luxury arts

Examples of luxury arts in the following topics:

• Luxury Arts

  • Islamic luxury arts of the later Middle Ages were particularly distinguished in the Mughal Empire (India) and in Egypt under the Mamluks.
  • Islamic art is not restricted to religious art; it includes all the art of the rich and varied cultures of Islamic societies as well.
  • The later Mughal Empire period is most notable for luxury arts of the court, and Mughal styles heavily influenced local Hindu and later Sikh rulers as well.
  • Sixteenth century Egypt, under the Mamluks patronage of luxury arts, favored primarily enameled glass and metalwork and is remembered as the golden age of medieval Egypt.
  • Identify the luxury arts of the Mughal Empire, such as miniatures, jewelry, carvings, and metalwork.

• Islamic Glass Making

  • Glassmaking was the most important Islamic luxury arts of the early Middle Ages.
  • For most of the Middle Ages, Islamic luxury glass was the most sophisticated in Eurasia, exported to both Europe and China.
  • Between the 8th and early 11th centuries, the emphasis in luxury glass was on effects achieved by "manipulating the surface" of the glass, initially by incising into the glass on a wheel, and later by cutting away the background to leave a design in relief.
  • From the 12th century, the industry in Persia and Mesopotamia appears to decline, and the main production of luxury glass shifts to Egypt and Syria.

• The Mediterranean

  • In the Middle Ages, the Mediterranean Al-Andalus was a great center for culture and art, as well of philosophical and scientific thought.
  • At the end of the 11th century, two Berber tribes, the Almoravids and the Almohads, captured the head of the Maghreb and Spain, successively, bringing Maghrebi influences into art.
  • Besides the great universities, which taught philosophies and sciences yet unknown in Christendom (such as those of Averroes), the territory was an equally vital center for art.
  • The art of northern Africa is not as well studied.
  • Nevertheless, luxury arts continued to be produced in great quantity.

• American Art Deco Architecture

  • Art Deco and Streamline Moderne were two key styles of early 20th century American architecture.
  • Modern American architecture is usually divided into the two styles of Art Deco and Streamline Moderne.
  • Streamline Moderne, also known as Art Moderne, was a late type of the Art Deco design style that emerged during the 1930s.
  • During its heyday, Art Deco represented luxury, glamour, exuberance, and faith in social and technological progress.
  • However, Art Deco and Streamline Moderne were not necessarily opposites.

• Benin

  • The Benin Empire was known for its many works of art, including religious objects, ceremonial weapons, masks, animal heads, figurines, busts and plaques.
  • Typically made from bronze, brass, clay, ivory, terracotta or wood, most art was produced at the court of the Oba (king) and was used to illustrate achievements of the empire or to narrate mythical stories.
  • Instead, a trade network was established in which the Benin Empire traded beautiful works of art for luxury items from Portugal, such as beads, cloth, and brass manillas for casting.
  • The wealth of Benin's art was credited with preventing the Benin Empire from becoming economically dependent on the Portuguese.
  • As trade flourished, Benin art began to depict European influence through technique, imagery, and themes.

• Gothic Metalwork and Ivory Carvings

  • Metalworkers and sculptors working in ivory made an impact on the the art, architecture, craft, and interior design world of France during the period.
  • But the door of the cathedral is, in and of itself, a work of art, particularly when one takes into account the limited smithing techniques of the time.
  • Additionally, their popularity spread beyond church art, and these pieces could be found in homes and used for decorative furnishing.
  • These works were considered luxury items; ivory work could often be found on the backs of hairbrushes, mirrors, and other luxury items.
  • The works often portrayed scenes of romance and love rather than the religious scenes more typical of Gothic art.

• Ivory Carving

  • Ivory carving has a special importance to medieval art history of Europe and Byzantium because it has no bullion value and is not easily recycled like precious metals or jewels.
  • Humans have ornamentally carved ivory since prehistoric times, though until the nineteenth century, it was usually a rare and expensive material used for luxury products.
  • As a result, small-scale sculpture—for which ivory was in many ways the best material—was central to art in a way that it rarely was at other times.

• Carolingian Metalwork in the Early European Middle Ages

  • For instance, luxury Carolingian manuscripts were given treasure bindings and elaborately ornate covers in precious metals set with jewels around central carved ivory panels.
  • Metalwork subjects were often narrative religious scenes in vertical sections, largely derived from Late Antique paintings and carvings, as were those with more hieratic images derived from consular diptychs and other imperial art, such as the front and back covers of the Lorsch Gospels.
  • For example, the Aachen chapel's figure of Christ in gold (now lost) was the first known work of this type that was later to become a crucial inspiring feature of northern European medieval art.

• The Opus Anglicanum

  • The motifs used in needlework followed the trends in other forms of art at the time, such as illuminated manuscripts and architecture; some motifs including the use of scrolls, spirals, and foliage.
  • Opus Anglicanum consisted primarily of popular luxury items that spread across Europe.
  • As the 14th century progressed, however, demand for luxury goods decreased as funds were re-directed toward military expenditures.

• Islamic Textiles

  • The textile arts refer to the production of arts and crafts that use plant, animal, or synthetic fibers to create objects. 
  • These objects can be for everyday use, or they can be decorative and luxury items. 
  • The art of carpet weaving was particularly important in the Ottoman Empire.
  • Safavid art is contributed to several aesthetic traditions particularly to the textiles arts.
  • Islamic carpets were a luxury item in Europe and there are several examples of European Renaissance paintings which document the presence of Islamic textiles in European homes during that time.