*pets this fine example of miniature painting* So, okay, miniature painting in regards to the Indian usage of the term is a misnomer because it just refers to portraiture in general, and more specifically, a certain type of portraiture. This is a good example where the sitter is exalted for their wealth and elegance and beauty, and framed by exquisite and ornate art that reflects the same.
Saturday
In looking at later examples of Wedgewood and the like, you can sense a harkening back to the great porcelain and fritware of China and the Islamic world. This is a good example of one of those formative influences that the English so readily stole from, not caring that it was, in turn, influenced by earlier works from China and Japan.
Friday
This plate totally looks modern contemporary rather than 16-17th century contemporary. I can only imagine the looks it got at the time for being so avant garde.
Thursday
The level of detailing on this bowl is insane. Positively insane.
Wednesday
This looks like it could leap straight out of a modern tiled surface – that’s the enduring legacy of Islamic tile.
Tuesday
Look at these. Look at them. These aren’t just bowls: these are works of the finest craftsmanship. They transcend art. They outlast their maker and their commissioner and the world they were made in; they are still important to the world even today. They are a special kind of beauty.
Monday
This is not a candlestick made for a puny little taper. This is for a pillar candle thick as an arm that would generate enough light to work by in the late evening and even late into the night. This was the first real attempt at artificial lighting – this and oil lamps. Bigger, faster, harder.
Sunday
Say what you will: Islamic metalwork holds up really well. I think it has to do with the desert and sand corrosion v. salt corrosion from the ocean (aka, from most of western Europe), but most examples have weathered remarkably well.
Saturday
Look, it’s Monet! But not just any Monet: this is stereotypical Monet, in the style that would come to define him. You can see the choppiness of the water in the reflections, the sketchiness of the grass (that would later be emulated by van Gogh), and the bitter carelessness of the clouds in the sky as if he just doesn’t give a penny farthing of shits anymore about them. This is Monet before he got famous, when he was out testing his trainers and playing the club scene.
Friday
Nothing to see here but a little man titty on Valentine’s Day…