In the process of development the plant forms became increasingly simplified and stylized. The evolution of these forms into a distinctive Islamic type was complete by the 11th century, having begun in the 8th or 9th century in works like the Mshatta Facade. The plants most often used are stylized versions of the acanthus, with its emphasis on leafy forms, and the vine, with an equal emphasis on twining stems. Early Islamic art, for example in the famous 8th-century mosaics of the Great Mosque of Damascus, often contained plant-scroll patterns, in that case by Byzantine artists in their usual style.
The arabesque developed out of the long-established traditions of plant-based scroll ornament in the cultures taken over by the early Islamic conquests. It first appeared as a distinctive and original development in Islamic art in carved marble panels from around this time. The Islamic arabesque was probably invented in Baghdad around the 10th century.
Geometric decoration often uses patterns that are made up of straight lines and regular angles that somewhat resemble curvilinear arabesque patterns the extent to which these too are described as arabesque varies between different writers. The case for a connection with Islamic mathematics is much stronger for the development of the geometric patterns with which arabesques are often combined in art. In similar fashion, proposed connections between the arabesque and Arabic knowledge of geometry remains a subject of debate not all art historians are persuaded that such knowledge had reached, or was needed by, those creating arabesque designs, although in certain cases there is evidence that such a connection did exist. At the popular level such theories often appear uninformed as to the wider context of the arabesque. In the West they are essentially found in the decorative arts, but because of the generally non-figurative nature of Islamic art, arabesque decoration is there often a very prominent element in the most significant works, and plays a large part in the decoration of architecture.Ĭlaims are often made regarding the theological significance of the arabesque and its origin in a specifically Islamic view of the world however, these are without support from written historical sources since, like most medieval cultures, the Islamic world has not left us documentation of their intentions in using the decorative motifs they did. Some Western arabesques derive from Islamic art, but others are closely based on ancient Roman decorations. The past and current usage of the term in respect of European art is confused and inconsistent. Interlace and scroll decoration are terms used for most other types of similar patterns.Īrabesques are a fundamental element of Islamic art but they develop what was already a long tradition by the coming of Islam. Within the very wide range of Eurasian decorative art that includes motifs matching this basic definition, the term "arabesque" is used consistently as a technical term by art historians to describe only elements of the decoration found in two phases: Islamic art from about the 9th century onwards, and European decorative art from the Renaissance onwards.
It usually consists of a single design which can be ' tiled' or seamlessly repeated as many times as desired. Another definition is "Foliate ornament, used in the Islamic world, typically using leaves, derived from stylised half-palmettes, which were combined with spiralling stems". The arabesque is a form of artistic decoration consisting of "surface decorations based on rhythmic linear patterns of scrolling and interlacing foliage, tendrils" or plain lines, often combined with other elements. The lower part of the panel is an example of a Roman arabesque The "Tellus Panel" from the Ara Pacis, in Rome, circa 27 AD.
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