With such an arid climate, it is no wonder that the Islamic world was fascinated by plants throughout history. Because the land cannot sustain much plant life it became a task to bring vegetation into everyday life. Artists found ways to incorporate flora and fauna into the culture in various ways. Through manuscripts, ceramics, decorative […]
Vegetal Capital
Capital, Spain Madinat al-Zahra, Spain 960-980 Marble This capital from Córdoba, Spain, was originally from the palace of Madinat al-Zahra, just outside of Córdoba. This palace was originally built by a member of the Umayyad dynasty in Spain. Much of Islamic art and architecture looked to other cultures as inspiration, as seen here in […]
Mosaics in the Great Mosque of Damascus
Patroned by Caliph Al-Walid Mosaics in the Great Mosque of Damascus Damascus, 701-715 Mosaic The mosaics within the Great Mosque of Damascus, a congregational mosque for which the patron was caliph Al-Walid, depict a cityscape abundant in trees and vegetation. Each tessera was individually placed by Byzantine workers. The majority of the mosaic is […]
Garden Carpet
Garden Carpet Second half of the 18th century Cotton (warp and weft), wool (pile), asymmetric knotted pile Iran, Kurdistan Currently in the Metropolitan Museum of Art Plants held a place of great importance in Islamic culture. Gardens were another way in which Islamic culture could celebrate […]
Folio from the De Materia Medica of Dioscorides
Folio from the De Materia Medica of Dioscorides 13th century Opaque watercolor on paper 11 ⅝ x 8 in. Iraq Currently in the Metropolitan Museum of Art This folio shows more clearly the typical page of Dioscorides’ De Materia Medica. Dioscorides was a physician in the roman army and […]
Garden Gathering
Garden Gathering First quarter of the 17th century Stonepaste, painted and polychrome glazed 41 x 74 x 2 ½ in Iran, Safavid period Currently in the Metropolitan Museum of Art Gardens provided an environment for pleasure in the Islamic world. As Shah’ Abbas I transformed the city of Isfahan into his capital, he invested […]
Abbasid Ceramics– Becca Reeve
The Museum with no Frontiers states that the Abbasid period is when the first distinctly Islamic style of ceramics was developed. This arose from the desire to create objects that imitate Chinese porcelain. Through this experimentation– for the Abbasids did not have the exact same materials as the Chinese– new glazing and decorating techniques were […]
Oleg Grabar and Cultural Appropriation
Oleg Grabar states that Islam makes “the conscious attempt to relate meaningfully to the conquered word, by Islamizing forms and ideas of old.” By this, he means that, for Islam, it was important to show dominance as a new culture and religion by taking aspects of older cultures and making them “islamic”. This could have […]
The Umayyads– Curatorially Effective?
The digital exhibition The Umayyads claims that the Umayyad period in Islamic history was one that employed many different motifs and decorative styles from a variety of different places. On the front page of the exhibition the curators say, “Umayyad art is a combination of decorative styles of motifs drawn from different artistic traditions.” While […]