Submitted by: Submitted by sww216
Views: 233
Words: 1871
Pages: 8
Category: World History
Date Submitted: 11/09/2012 12:29 PM
Sterling Wilson
Islamic Art
Art is everywhere, and has been around since the first humans walked the earth. It comes in all shapes and sizes, all different colors and designs, and made of all sorts of materials. For this assignment I took a look around the Freer Gallery of Asian Art where many different pieces or artwork caught my eye. The three I will focus on are from the Islamic areas of the world and date to around the 12th century.
The first piece upon walking into the Islamic gallery is the largest candlestick I have ever seen in my life (purchase number 51.17). It was the first object I saw once inside the Islamic art wing. In a glass box in the middle of the room, the candlestick is presented as a centerpiece of the front section of the exhibit and appears to be the largest and most eye-catching piece in the front section. It was discovered in Eastern Iran in the 12th century (Freer plaque) and is made out of brass with silver and copper. This piece sits approximately two feet high and its base sits about two and a half feet in diameter, and tapers in as you move up it. It has five tiers that compose its base. The bottom and top tiers use the same depiction of a wild cat, possibly a lion, cleaning its paw. Above the bottom tier is a thin band containing an inscription, the words are inlaid with silver. The majority of the candlestick is composed of scale-like reliefs that fit together very geometrically. There are three different designs on the scales, each set up in a uniform line. On the scales there is silver writing and a bronze outline for each. From a bird’s eye view, along the top surface of the base, are oval-shaped divots with vine-like decorations in each. The base of the neck has a continuous design of flowing lines and symmetrical triangles which sit just under the neck which has an ongoing weave decorated with silver points that look like arrowheads which lay underneath an inch or so of untouched, polished brass, the only part of the...