Contents
Religious Co-Existence:
It is typically considered that the Crusades was a war encompassed by conflict, however, through museums and blogs like this, we can relay a different story away from military violence and blood and employ one of harmony and religious exchange.
Blue and White Mosque Lamp
By the 1400s, Chinese- inspired ornaments were fully encompassed within Islamic visual aesthetics. Blue and white motifs were printed on items and these included flowers, cloud bands, dragons.
The lamp above is also engraved with several floral patterns, which are considered to be visual metaphorical depictions of the gardens of Paradise that are described in the Quran.
The mosque lamp is also inscribed with a hadith. A hadith is a religious saying and when translated from the lamp, it is of the Prophet comparing the believer in the mosque to a fish in water, and a non- believer to a bird in a cage.
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
Abrahamic Faiths:
Flask with Abraham’s Sacrifice (1700-1800)
Taken at the British Museum
Christianity, Judaism and Islam all trace their origins back to Abraham, who they all believe was the first ‘monotheist’.
They all shared concepts of beliefs and practices- e.g. Holy Pilgrimages as we see with Islam and Hajj, and they share their belief of charity and fasting- 2 more important pillars of Islam.
Star Tiles:
These were utilised by BOTH Muslims and Christians…
Star Tile
1300-1320
The eight-pointed star shaped tiles made of lustre were very popular during the 13th century. These glazed tiles were used to decorate religious buildings, this is reflective of stain glassed windows in churches which are also curated with animalistic imagery.
However, this is a key difference between the two religions, it is forbidden to have Godly images in Islam, God is not and has never been illustrated in any format.
The use of star tiles was also due to religious regulations against facial imagery in places like mosques, thus the in scriptures and intricate decorations that are typically painted used within Islamic buildings.
Silks and Religious Clothing:
Tiraz
Victoria and Albert Museum Online
‘Tiraz’- This was silk fabric that was sewn on a red background. Their survival is credited to their use in the West as Christian ecclesiastical vestments and furnishings as argued by David Jacoby’s ‘Silk Economics’. He also makes the valid argument that religious co existence was furthered as ‘Tiraz’ was “reshaped from time to time to conform to new fashions” . Silk was used as veils, and headscarves, but also those who were Christian/European, transformed silk into clothing for their personal appearance.
Silk production in Muslim Spain was also heavily influenced by Muslim Middle East. Production then continued into places in Southern Italy such as Lucca, Genoa, and Venice. [1. David Jacoby, ‘Silk Economics and Cross-Cultural Artistic Interaction Byzantium, the Muslim World and the Christian West’, Dumbarton Oaks, Trustees for Harvard University, 2004, 207]
Religious Artefacts:
British Museum Website
Ayyubid Caliphate Incense Burner (1250-1300)
During and after the Crusades, both Christians and Muslims developed an interest in ‘Ayyubid’, a special silver piece of metalwork. It was made in Muslim countries such as Syria and Egypt between the late 1230s and 1250s.
Objects made from the ‘Ayyubid’, period demonstrated the interconnectivity of Christian and non-Christian culture and motifs on these metal works. These metal objects were prominent during the Crusades and were used to mould and shape the memory of soldiers’ experience in the Holy Land as argued by Eva R Hoffman. Her argument also reflects religious co existence as this metal production was utilised by both Muslims and Christians. [2. Eva R Hoffman, ‘Christian- Islamic Encounters on 13th Century Ayyubid Metalwork’, The University of Chicago Press Journals, 2004, 1]
Victoria and Albert Museum Online
Chalice
(1250-1350)
The Chalice reflects the interconnectivity between Muslims and Christians. Although, it is embellished with Arabic inscriptions, it was typically used during a Christian Eucharist Service. When translated, the Arabic inscription means ‘the reverend father at the monastery of Dayr al-Madfan’. It is one of many brass pieces that was made for Christian patrons during the ‘Mamluk Rule’.
MAMLUK– “one who is owned”.
During the Mamluk period, there was the rise of the ‘Veneto-Saracenic’ Style which saw many vessels made from bronze and metals. It was first seen in a Muslim workshop in Venice in the 15th and 16th centuries. The rounded bowl style shape of the Chalice was also popular during this period, and was a prominent form of Veneto- Saracenic vessels.
Bibliography:
Behrens-Abouseif, Doris, ‘Veneto-Saracenic Metalware: A Mamluk Art’, Mamluk Studies Review, 2005, 149-160.
Hoffman, Eva, ‘Christian-Islamic Encounters on 13th Century Ayyubid Metalwork’, The University of Chicago Press Journals, 2004, 129-142.
Jacoby, David, ‘Silk Economics and Cross-Cultural Artistic Interaction Byzantium, the Muslim World and The Christian West’, Dumbarton Oaks Trustees for Harvard University, 2004, 197-240.
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