http://www.muslimheritage.

com/article/introduction-islamic-art

https://classroom.synonym.com/the-issue-of-sculptures-in-islam-12086686.html

https://arsartisticadventureofmankind.wordpress.com/2018/01/31/islamic-art-sculpture-and-
manuscript-painting/

http://islamic-arts.org/2013/biomorphic-patterns-in-islamic-art-tracing-the-origin/

ISLAMIC ART 650 C.E. TO THE PRESENT

The Islamic art involves a rare coincidence of techniques and aesthetics that did not come to be uniform,
but that nevertheless reflected similar taste and unity of thought. This can be mainly attributed to its
religious faith: Islam included Arabs and Egyptians, Syrians and Berbers, Persians and Mongols, all
peoples of entirely different race, language and culture. Ultimately, it was the pilgrimage, which is one
of the five duties to all Muslims, which caused (much more than the Koran itself) this unification in taste
and styles so characteristic of Islamic art.

SCULPTURES:

1. Pissa griffin - is a large bronze sculpture of a griffin, a mythical beast, which has been in
Pisa in Italy since the Middle Ages, though it is of Islamic origin. It is the largest medieval
Islamic metal sculpture known, at over three feet tall, and was probably created in the
11th century in Al-Andalus
The Pisa Griffin, an Islamic large bronze sculpture that has been in Pisa (Italy) since the Middle Ages and
is currently housed in the Museo dell’Opera del Duomo (Cathedral Museum) in Pisa. It is the largest
medieval Islamic metal sculpture known (1.07 m tall, 87 cm length, 43 cm width), and was probably
made in the 11th century in Al-Andalus (or Islamic Spain). As all griffins, it represents a mix of different
creatures: it has the head of an eagle, ears of a horse, wattles of a rooster, wings, and the body of a lion
(or other mammal), with toes. It was made of cast bronze (i.e. copper alloy) with the wings cast
separately and held in place by rivets, and it is largely hollow inside. There is an engraved decoration,
including an Arabic inscription around the beast’s chest and flanks saying: “Perfect benediction,
complete well-being, perfect joy, eternal peace and perfect health, and happiness and good fortune

The fountain of the Lions, the centerpiece of the Courtyard of the Lions in the Alhambra of Granada
(Spain), was carved in the 11th century and is exceptionally large for sculptures of animals in Islamic art,
(though the Pisa Griffin is even larger, see below). The lions represent the 12 tribes of Israel, two of
them have a triangle on the forehead, indicating the two extant tribes Judá and Leví.

There are repeating elements in Islamic art, such as the use of geometrical floral or vegetal designs
in a repetition known as the arabesque. The arabesque in Islamic art is often used to symbolize the
transcendent, indivisible and infinite nature of God.[9] Mistakes in repetitions may be intentionally
introduced as a show of humility by artists who believe only God can produce perfection, although
this theory is disputed.[10][11][12]
Typically, though not entirely, Islamic art has focused on the depiction of patterns, whether purely
geometric or floral, and Arabic calligraphy, rather than on figures, because it is feared by many
Muslims that the depiction of the human form is idolatry[13] and thereby a sin against God, forbidden
in the Qur'an. Human portrayals can be found in all eras of Islamic art, above all in the more private
form of miniatures, where their absence is rare. Human representation for the purpose of worship is
considered idolatry and is duly forbidden in some interpretations of Islamic law, known
as Sharia law.
Calligraphic design is omnipresent in Islamic art, where, as in Europe in the Middle Ages, religious
exhortations, including Qur'anic verses, may be included in secular objects, especially coins, tiles
and metalwork, and most painted miniatures include some script, as do many buildings. Use of
Islamic calligraphy in architecture extended significantly outside of Islamic territories; one notable
example is the use of Chinese calligraphy of Arabic verses from the Qur'an in the Great Mosque of
Xi'an.[16] Other inscriptions include verses of poetry, and inscriptions recording ownership or
donation. Two of the main scripts involved are the symbolic kufic and naskh scripts, which can be
found adorning and enhancing the visual appeal of the walls and domes of buildings, the sides
of minbars, and metalwork.[9] Islamic calligraphy in the form of painting or sculptures are sometimes
referred to as quranic art.[17]

