Are you looking to buy arts and crafts of the Islamic world? Are you searching on Google for ‘best Islamic art and craft’? Then there certainly are a lot of options for you to choose from- calligraphic wall art decor, ornate carpets, dazzling glass works, antique brassware, and vivid ceramic pottery.
Even though the term ‘Islamic art’ has a religious ring to it, it also includes items of no religious value like carpets, rugs, wooden handicrafts, glassware, and brassware – which may not necessarily have religious symbols.
Given below are different categories of Islamic art:
1. Calligraphy: Calligraphy is the mainstay of Islamic art. The need to transcribe and compile the Quran in the form of a book in order to preserve it for the future caused the development of Arabic calligraphy. Also, because Islam forbade the making of human and animal figures, new artistic fonts were developed. Calligraphy became a form of art and started being used to embellish the walls and domes of monuments, mosques, and mausoleums.
2. Miniature paintings: A miniature painting is a tiny painting on paper and meant for court use. The paintings are compiled in an album called the ‘muraqqa’.Originating in Persia in the 13th century, miniature paintings also came to be used in Ottoman Turkey and Mughal India. As the paintings were not meant for public consumption, religious restrictions on human and animal imagery were relaxed. Though these are by no means Islamic, as they have no religious value, some people see them as such as they were used in Muslim royal courts.
3. Rugs and carpets: Carpet-making is a mature industry in Muslim areas, particularly in Kashmir, Iran and Turkey. It is second to calligraphy when it comes to prominence. If the carpets are decorated with Islamic calligraphy art, they are used as wall decor. If they are only adorned with dense floral motifs, intricate patterns, and elaborate borders, they are used for covering floors in mosques, as well as for making prayer mats for personal use.
4. Ceramic pottery: Colourful ceramic plates and pots are pretty handicrafts that one can decorate their walls or shelves with. Although the oldest pottery dates to Basra, Iraq in the 8th century, Chinese imprint landed via Mongol conquests in the 13th century. Most of the pottery created in Muslim countries has dense floral motifs and patterns. Some ceramic plates are decorated with calligraphy as well.
5. Brassware: Brass plates and pots, produced in parts of northern India, make for antique-looking and rustic artifacts that one can decorate their tables, walls or shelves with. They are mostly decorated with floral motifs.
There are several other varieties of Islamic art such as glass, silk and metal works made in different parts of the world – from West Asia, North Africa to China, India, and Indonesia.
So, if you are looking to buy arts and crafts of the Islamic world or searching for ‘best Islamic art and craft, be ready to be dazzled by the sheer range and variety on offer.