Western

Islamic

Art

to Indo- fromSpain expanse a vastgeographical from artsprings Islamic and of peoples interchange of a dynamic nesia-andits historyconsists or theFarEast,reflects andaswiththeartof Europe It is complex, ideas. of its ownperiods of flux,andevolves moment andreligious eachpolitical on an exhibitopening Afrt, Islamzc Western andconservatism. renaissance and whole, of the part a fascinating explore to I5, iS anattempt November of art history. areas yet leaststudied oneof the mostimportant o rock crystal-andthe cut "The The carving theMaghrzbunderstood andhistorians geographers Muslim Early in Fatiit -was perfected imitated glass that andsouthern of Egypt),Spain, (west NorthAfrica asencompassing West"throughmidEgyptandwashighlyadmired fortheyhad out the Muslimworld.Indeed,the later in oursurvey, too,mustbe included Italy.EgyptandSyria, the Persian to bothEastandWest.Syriawasperhaps relationship a fluctuating glassoftensoughtto copy not only developmentits technique as wellas the material fortheintellectual mostdirectsource of forms. butits richvocabulary conas a perfume used probably bottle, This of a transformation Syrian specifically was the it Indeed, Islam. of western angled abstract, very the continues tainer, formthatwas intoan Islamic civilization andearlyChristian lateclassical periodin Tulunid o the preceding theUmay- carving in Cordova, There, century. theeighth during to Spain carried figurative Egypt, insteadof contemporary afterit lost motifs. years forthreehundred andprospered continued yaddynasty the splitwiththe Eastwasmade dynasty; to the rivalAbbasid Damascus Fatimid period, caliphate. western Bottle. Egypto-Arabic, of anofficial century, tenth in the by theformation, final crystal,height roct Cartfed X-XI century. it wasaltogether such as thatof theFatimids AndasforEgypt,in a period 3I.*25 D. Giftof George Pratt, wereBerbers-non-Arabs 23 inches. for the Fatimids Maghrzb, withinthe cultural to NorthAfrica. indigenous owncollection. is fromthe Museum's Everyobjectin thisinstallation theywill although beendisplayed, haveneverbefore Manyof the pieces dueto openduring galleries in thenewIslamic installed allbepermanently celebrations. centennial theMuseum's
Afrt of Islamic Curator Afssistant DON AANAVI,

The Metropolitan Museum of Art is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve, and extend access to The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin www.jstor.org

The Fatinlids wereBerber tribesmen fromnorthwest Africawho claimed descentfrom Fatima,the daughter of the Prophet; they took powerin Egypt in 969 and founded the new capitalcity of Cairo. In this panel, whichmay haveservedas partof a door, one sees the Fatimidaccomplishment: a fusion of pre-Islamic withIslamic ideas, blended withartisticinterests of their own.Theheraldic disposition of the addorsed horses at once relatesto Coptic,Hellenistic, and Sasanian sources; but in Islamic artbefore theFatimid period, figurative motifs had been used only in storytelling, religious, or propagandistic contexts.The Fatimidsencouraged anddeveloped suchmotifs as puredecoration, fordelightin the motifitselfrather thanforits usefulnessas a vehicle forsymbolism. Here the horseshave also been actively "Islamicized"-transformed into geometric, arabesque patterns.
Panel. Egypto-Z4rabic, Fatimid period,XI century.Wood,height
I33MinC*es.ROgersFUnd, II.205.2

For seven hundredyears,from the time the Umayyad dynasty fled from Syria in the eighth century, Arab culture flourishedin Spain, where its productsdazzled both the Muslim and Christianworlds. The motifs seen in this ivory plaque-dancers,and animalsof the gardenand the hunt- suggestthe entertainments of the Umayyad court, and are quite similarto the iconography of the rival Abbasid Caliphate in Baghdad: they may, indeed, have been intended as overt artistic"competition" with the enemy. The design, however, is remarkablyarchaistic, basedas it is on a strict repetitionof either addorsed or confronted figures. This is typical of Hispano-Moresque works, which often hark back to art forms that were in vogue beforethe Umayyadsleft Syria. Plaque.Hispano-Moresque, aboutxs century. Irory, originally painted, width 8 inches. JohnStewart Kennedy Fund,s3.z4s

