Arts & Antiques | Treasure Box

Calligraphy, the art of beautiful writing. is considered the highest form of visual art in the Arab world. It gained importance with the arrival of Islam due to its role as a link between the language of Muslims and the religion of Islam. It also served as a vital tool for writing down Quranic manuscripts.
When Islam spread in the region so did
calligraphy, which quickly flourished. Many of the civilisations that came in contact with Islam contributed to the development and elaboration of this art.

TEXTILES

The rich and diversified craft of weaving textiles goes back thousands of years and is rooted in human history, from ancient Egypt to lslam. Weaving was used in the making of clothes as well as furniture. often with costly materials such as silk, gold and silver wrapped thread and decorated with complex designs. Textiles in ancient civilisations were of ten luxury goods, signifying wealth and social status.

PAINTINGS

Historically, painting is considered one of the earliest methods of expression and communication used by humans. With time, this went from being a purely communicative tool to becoming a creative and expressive art form. Islamic culture went through a relentless process of aspruning and renewing pre-existing traditions. while simultaneously creating new artistic styles and techniques that suited the spiritual, aesthetic and physical requirements of the new religion. Visual arts are closely linked to architecture, therefore, most paintings in ancient history were found in temples, cemeteries, castles and then, later, mosques.

FURNITURE

Furniture in the Islamic culture compliments architecture and forms an inherent part of it Muslim artists viewed the beauty of the universe. as emphasised in the Quran, and the literary qualities of the Quranic text itself as compelling evidence for the divine hand. As a result, almost every piece of furniture displayed Quranic verses, proverbs and arabesque. No wonder that this artistic decoration has become a prominent reference to Arab Islamic creativity.

SCULPTURE

This three dimensional art form is one of the old- lest and finest forms of arts. Widely spread in ancient civilisations, sculpture goes back to the earliest prehistoric times and was mainly associated with religion. Later on, great masterpieces were produced to represent kings and famous personalities for political reasons. Sculptures were also used to record important occasions and battles and to decorate castles, temples and cemeteries. Sumerian, Assyrian and Egyptian civilisations produced some of the greatest sculptures in the region during ancient times. Like other forms of art, sculpture was influenced by different civilisations and caught up with modernisation.

POTS & VASES

Pottery is one of the most ancient crafts in human history because of its close link to daily life. In ancient times pottery had a lesser importance since valuable goods were made of gold and silver but, over time, it became an art form in itself When Islam banned luxury and extravagance, pottery prospered and became a creative tool for Arab artists. Geometrical patterns, as well as calligraphy, adorned all types of pottery. Initially lslamic potters tried to imitate Chinese porcelain, but then they improved upon it by using lustre painting, which is a metallic glaze that gives the effect of iridescence and creates a sort of imitation of precious metal. This lusterware pottery became very popular across the Arab world.