The Seljuk stucco figures are stucco (plaster) figures found in the region of the Seljuk Empire, from its "golden age" between the 11th and 13th centuries. They decorated the inner walls and friezes of Seljuk palaces, together with other ornamented stucco ornaments, concealing the wall behind them. The figures were painted bright-colored and often gilded. They represented royal figures and were symbols of power and authority.
The Seljuks were a Turkic dynasty of Central Asian nomadic origins, who became the new rulers of the eastern Islamic world after defeating the Ghaznavids in the Battle of Dandanaqan, and the Buyid dynasty. Following these victories, the Seljuks established themselves as the new patrons of the Abbasid Caliphate and Sunni Islam. In only half-a-century, the Seljuks managed to create a vast empire encompassing modern Iran, Iraq, and much of Anatolia. Under the Seljuks, Iran enjoyed a period of cultural prosperity. Multitudes of architecture and arts were developed during the period, and influenced later artistic developments in the region and the surrounding. [1]
In ceramics, fine motifs were created in underglaze painting, luster decorations, and polychrome painting. Metal objects were decorated with inlays of silver and gold. The Seljuks developed many figurative motifs with a frequent depiction of animals, men, and women. [2] An anthropomorphic representation of figures are not rare at all in the Muslim culture. Whereas iconic image in holy places e.g. mosques are strictly forbidden, in secular places, depiction of figures are common. [3]
Other forms of Seljuk art are discussed in the page on the Seljuk Empire.
All the Seljuk palaces are now in ruins. Excavations indicate that these palaces had once been decorated with tiles and with stucco wall reliefs of geometric patterns and figures. In Lashgari Bazar, a ruin of former Ghaznavid period palace, polychrome frescoes depicting 44 soldiers were found decorating the lower floor of the audience hall. They all have similar round faces and almond-shaped eyes, traditionally associated with the Turks of Central Asia. [4]
The stucco figures would have decorated similar royal palaces in the audience hall or the royal court. They were found decorating large palaces of the Seljuk sultans, or smaller royal courts of the local vassals or successors. [3] The stucco figures may be part of larger stucco geometric ornamentation which conceals the base wall behind it. One example of stucco figures in complete form comes from the late 12th century Rey, which depicts the enthroned Seljuk Sultan Tughril II (1194) surrounded by his officers. Similar examples were found in Bast, Afghanistan, in Samarkand, and in Uzbekistan. [5] These were painted in bright colors of red, blue, black, and gilded with gold. The dark room in the palace where they were placed means that this figure needs to stand out as much as possible. [3]
Stucco or plaster is a soft, cement-like water-based material that is easy to carve when dry and mold when still wet. Its lightness makes it easy to affix to walls. Many 12th-century stucco figures survived in pristine condition because of the preserving dryness of the desert where they were found. Seljuk stucco figures were painted in bright colors of blue (powdered lapis lazuli), red (powdered ruby), and black colors, and were gilded with gold. [3]
The figures were representations of power. In a royal palace setting, they represent figures related to the power of the empire, e.g. royal guards, royal viziers, courtiers or amir. Warrior figures were depicted as clutching swords. They wear rich colored caftans, trousers, tiraz bands, and long boots. Royal figures were depicted wearing crowns. The two figures in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York are wearing crowns, one figure is wearing the winged crown, an ancient symbol of authority which was first recorded in a 3rd century Sasanian coins. All of the Seljuk stucco figures have round faces with typical high cheekbones and almond-shaped eyes, known as the Turkic moon face, which reflect the indicating the Turkic and Mongol ethnic type. [2] The stucco figures were usually displayed in a pomp and circumstance setting, enhancing the actual ceremonies that took place in the room where the figures were set. [3]
Rococo, less commonly Roccoco, also known as Late Baroque, is an exceptionally ornamental and dramatic style of architecture, art and decoration which combines asymmetry, scrolling curves, gilding, white and pastel colours, sculpted moulding, and trompe-l'œil frescoes to create surprise and the illusion of motion and drama. It is often described as the final expression of the Baroque movement.