Almohades,who, like the Fatimids, were of Berber extraction, ruled Morocco, Algeria,Tunis, and all of MuslimSpainduring the twelfthand thirteenthcenturies. The calligraphy shownhere is uniquelyMaghribi: it presents an austerecombination of vertical, horizontal, and circular forms; even the vowelmarks, whichusuallymove on diagonal axes, are here either horizontalor semicircular.But if the form is austere,the color is brilliant; in additionto the gold chapter heading (whichis in an archaizing, angular mode), there are sequencesof crimson,blue, green, and orange.Also illuminatedare the medallion finial on the heading, and the verse marksin the text. Leaffrom a Koran.Moroccan, XII-XIII century. Ing colors,and gold on parchment,2I X 22 inches. Rogers Fund,42.63

I. he

Textileswitha succession of interlocking motifs suchas this were produced in both Spainand NorthAfrica. Theymayhavebeenusedashangingsin mosques, whichwouldhavebeenan ideal settingfor them,sincein all of western Islamic art few creations are moreconcerned with the ideaof theinfinite pattern, andthuswitha visual reference to the eternal order andglorythatthey inspired the viewerto contemplate. In the relatively smallpanelillustrated, one can count at leastseventotallydifferent waysof usingcolor andform,combined with tasteandfinesse.
Textile.Spanish,Hispano-Moresque, xv century. Wovensilt, length39X inches.Fletcher Fund,29.22

During the twelfthcenturySalahad-Dinibn Ayyub,the famous Saladin, achieved hegemony firstin Egyptandthenin Syriaandpartof Iraq. Hisdynasty endured untilI250, whenits Turkish vassals seized power andformed the Mamluk empire.Theenameled glass plateseenabove is representativeof the Ayyubidpredilection for gilt ornament and totallyabstract designs that seem to negatethe Fatimidfigurative tradition. The crosslike motifin the centerof the plate,a frequentoccurrence in thirteenthand fourteenthcenturyEgyptian and Syrianart, was probably not usedas a Christian symbol, but simplyas a decorative device.
Plate. Syrian, Syyubid period, XIII century. Glass,enameled andgilded,diameter 8M2 inches. Bequest of Edward C. Moore,9I.I.I533

1 he frequent interchange of artistsand iconography between EastandWestoften,ashere,resultedin thegrafting of foreign motifs on Islamic objects. The basic formof thistray,withits perforatedstarpatterns, is indigenous to Egyptian andNearEastern art;a newfeature is the lotus design - a motifthatreflects theimpact of Chinese artuponeastern Islam during the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, whent:he conquering Mongolssweptout of innermost Asia.
Tray. Egypto-Arabic, Mamlut period, I30C)Brass,originally inlaid with silver,diameter I8 inches. Bequest of Edward C.Moore, 9I.I.532
I350.

::r

cenin the sixteenth conquest governed EgyptandSyriauntil theOttoman The Mamluks andrhythmic calligraphy. in all theirart wasan elongated element tury.The predominant thanthecopying of Chinese style(rather interpretation of a Muslim Thismightbeaninstance page):in the thirteenth trayon the preceding of a motif,suchas the lotuson the pierced figural stylethatthe graceful, attenuated a sinuous, centuries Iraqdeveloped andfourteenth Chinese forms. believed reflected Muslim artists designs, on two ot usednonrepresentational primarily themselves Although the Mamluks in medallions on theewer, flying birds motifs areused: figurative thevessels in thisillustration on the neckof the candlestick. andseated figures
Mamlutperiod,I300-I350. Brass,inlaidwith Egypto-Arabic, Basin,ewer,and candlestict. C. Moore,9l.l.587,600,529 Bequest of Edward of ewer17M2 inches. silver,height

fiewZ-

In Spain,the Mudejar style wasbornof a fusionof Eastern and European motifs.It emphasized figurative designs,which had previously beenrelegated to infrequent appearances in Hispano-Moresque textiles.In thepopular pattern shown in thispiece,typically Islamicarabesque formsare handled with a non-Muslim immediacy and relative lackof intricacy.
Textile (fragment of a chasuble). Spanish, Hispano-Moresque (MudGejar), xv century. Woren sil&, length 46H inches. RogersFund,20.94.I