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Abbasid art
The arts of the Abbasid Caliphate included fabrication of ceramics, textiles, glassware, and decorated manuscripts. Ceramics became one of the most important art forms and the invention of lustreware in this industry was a major innovation that influenced ceramic art throughout the region. This technique likely originated in glassware, which also became a more significant industry. Another major art form was calligraphy, with variations of Kufic being the main early style of script, along with the production of Qur'an manuscripts. An important textile industry existed, notably in the production of inscribed tiraz pieces. While metalwork of gold and silver has rarely survived, some silver dishes from Iran show derivations from Sasanian types, while bronze and copper alloy pieces of different types have also been found. Painting and stucco were important forms of decoration in Abbasid architecture.
Unlike the Umayyads, who were based in Syria, the Abbasid dynasty established their base of power in Iraq. This move to the east resulted in a cultural and artistic development influenced not only by Mediterranean and Middle Eastern traditions but also by connections further afield with India, Central Asia, and China. Abbasid political and cultural influence was at its height primarily between 750 and 932 CE, after which they lost political power to other dynasties. During this heyday, the Abbasid capital of Baghdad became the most important metropolis of the Islamic world and the authority of the Abbasid caliphs was recognized from Central Asia to the western Mediterranean. Accordingly, their influence on culture was felt far abroad.
Early Abbasid painting has not survived in great quantities, and is sometimes harder to differentiate; however, Samarra provides good examples, as it was built by the Abbasids and abandoned 56 years later. The walls of the principal rooms of the palace that have been excavated show wall paintings and lively carved stucco dadoes. The earlier style is obviously adopted with little variation from Sassanian art, with similar styles, with harems, animals, dancing people, and garments, all enclosed in scrollwork. Nishapur had its own school of painting. Excavations at Nishapur show both monochromatic and polychromatic artwork from the 8th and 9th centuries. One famous piece of art consists of hunting nobles with falcons and on horseback, in full regalia; the clothing identifies them as Tahirid, a dynasty of vassals under the Abbasids. Other styles are of vegetation, and fruit in nice colors on a four-foot high dado.
Islamic culture as a whole, and Abbasid artisans in particular, were at the forefront of new ideas and techniques in ceramic production. The importation of Chinese ceramics elicited local imitations but also stirred innovations in local production. Abbasid ceramics became a more important art form than ceramics in previous periods and were produced with a greater emphasis on decoration. A major innovation was the emergence of monochrome and polychrome lustreware, a technical achievement that had an important impact on the wider development of Islamic ceramics. This technique likely originated in glassware and was then borrowed into ceramic production.
Examples of Abbasid work were pieces engraved with decorations and then colored with yellow-brown, green, and purple glazes. Designs were diverse with geometric patterns, Kufic lettering, and arabesque scrollwork, along with rosettes, animals, birds, and humans. Abbasid pottery from the 8th and 9th centuries has been found throughout the region, as far as Cairo. These lustreware pieces were generally made with a yellow clay and fired multiple times with separate glazes to produce metallic luster in shades of gold, brown, or red. By the 9th century, the potters had mastered their techniques and their decorative designs. The examples produced in Iran show animals, birds, and humans, along with Kufic lettering in gold. Pieces dating from Samarra (between 836 and 883), generally made for the caliph's use, are particularly vibrant and finer than those of other periods. Tiles were also made using this same technique to create both monochromatic and polychromatic lustreware tiles.
Glassware also became a more important art form in the Abbasid period. The Near East had, since Roman times, been a center of quality glassware and rock crystal pieces. 9th-century finds from Samarra show styles similar to Sassanian forms. The types of objects made were bottles, flasks, vases, and cups intended for domestic use, with decorations including molded flutes, honeycomb patterns, and inscriptions. Other styles seen that may not have come from the Sassanians were stamped items. These were typically round stamps, such as medallions or disks with animals, birds, or Kufic inscriptions. Colored lead glass, typically blue or green, has been found in Nishapur, along with prismatic perfume bottles. Cut glass may have been the high point of Abbasid glass-working, decorated with floral and animal designs. Evidence for the use of lustre painting in glass prior to its use in ceramics can be seen in a goblet excavated at Fustat, Egypt, and dating from the second half of the 8th century. It features lustre-painted floral motifs and a Kufic inscription.
While historical texts record the presence of gold and silverware, relatively little metalwork has survived from this period as precious metals were frequently melted down and reused in later work. Archeological investigations have turned up some vessels made of bronze or brass. One exemplary object is the copper-alloy pouring vessel in the shape of a bird, dated to 180 AH (796–7 CE), currently in the Hermitage Museum. The bird is sculpted in a slightly stylized form and has surface decoration of floral motifs and Arabic inscriptions. Originally, it was also inlaid, making it one of the earliest known examples of metal inlay being revived during the Islamic period. This technique would go on to be very important in later Islamic metalwork.
In Iran, silver dishes in the Sasanian tradition continued to be made. Rather than the hunting scenes and mythical creatures of Sasanian designs, new pieces were decorated with interlacing floral motifs and stylized animals.