The Sainte-Chapelle is a royal chapel in the Gothic style, within the medieval Palais de la Cité, the residence of the Kings of France until the 14th century, on the Île de la Cité in the River Seine in Paris, France.
Islamic art is a part of Islamic culture and encompasses the visual arts produced since the 7th century CE by people who lived within territories inhabited or ruled by Muslim populations. Referring to characteristic traditions across a wide range of lands, periods, and genres, Islamic art is a concept used first by Western art historians in the late 19th century. Public Islamic art is traditionally non-representational, except for the widespread use of plant forms, usually in varieties of the spiralling arabesque. These are often combined with Islamic calligraphy, geometric patterns in styles that are typically found in a wide variety of media, from small objects in ceramic or metalwork to large decorative schemes in tiling on the outside and inside of large buildings, including mosques. Other forms of Islamic art include Islamic miniature painting, artefacts like Islamic glass or pottery, and textile arts, such as carpets and embroidery.
Stucco or render is a construction material made of aggregates, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as a decorative coating for walls and ceilings, exterior walls, and as a sculptural and artistic material in architecture. Stucco can be applied on construction materials such as metal, expanded metal lath, concrete, cinder block, or clay brick and adobe for decorative and structural purposes.
Polychrome is the "practice of decorating architectural elements, sculpture, etc., in a variety of colors." The term is used to refer to certain styles of architecture, pottery, or sculpture in multiple colors.
Iranian architecture or Persian architecture is the architecture of Iran and parts of the rest of West Asia, the Caucasus and Central Asia. Its history dates back to at least 5,000 BC with characteristic examples distributed over a vast area from Turkey and Iraq to Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, and from the Caucasus to Zanzibar. Persian buildings vary greatly in scale and function, from vernacular architecture to monumental complexes. In addition to historic gates, palaces, and mosques, the rapid growth of cities such as the capital Tehran has brought about a wave of demolition and new construction.
The Green Mosque, also known as the Mosque of Mehmed I, is a part of a larger complex on the east side of Bursa, Turkey, the former capital of the Ottoman Turks before they captured Constantinople in 1453. The complex consists of a mosque, a mausoleum known as the Green Tomb, a madrasa, a public kitchen, and a bathhouse. The name Green Mosque comes from its green and blue interior tile decorations.
Turkish art refers to all works of visual art originating from the geographical area of what is present day Turkey since the arrival of the Turks in the Middle Ages. Turkey also was the home of much significant art produced by earlier cultures, including the Hittites, Ancient Greeks, and Byzantines. Ottoman art is therefore the dominant element of Turkish art before the 20th century, although the Seljuks and other earlier Turks also contributed. The 16th and 17th centuries are generally recognized as the finest period for art in the Ottoman Empire, much of it associated with the huge Imperial court. In particular the long reign of Suleiman the Magnificent from 1520 to 1566 brought a combination, rare in any ruling dynasty, of political and military success with strong encouragement of the arts.
Stucco decoration in Islamic architecture refers to carved or molded stucco and plaster. The terms "stucco" and "plaster" are used almost interchangeably in this context to denote most types of stucco or plaster decoration with slightly varying compositions. This decoration was mainly used to cover walls and surfaces and the main motifs were those predominant in Islamic art: geometric, arabesque, and calligraphic, as well as three-dimensional muqarnas. Plaster of gypsum composition was extremely important in Islamic architectural decoration as the relatively dry climate throughout much of the Islamic world made it easy to use this cheap and versatile material in a variety of spaces.
Architecture of Central Asia refers to the architectural styles of the numerous societies that have occupied Central Asia throughout history. These styles include a regional tradition of Islamic and Iranian architecture, including Timurid architecture of the 14th and 15th centuries, as well as 20th-century Soviet Modernism. Central Asia is an area that encompasses land from the Xinjiang Province of China in the East to the Caspian Sea in the West. The region is made up of the countries of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Turkmenistan. The influence of Timurid architecture can be recognised in numerous sites in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, whilst the influence of Persian architecture is seen frequently in Uzbekistan and in some examples in Turkmenistan. Examples of Soviet architecture can be found in Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.
