Essays on Metalwork

Abstract

'Gothic' term represents medieval art that carries a strange history. The style of art developed in Northern France and spread to the rest of Western Europe. Late Gothic art expanded well into the 16th century before getting consumed by the Renaissance art. Gothic period carries splendid examples of sculptures, stained glass, fresco, panel painting, ivories and illuminated manuscripts. The essay offers a perspective on the popularity of Gothic ivories and how they encouraged the devotional practice. The ivory diptychs were used as sophisticated tools and were seen as physical vestiges of the divine. Gothic ivories were the visual cues ...

Introduction

The medieval Islamic city was influenced by the enthusiastic patronage of art and architecture, examples being Mamluk rulers and the amirs of the Mamluk era. The architectural projects from this period comprised of both small and multifaceted complexes. The buildings helped the society in many ways and could be used to hold important functions, religious and commercial activities amongst others. Buildings were developed in the form of mosques, hospitals, kuttab, and Kurf amongst others. The architectural projects demonstrated the urban and artistic order that was significant in ensuring that the fundamental pillars of Islam were observed within the society. ...

The western world looks at the city of Venice to be distinctly oriental. On the surface, the city fits an Italian profile, but it has always mainland an arm’s distance. The essential Moslem culture influenced the architecture of Venice unlike its chief competitors such as Genoa and Pisa. Another stream of thought claims that Byzantine artistic heritage influenced Venetian civilization and, therefore, those characteristics of Islamic architecture. The author of the essay argues on the subject of Islamic influence on the medieval architecture of Venice is indeed a complex and challenging one. The paper focuses on those characteristics ...