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Abbasid art
The arts of the Abbasid Caliphate included fabrication of ceramics, textiles, glassware, and decorated manuscripts. Ceramics became one of the most important art forms and the invention of lustreware in this industry was a major innovation that influenced ceramic art throughout the region. This technique likely originated in glassware, which also became a more significant industry. Another major art form was calligraphy, with variations of Kufic being the main early style of script, along with the production of Qur'an manuscripts. An important textile industry existed, notably in the production of inscribed tiraz pieces. While metalwork of gold and silver has rarely survived, some silver dishes from Iran show derivations from Sasanian types, while bronze and copper alloy pieces of different types have also been found. Painting and stucco were important forms of decoration in Abbasid architecture.
Unlike the Umayyads, who were based in Syria, the Abbasid dynasty established their base of power in Iraq. This move to the east resulted in a cultural and artistic development influenced not only by Mediterranean and Middle Eastern traditions but also by connections further afield with India, Central Asia, and China. Abbasid political and cultural influence was at its height primarily between 750 and 932 CE, after which they lost political power to other dynasties. During this heyday, the Abbasid capital of Baghdad became the most important metropolis of the Islamic world and the authority of the Abbasid caliphs was recognized from Central Asia to the western Mediterranean. Accordingly, their influence on culture was felt far abroad.
Early Abbasid painting has not survived in great quantities, and is sometimes harder to differentiate; however, Samarra provides good examples, as it was built by the Abbasids and abandoned 56 years later. The walls of the principal rooms of the palace that have been excavated show wall paintings and lively carved stucco dadoes. The earlier style is obviously adopted with little variation from Sassanian art, with similar styles, with harems, animals, dancing people, and garments, all enclosed in scrollwork. Nishapur had its own school of painting. Excavations at Nishapur show both monochromatic and polychromatic artwork from the 8th and 9th centuries. One famous piece of art consists of hunting nobles with falcons and on horseback, in full regalia; the clothing identifies them as Tahirid, a dynasty of vassals under the Abbasids. Other styles are of vegetation, and fruit in nice colors on a four-foot high dado.
Islamic culture as a whole, and Abbasid artisans in particular, were at the forefront of new ideas and techniques in ceramic production. The importation of Chinese ceramics elicited local imitations but also stirred innovations in local production. Abbasid ceramics became a more important art form than ceramics in previous periods and were produced with a greater emphasis on decoration. A major innovation was the emergence of monochrome and polychrome lustreware, a technical achievement that had an important impact on the wider development of Islamic ceramics. This technique likely originated in glassware and was then borrowed into ceramic production.
Examples of Abbasid work were pieces engraved with decorations and then colored with yellow-brown, green, and purple glazes. Designs were diverse with geometric patterns, Kufic lettering, and arabesque scrollwork, along with rosettes, animals, birds, and humans. Abbasid pottery from the 8th and 9th centuries has been found throughout the region, as far as Cairo. These lustreware pieces were generally made with a yellow clay and fired multiple times with separate glazes to produce metallic luster in shades of gold, brown, or red. By the 9th century, the potters had mastered their techniques and their decorative designs. The examples produced in Iran show animals, birds, and humans, along with Kufic lettering in gold. Pieces dating from Samarra (between 836 and 883), generally made for the caliph's use, are particularly vibrant and finer than those of other periods. Tiles were also made using this same technique to create both monochromatic and polychromatic lustreware tiles.
Glassware also became a more important art form in the Abbasid period. The Near East had, since Roman times, been a center of quality glassware and rock crystal pieces. 9th-century finds from Samarra show styles similar to Sassanian forms. The types of objects made were bottles, flasks, vases, and cups intended for domestic use, with decorations including molded flutes, honeycomb patterns, and inscriptions. Other styles seen that may not have come from the Sassanians were stamped items. These were typically round stamps, such as medallions or disks with animals, birds, or Kufic inscriptions. Colored lead glass, typically blue or green, has been found in Nishapur, along with prismatic perfume bottles. Cut glass may have been the high point of Abbasid glass-working, decorated with floral and animal designs. Evidence for the use of lustre painting in glass prior to its use in ceramics can be seen in a goblet excavated at Fustat, Egypt, and dating from the second half of the 8th century. It features lustre-painted floral motifs and a Kufic inscription.
While historical texts record the presence of gold and silverware, relatively little metalwork has survived from this period as precious metals were frequently melted down and reused in later work. Archeological investigations have turned up some vessels made of bronze or brass. One exemplary object is the copper-alloy pouring vessel in the shape of a bird, dated to 180 AH (796–7 CE), currently in the Hermitage Museum. The bird is sculpted in a slightly stylized form and has surface decoration of floral motifs and Arabic inscriptions. Originally, it was also inlaid, making it one of the earliest known examples of metal inlay being revived during the Islamic period. This technique would go on to be very important in later Islamic metalwork.
In Iran, silver dishes in the Sasanian tradition continued to be made. Rather than the hunting scenes and mythical creatures of Sasanian designs, new pieces were decorated with interlacing floral motifs and stylized animals.
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