The Château d'Écouen is an historic château in the commune of Écouen, some 20 km north of Paris, France, and a notable example of French Renaissance architecture. Since 1975, it has housed the collections of the Musée national de la Renaissance.
The Seljuk Empire, or the GreatSeljuk Empire, was a high medieval empire, culturally Turco-Persian, founded and ruled by the Qïnïq branch of Oghuz Turks. It spanned a total area of 3.9 million square kilometres from Anatolia and the Levant in the west to the Hindu Kush in the east, and from Central Asia in the north to the Persian Gulf in the south.
Seljuk architecture comprises the building traditions that developed under the Seljuk dynasty, when it ruled most of the Middle East and Anatolia during the 11th to 13th centuries. The Great Seljuk Empire contributed significantly to the architecture of Iran and surrounding regions, introducing innovations such as the symmetrical four-iwan layout and the first widespread creation of state-sponsored madrasas. Their buildings were generally constructed in brick, with decoration created using brickwork, tiles, and carved stucco.
Abbasid architecture developed in the Abbasid Caliphate between 750 and 1227, primarily in its heartland of Mesopotamia . The great changes of the Abbasid era can be characterized as at the same time political, geo-political and cultural. The Abbasid period starts with the destruction of the Umayyad ruling family and its replacement by the Abbasids, and the position of power is shifted to the Mesopotamian area. As a result there was a corresponding displacement of the influence of classical and Byzantine artistic and cultural standards in favor of local Mesopotamian models as well as Persian. The Abbasids evolved distinctive styles of their own, particularly in decoration. This occurred mainly during the period corresponding with their power and prosperity between 750 and 932.
Parthian art was Iranian art made during the Parthian Empire from 247 BC to 224 AD, based in the Near East. It has a mixture of Persian and Hellenistic influences. For some time after the period of the Parthian Empire, art in its styles continued for some time. A typical feature of Parthian art is the frontality of the people shown. Even in narrative representations, the actors do not look at the object of their action, but at the viewer. These are features that anticipate the art of medieval Europe and Byzantium.
Sasanian art, or Sassanid art, was produced under the Sasanian Empire which ruled from the 3rd to 7th centuries AD, before the Muslim conquest of Persia was completed around 651. In 224 AD, the last Parthian king was defeated by Ardashir I. The resulting Sasanian dynasty would last for four hundred years, ruling modern Iran, Iraq, and much territory to the east and north of modern Iran. At times the Levant, much of Anatolia and parts of Egypt and Arabia were under its control. It began a new era in Iran and Mesopotamia, which in many ways was built on Achaemenid traditions, including the art of the period. Nevertheless, there were also other influences on art of the period that came from as far as China and the Mediterranean.
The National Museum of Ceramics and Decorative Arts "González Martí", located in Valencia, Spain, is a museum dedicated to ceramics, porcelains and other decorative arts such as textile art, traditional costumes and furniture.
Persian art or Iranian art has one of the richest art heritages in world history and has been strong in many media including architecture, painting, weaving, pottery, calligraphy, metalworking and sculpture. At different times, influences from the art of neighbouring civilizations have been very important, and latterly Persian art gave and received major influences as part of the wider styles of Islamic art. This article covers the art of Persia up to 1925, and the end of the Qajar dynasty; for later art see Iranian modern and contemporary art, and for traditional crafts see arts of Iran. Rock art in Iran is its most ancient surviving art. Iranian architecture is covered at that article.
The architecture of Afghanistan refers to a distinct style of architecture of the modern country and its predecessor states. As the connection between the three major cultural and geographic centers of Central Asia, the Indian subcontinent, and the Iranian plateau, the boundaries of the region prior to this time changed with the rapid advancement of armies, with the land belonging to a vast range of empires over the last two millennia.
