Islamic Art Paper
Tyanne Rowe
Museum Paper
The Mihrab (prayer niche) dated 12th century, the point of origin being the city of Isfahan located in Iran is the object that captured my attention. This piece is considered to be a ceramic design made of “polychrome glazed cut tiles on a stone paste body that was later set into mortar”. Madrasa Imami is a school, in which this piece in was created 1354, later it was sold to Arthur U. Pope in 1931.
When arriving at the museum I noticed that the items on display in the Islamic Art section were very utilitarian in nature. They were well-crafted beautifully designed tools. Arabic inscription a common theme through out all of the objects. Seeing the art up close is definitely a more satisfying experience, your relation to the object in person is a better way to see the object existing in space.
The Mihrab (prayer niche) struck me as being a piece that you can interact with better than the others. The art on display in the museum were confined to glass encasings that prohibited you from seeing the objects up close. That was understandable once I saw how intricate and delicate the ceramics and reading materials were. What stood out about the Mihrab was the fact that I could walk right up to it and simply see it in its full element with no protective shield around it. Seeing it in relation to myself helped me to envision how it would have been if I existed in those times. The piece was proportionate to how it’s naturally sized in that era. Knowing that this structure symbolizes the spiritual connectivity of many devote Muslims made it an honor to be able to experience a piece of the Islamic culture. However informal the space is, I still was able to engage with the prayer niche because of its size and openness to the area. The use of line plays a dual use in this artwork. One way it is used it to communicate a message by the use of the Arabic language in Kufic script located on the almost outermost border of the prayer
Museum Paper
The Mihrab (prayer niche) dated 12th century, the point of origin being the city of Isfahan located in Iran is the object that captured my attention. This piece is considered to be a ceramic design made of “polychrome glazed cut tiles on a stone paste body that was later set into mortar”. Madrasa Imami is a school, in which this piece in was created 1354, later it was sold to Arthur U. Pope in 1931.
When arriving at the museum I noticed that the items on display in the Islamic Art section were very utilitarian in nature. They were well-crafted beautifully designed tools. Arabic inscription a common theme through out all of the objects. Seeing the art up close is definitely a more satisfying experience, your relation to the object in person is a better way to see the object existing in space.
The Mihrab (prayer niche) struck me as being a piece that you can interact with better than the others. The art on display in the museum were confined to glass encasings that prohibited you from seeing the objects up close. That was understandable once I saw how intricate and delicate the ceramics and reading materials were. What stood out about the Mihrab was the fact that I could walk right up to it and simply see it in its full element with no protective shield around it. Seeing it in relation to myself helped me to envision how it would have been if I existed in those times. The piece was proportionate to how it’s naturally sized in that era. Knowing that this structure symbolizes the spiritual connectivity of many devote Muslims made it an honor to be able to experience a piece of the Islamic culture. However informal the space is, I still was able to engage with the prayer niche because of its size and openness to the area. The use of line plays a dual use in this artwork. One way it is used it to communicate a message by the use of the Arabic language in Kufic script located on the almost outermost border of the prayer