DECORATIVE ARTS

OF THE ABBASIDS
PRESENTATION BY MUHAMMAD FARHAN
HASHMI
INTRODUCTION
The Abbasid dynasty (132-656 A.H.) was the longest living
dynasty of the medieval Islamic empire.
The Umayyad dynasty produced little of what we would
consider decorative arts (like pottery, glass, metalwork etc.),
but under the Abbasid dynasty production of decorative
stone, wood and ceramic objects flourished.
The decorative arts of the Abbasids were influenced by
multiple traditions like Sassanian, Central Asian and Seljuk.
Central Asian influence is seen most clearly at Samarra
where the wall paintings and some of the stucco work
resemble that of the palaces at Soghdia.
INFLUENCE ON OTHER TRADITIONS
Abbasid art influenced Spain, where arabesque designs in the
architecture was adopted.

Byzantine envoys traveling to Baghdad reported beautifully

designed mosques, and the Byzantines thus emulated Abbasid
artistic styles in their palaces.

Portable items like lusterware ceramics and glassware were

traded and thus influenced artistic practices as far as Egypt,
Spain and Iran.
ARABESQUE
In Samarra, a new way of carving surfaces, the so-called beveled style, as
well as a repetition of abstract geometric or vegetal forms later to be
known in the West as “arabesque,” were widely used as wall decoration
and became popular in other media such as wood, metalwork, pottery
and other ceramic decoration.
This style that was used in the many palaces and mosques of Samarra
was also adopted in other regions such as Egypt and Asia.
Samarra was famous for the use of arabesque in their stucco work and
this was one of the greatest technical achievement of the Samarran
artisans.
STUCCO ART
It was in Samarra where Islamic art truly began, and from there it
spread throughout the entire Muslim world, also influencing local
Jewish and Christian art.
The new decorative designs of the Samarrans are perhaps best
expressed by the wall decorations that were most popular in Samarra:
polychrome painted stucco, both carved and molded.
Three major styles have been observed: their chronological order is not
clear, but their roots in the transformation of classical naturalism and
in the two-dimensionality of early Byzantine art is plain and obvious.
In the first style of stucco art, the surface is divided into polygonal
compartments, with borders of pearl roundels. Each compartment is
filled with vine stems bearing lobed leaves or with fancifully curved
vegetal elements too stylized to look like any actual plant.
In the second style of stucco art, this tendency of the first style is
accentuated to the point where recognizably natural forms disappear.
The borders become plain and the compartments themselves more
varied.
The Chinese motif of yin and yang appears frequently.
In the third style of stucco art, the decoration is
not carved by hand but is rapidly applied by
molds in an abstract beveled style, capable of
open-ended extension.
The motifs themselves are more loosely and
flowingly arranged and more varied – spirals,
lobed designs, bottle-shaped forms and other
motifs no longer depend on vegetal life.
The ‘Samarran style’, especially in the beveled
technique, soon penetrated the so-called ‘minor
arts’ as well.
ARCHITECTURE
Abbasid architecture was influenced by three architectural traditions—
Sassanian, Central Asian (Soghdian) and later, during the 12th and 13th
centuries, Seljuk.
Masjids, palaces and homes alike were built with mud and baked brick
and often were painted and carved with geometric designs.
Other decorative methods involved stucco work and use of luster painted
tiles.
Some examples of Abbasid architecture and their decorations will be
discussed.
BAB AL-HALABA
"Bab Al-Halaba", known also by the name "Bab Al-Tilisim" or “Bab Al-
Talisman” meaning "the door of the Amulet" was one of the famous
gates of ancient Baghdad. It is called so because it is topped by a relief of
seated human figure flanked with two dragons. The man is shown
holding the tongues of the two dragons’ one in each hand. It was believed
that it guards the city and its people.
BALKUWARA PALACE
The Balkuwara palace would have been a
magnificent experience from both its interior
and exterior.
It is adorned with green glass and mother-of-
pearl mosaic over a gold background.
Decoration at the compound varies between
stucco-work, frescoes, glass-work and niches
sometimes, square, circular or quatrefoil.
The palace lies in complete ruins and so STUCCO WORK IN THE
physical examples of the decorative designs INTERIOR OF THE PALACE.
involved no longer exist.
JAWSAQ AL-KHAQANI
The Jawsaq Al-Khaqani is widely recognized
for its elaborate ornamentation of stucco and
marble dadoes, frescoed paintings, and the
finest sculpted and painted teak
woodworking. It was built by one of al-
Mu’tasim’s Turkish generals and reflects
features of Central Asian influence such as
wall paintings with Bactrian camels.

