Art of the Islamic Worlds

Blue-and-white ware was a successful, enduring tradition throughout the Islamic world. The uneven surface of this bottle is unusual: It is created by molded relief technique, and it accentuates the decoration.

During the Safavid dynasty, renewed patronage of Persian artisans by Shah Abbas I (ruled 1587–1629) resulted in new production techniques and sparked an interest in popular subjects, such as romance and hunting.

In his book “Voyages du chevalier Chardin en Perse,” wealthy French nobleman Jean-Baptiste Chardin describes his experiences of 17th-century Persian culture. He writes that Persians loved hunting.

Chardin claims that the King of Persia had some 1,000 hunting officers, and that when going on a hunt, the king took along more than 100 officers to hunt lions, panthers, and “beasts of the wood,” like the exotic birds depicted here.

The shiny, metallic effect of lusterware ceramic decoration is created by applying metallic oxides to a previously glazed-and-fired object, which is subsequently fired in oxygen-reduced kilns. The lack of oxygen produces a chemical reaction that fixes a thin metallic film on the object’s surface.

Luster ceramics are among the most exquisite and costly-to-produce ceramics in the Islamic worlds. The city of Kashan, in Iran, became a prominent center of luster-ceramic production in the 12th century and remained so after the Mongol invasions of the mid-13th century.

The six riders depicted here reflect the importance of horses across Islamic lands through sport, hunting, and military campaigns.

Across the Islamic worlds, calligraphers enjoyed the highest status among all artists. This ranking is reflected in the careful creation and decoration of their tools, from pens and inkwells to storage boxes and book bindings. Elaborately decorated and inscribed with blessings for the owner, these objects are treasured art creations in their own right.

This calligrapher’s storage box is an extraordinary example of luxury woodwork production in Spain under the Nasrid dynasty (1232–1492). The same tradition of wood inlay can be seen on a variety of objects, including chests to house Qur’an manuscripts, “minbar” (mosque pulpits), and doors.

This magnificent copy of the Qur’an from Morocco is a rare example with a colophon (inscription) identifying the patron and date of production. Many Qur'ans from North Africa and Spain are copied in the distinctive Maghrebi script, named after the region of western Islamic lands known as the Maghreb.

Penned on parchment—a favored medium for Qur’anic manuscripts made in the area—this work displays an elaborate program of illumination used to highlight the internal divisions of the text.

“The buds and blooms, dew sprinkled,
all are in the know
Leaves and plants bear witness,
so the trees that bow.
This is my repeated prayer
every morn and eve,
You have showered flowers on others,
even fruits, I see,
O, squanderer of the garden wealth,
spare something for me.”
—Bahadur Shah Zafar


Bahadur Shah Zafar (1775–1862) was the last Mughal king and among the most famous poets in Mughal India writing “ghazals” (poetry couplets) on love and longing. Much Mughal poetry also mentions lush gardens filled with fragrant blooms, serving as metaphors for a desired beloved.

The large poppies in this carved sandstone panel are probably one of the flamboyant “papaver orientalis” species likely well known to Mughal poets. The motif of a flower set against a plain background is quintessentially Mughal and is found in many media, including paintings, album borders, textiles, carpets, and stone.

“Jalis” are used in Indian architecture as windows, room dividers, and railings around thrones, platforms, terraces, and balconies. The pierced openings—references to sacred geometry—allow light and air to enter the room while providing privacy and shade from the sun. The jali shown here is carved on both sides. One side has an inscription—“Allah”—in “naskh” script, and the other has a floral roundel.

This jali would have been part of a larger structure. The next image includes an interactive view of the Mughal Imperial Complex at Fatehpur Sikri in India. Can you find the jalis within its structures?

This miniature bottle is a rare surviving example of the exquisitely worked jeweled objects so loved by Mughal Indian emperors and their courtiers. The bottle is fitted with a diamond-encrusted stopper that has a gold applicator attached, for applying scent or the eye cosmetic known as kohl. Sumptuous objects like this gem-set bottle came in highly individualized shapes, so that few were alike.

The stylized feline incense burner shown here is designed so that fragrant smoke can pass through the pierce-work decoration. The head is hinged, allowing for easy replenishment of incense and coal inside the body. The sculptural quality of this incense burner reflects the Islamic world’s appreciation of figurative motifs, which were inventively used in the secular sphere.

By the late 16th century, the Ottomans had conquered much of the eastern and southern Mediterranean, as well as Eastern Europe. Although local artisans maintained their traditional arts, the Ottoman style increasingly influenced the patterns they produced, as seen in this embroidered panel from northern Greece. Other foreign traditions became known through trade between regions of the Empire and their neighbors farther away.

This opulent silk velvet panel glitters from the brilliance of its metal-wrapped threads against a dark crimson ground. Such silk velvet wall hangings and upholstery fabrics decorated the Ottoman sultan’s palace and the wealthiest households of the 16th and 17th centuries. The ogival lattice design was a favorite choice for velvets produced at Bursa, the center of the important Ottoman textile industry.

Ottoman sultans loved gardens. The tulips, carnations, and hyacinths in this velvet panel are part of the enduring floral style developed by court artist Kara Memi and seen in myriad artistic media. This example is particularly spectacular, as it includes two full loom widths instead of one.