaceful Islamic nature, which encourages creativity and beautiful genuine art.
Arabesque was used to decorate mosques, palaces, houses, and domes with beautiful floral and geometrical motifs, bringing comfort and delight to the place.
It was used to build complete walls in some palaces, in addition to adorning columns, minbar s , mashrabiya s , windows, doors, and furniture. Islamic book painting witnessed its first golden age in the 13th century, mostly within Syria and Iraq.
The tradition of the Persian miniature a small painting on paper developed during this period, and it strongly influenced the Ottoman miniature of Turkey and the Mughal miniature in India. Because illuminated manuscripts were an art of the court, and not seen in public, constraints on the depiction of the human figure were much more relaxed and the human form is represented with frequency within this medium.
Influence from the Byzantine visual vocabulary blue and gold coloring, angelic and victorious motifs, symbology of drapery was combined with Mongol facial types seen in 12th-century book frontispieces.
Chinese influences in Islamic book painting include the early adoption of the vertical format natural to a book. Motifs such as peonies, clouds, dragons, and phoenixes were adapted from China as well, and incorporated into manuscript illumination.
The breadth of the work has caused it to be called the first world history and its lavish illustrations and calligraphy required the efforts of hundreds of scribes and artists. The largest commissions of illustrated books were usually classics of Persian poetry, such as the Shahnameh.
Under the rule of the Safavids in Iran to , the art of manuscript illumination achieved new heights. The Court of Gayumars, from the Shahnameh of Shah Tahmasp : Illuminated manuscripts of the Shahnameh were often commissioned by royal patrons. The medieval Islamic texts called Maqamat that were copied and illustrated by Yahya ibn Mahmud al-Wasiti, were some of the earliest coffee-table books.
They were among the first texts in Islamic art to hold a mirror to daily life, portraying humorous stories and showing little adherence to prior pictorial traditions. In the 17th century a new type of painting developed based around the album muraqqa. The albums were the creations of connoisseurs who bound together single sheets of paintings, drawings, or calligraphy by various artists; they were sometimes excised from earlier books and other times created as independent works. The paintings of Reza Abbasi figure largely in this new form of book art.
The form depicts one or two larger figures, typically idealized beauties in a garden setting, and often use the grisaille techniques previously used for background border paintings.
The Mughals and Ottomans both produced lavish manuscripts of more recent history with the autobiographies of the Mughal emperors and purely military chronicles of Turkish conquests. Portraits of rulers developed in the 16th century, and later in Persia, where they became very popular. Mughal portraits, normally in profile, are very finely drawn in a realist style , while the best Ottoman ones are vigorously stylized.
Album miniatures typically featured picnic scenes, portraits of individuals, or in India especially animals, or idealized youthful beauties of either sex. Masterpieces of Ottoman manuscript illustration include the two books of festivals, one from the end of the 16th century and the other from the era of Sultan Murad III. These books contain numerous illustrations and exhibit a strong Safavid influence, perhaps inspired by books captured in the course of the Ottoman—Safavid wars of the 16th century.
Islamic art has notable achievements in ceramics that reached heights unmatched by other cultures. Discuss how developments such as tin-opacified glazing and stonepaste ceramics made Islamic ceramics some of the most advanced of its time. Islamic art has notable achievements in ceramics, both in pottery and tiles for buildings, which reached heights unmatched by other cultures.
Early pottery had usually been unglazed, but a tin-opacified glazing technique was developed by Islamic potters. The first Islamic opaque glazes can be found as blue-painted ware in Basra, dating to around the 8th century.
Another significant contribution was the development of stonepaste ceramics, originating from 9th century Iraq. The first industrial complex for glass and pottery production was built in Ar-Raqqah, Syria, in the 8th century. Other centers for innovative pottery in the Islamic world included Fustat from to , Damascus from to around , and Tabriz from to Lusterware is a type of pottery or porcelain that has an iridescent metallic glaze. Luster first began as a painting technique in glassmaking , which was then translated to pottery in Mesopotamia in the 9th century.
This dish is from East Persia or Central Asia. The techniques, shapes, and decorative motifs of Chinese ceramics were admired and emulated by Islamic potters, especially after the Mongol and Timurid invasions. Until the Early Modern period, Western ceramics had little influence, but Islamic pottery was highly sought after in Europe, and was often copied. An example of this is the albarello, a type of earthenware jar originally designed to hold apothecary ointments and dry drugs.
The development of this type of pharmacy jar had its roots in the Islamic Middle East. Hispano—Moresque examples were exported to Italy, inspiring the earliest Italian examples, from 15th century Florence. More refined production happened much later, presumably by Muslim potters who worked in the areas reconquered by the Christian kingdoms. The Hispano—Moresque style mixed Islamic and European elements in its designs and was exported to neighboring European countries.
The style introduced two ceramic techniques to Europe:. Ottoman Iznik pottery produced most of the finest ceramics of the 16th century—tiles and large vessels boldly decorated with floral motifs that were influenced by Chinese Yuan and Ming ceramics.
These were still in earthenware, since porcelain was not made in Islamic countries until modern times. The medieval Islamic world also painted pottery with animal and human imagery.
Examples are found throughout the medieval Islamic world, particularly in Persia and Egypt. The textile arts refer to the production of arts and crafts that use plant, animal, or synthetic fibers to create objects.
These objects can be for everyday use, or they can be decorative and luxury items. The production and trade of textiles pre-dates Islam, and had long been important to Middle Eastern cultures and cities, many of which flourished due to the Silk Road. When the Islamic dynasties formed and grew more powerful they gained control over textile production in the region, which was arguably the most important craft of the era.
The art of carpet weaving was particularly important in the Ottoman Empire. The Ottoman state was founded by Turkish tribes in northwestern Anatolia in and became an empire in after the momentous conquest of Constantinople.
Stretching across Asia, Europe, and Africa, the Empire was vast and long lived, lasting until when the monarchy was abolished in Turkey. Within the Ottoman Empire, carpets were immensely valued as decorative furnishings and for their practical value.
They were used not just on floors but also as wall and door hangings, where they provided additional insulation. These intricately knotted carpets were made of silk, or a combination of silk and cotton, and were often rich in religious and other symbolism.
Hereke silk carpets, which were made in the coastal town of Hereke, were the most valued of the Ottoman carpets because of their fine weave. The Hereke carpets were typically used to furnish royal palaces. Carpet and interior of the Harem room in Topkapi Palace, Istanbul : The Ottoman Turks were famed for the quality of their finely woven and intricately knotted silk carpets.
The Iranian Safavid Empire — is distinguished from the Mughal and Ottoman dynasties by the Shia faith of its shahs, which was the majority Islamic denomination in Persia. Safavid art is contributed to several aesthetic traditions, particularly to the textile arts. In the sixteenth century, carpet weaving evolved from a nomadic and peasant craft to a well-executed industry that used specialized design and manufacturing techniques on quality fibers such as silk.
The carpets of Ardabil, for example, were commissioned to commemorate the Safavid dynasty and are now considered to be the best examples of classical Persian weaving, particularly for their use of graphical perspective. Textiles became a large export, and Persian weaving became one of the most popular imported goods of Europe. Islamic carpets were a luxury item in Europe and there are several examples of European Renaissance paintings that document the presence of Islamic textiles in European homes during that time.
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