Arabesque

Arabesque is an artistic decoration. It uses "surface decorations based on... interlacing foliage, tendrils" or plain lines.^[1] Another definition is "Foliate ornament, used in the Islamic world, typically using leaves... combined with spiralling stems".^[2]

Border decoration to an Ottoman miniature, early 16th century

Arabesques are usually of a single design which can be 'tiled' or repeated as many times as desired.^[3]

The term "arabesque" is used as a technical term by art historians for decoration in Islamic art from about the 9th century onwards, and European decorative art from the Renaissance onwards. Note that Islamic geometric patterns are a different style from arabesques.

References

↑ Fleming, John & Honour, Hugh 1977 (1989). Dictionary of the decorative arts. Penguin. ISBN 978-0-670-82047-4.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
↑ Rawson, Jessica 1984. Chinese ornament: the lotus and the dragon. British Museum Publications, p236. ISBN 0-7141-1431-6
↑ Robinson, Francis 1996 (2002). The Cambridge illustrated history of the Islamic world. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-66993-1.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)

Decorative panel from Abbasid Samarra, 9th century

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[1] Fleming, John & Honour, Hugh 1977 (1989). Dictionary of the decorative arts. Penguin. ISBN 978-0-670-82047-4.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)

[2] Rawson, Jessica 1984. Chinese ornament: the lotus and the dragon. British Museum Publications, p236. ISBN 0-7141-1431-6

[Robinson-3] Robinson, Francis 1996 (2002). The Cambridge illustrated history of the Islamic world. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-66993-1.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)

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