A WALL PAINTING AT
JAWSAQ AL KHAQANI
POTTERY
In the 8th century, Syrian glassmakers invented the
decorative technique of using metallic oxides to give
their wares a lustrous sheen after they had been fired
a second time in a reducing, low-oxygen kiln.
This unique technique of luster decoration was
adapted by potters in Abbasid Iraq, who used it to
decorate their earthenware ceramics.
Luster painting was admired for its sheen and
glittering effect reminiscent of precious metals like
gold and silver.
The manufacture of luster-decorated pottery was
time-consuming and costly and thus is seen as luxury. A CERAMIC LUSTERWARE.
It spread in the following centuries from Iraq to
Egypt, Syria, Iran, and Spain and eventually also
contributed to the development of ceramic decoration
in the Western world.
Luster painting was extensively used on tile as well
ART OF THE BOOK
Baghdad was captured by the Buyids and
Seljuqs in 945 and 1055. The Abbasid
realm witnessed a brief revival under
caliphs Al-Nasir and Al-Mustansir, when
Baghdad once again became the greatest
centre for the arts of the book in the
Islamic world.
It has been speculated that Chinese
artisans in Baghdad might have
acquainted their Abbasid patrons with the
Chinese taste for chrysography in the 9th A PARCHMENT FROM THE
“BLUE QURAN”.
century as seen in the use of dark opaque
colouring of the “Blue Quran”.
Calligraphy, especially in gold, was
extensively done.
GLASSWARE
The Abbasids were known to make
some of the finest glassware of the
time. They were usually hand-blown
with a hand tooled pontil with
decorations applied onto them.
Surviving examples date from 7th to
10th century.
FRAGMENT OF AN ANCIENT
ABBASID GLASS CUP.
TEXTILE
Textiles of the Abbasids were particularly
unique because of the details and the use
of Kufic inscriptions on them. Such
textiles were considered a luxury and not
everyone was allowed to wear them.
True “Tiraz” textiles are distinctive for
their inscriptions, which often give the
name of the ruling prince. The word tiraz
means embroidery, and the term covers
both the type of textile and the workshops TIRAZ, TABBY-WOVEN
where these textiles were woven. TEXTILE, LINEN WITH A
TAPESTRY-WOVEN SILK
INSCRIPTION (946-974)
DECLINE
Overall, the Abbasid epoch was an important transitional period that
disseminated styles and techniques to distant Islamic lands.
Unfortunately, this golden era was not to last longer.
Political unrest caused a decline in art production, as motivations had to
be focused elsewhere. A brief revival of Abbasid art emerged between
1180 and 1233, but it ultimately waned again because of political unrest.
The Abbasid era ended in 1258 and with it, the golden age of art
production.
REFERENCES
• https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/art-islam/islamic-art-ea
rly/a/arts-of-the-islamic-world-the-early-period
• https://classroom.synonym.com/islamic-art-in-the-abbasid-era-12
086201.html
• https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/abba/hd_abba.htm
• http://www.hafsaabbas.com/a-dose-of-inspiration/an-insight-to-th
e-islamic-art-of-the-abbasid-dynasty
• http://islamic-arts.org/2011/architecture-of-the-abbasids-iraq-iran
-and-egypt/
• Lectures of subject “Art and Architecture under Abbasids”,
Department of Islamic Art and Architecture.