No Islamic artistic product has become better known outside the Islamic world than the pile carpet,
more commonly referred to as the Oriental carpet (oriental rug). Their versatility is utilized in
everyday Islamic and Muslim life, from floor coverings to architectural enrichment, from cushions to
bolsters to bags and sacks of all shapes and sizes, and to religious objects (such as a prayer rug,
which would provide a clean place to pray).
Islamic art has very notable achievements in ceramics, both in pottery and tiles for walls, which in
the absence of wall-paintings were taken to heights unmatched by other cultures. Early pottery is
often unglazed, but tin-opacified glazing was one of the earliest new technologies developed by the
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.[25] The first industrial complex
for glass and pottery production was built in Raqqa, Syria, in the 8th century

Medieval Islamic metalwork offers a complete contrast to its European equivalent, which is
dominated by modelled figures and brightly coloured decoration in enamel, some pieces entirely in
precious metals. In contrast surviving Islamic metalwork consists of practical objects mostly in brass,
bronze, and steel, with simple, but often monumental, shapes, and surfaces highly decorated with
dense decoration in a variety of techniques, but colour mostly restricted to inlays of gold, silver,
copper or black niello. The most abundant survivals from medieval periods are fine brass objects,
handsome enough to preserve, but not valuable enough to be melted down. The abundant local
sources of zinc compared to tin explains the rarity of bronze. Household items, such as ewers or
water pitchers, were made of one or more pieces of sheet brass soldered together and subsequently
worked and inlaid

Islamic work includes some three-dimensional animal figures as fountainheads or aquamaniles, but
only one significant enamelled object is known, using Byzantine cloisonne techniques.[43] The Pisa
Griffin is the largest surviving bronze animal, probably from 11th century Al-Andaluz. More common
objects given elaborate decoration include massive low candlesticks and lamp-stands, lantern lights,
bowls, dishes, basins, buckets (these probably for the bath),[44] and ewers, as well as caskets, pen-
cases and plaques. Ewers and basins were brought for hand-washing before and after each meal,
so are often lavishly treated display pieces. A typical 13th century ewer from Khorasan is decorated
with foliage, animals and the Signs of the Zodiac in silver and copper, and carries a
blessing.[45] Specialized objects include knives, arms and armour (always of huge interest to the elite)
and scientific instruments such as astrolabes, as well as jewellery. Decoration is typically densely
packed and very often includes arabesques and calligraphy, sometimes naming an owner and giving
a date.[46] Older wood carving is typically relief or pierced work on flat objects for architectural use,
such as screens, doors, roofs, beams and friezes. An important exception are the
complex muqarnas and mocárabe designs giving roofs and other architectural elements a stalactite-
like appearance. These are often in wood, sometimes painted on the wood but often plastered over
before painting; the examples at the Alhambra in Granada, Spain are among the best known.
Traditional Islamic furniture, except for chests, tended to be covered with cushions, with cupboards
rather than cabinets for storage, but there are some pieces, including a low round (strictly twelve-
sided) table of about 1560 from the Ottoman court, with marquetry inlays in light wood, and a single
huge ceramic tile or plaque on the tabletop.[50] The fine inlays typical of Ottoman court furniture may
have developed from styles and techniques used in weapons and musical instruments, for which the
finest craftsmanship available was used.[51] There are also intricately decorated caskets and chests
from various periods. A spectacular and famous (and far from flat) roof was one of the Islamic
components of the 12th century Norman Cappella Palatina in Palermo, which picked from the finest
elements of Catholic, Byzantine and Islamic art. Other famous wooden roofs are in
the Alhambra in Granada.

Summary:
he main objective of this paper has been to emphasise the uniqueness of Islamic art, which was
defined by religious beliefs and cultural values prohibiting the depiction of living creatures including
humans. The other most important feature is the absence of religious representation. In Islam,
worship is due only to God, a feature common to many cultures, although they approach it in
different manners. Art critics propound the neutrality of Islamic art, which made it easily adaptable to
these cultures. Due perhaps due to its geographic proximity and religious "common ground", no
other culture was more exposed to the themes and motifs of Islamic art than the European. Despite
their differences, Islam and Christianity share most of their fundamental beliefs which are connected
to the same God, the same origin (of the message), and sometimes the same moral message. It is
not surprising that vestiges of Islamic art were repeatedly traced in major European artworks, a fact
which denotes its significance in the historical development of European art.