THE WORLDORNAMENT

SOURCEBOOK

41 indo-persian art

Polychrome painting. Continuous borders

The motifs presented here are taken from the

same source as plates 39 and 40, and this plate,

which shows borders, completes the series.

Borders were one of the main elements of

Persian decorative art; as a rule they decorated

friezes and door or window lintels, and it was

rare for woven curtains to be made without an

ornamental edge.

This type of ornamentation, with its precise

forms and magnificent compositions was very

popular in Persian ceramic art, and occupied

a fitting place in the diverse polychrome

decoration of manuscript books. To complete

its study we would like to make use of the rich

source of 16th-century miniatures by showing

very detailed fragments from them in the plate.

It is not just variety in the palette that we can see:

the paintings themselves are bold and refined.

The backgrounds of some borders are painted

with indigo, and in India, where the light is very

intense, indigo is usually combined with black

and often replaces it. This helps the unity of the

decoration, and this unity was the fundamental

principle of the decorative system in India

during the time of the Great Mughals. The

motifs of the borders are assembled so skilfully

that they fill the whole space with a continuous

pattern: the interwoven tendrils of plants or

swirling streams of smoke against a background

of plant ornamentation (cf. plate 42).

Indo-Persian Art Plate 41

61 arabic art

Book decoration

Rosette ornamentation

The ornamental motifs on this plate show that

in addition to the complete absence of pictures

of living beings, since this was forbidden by

religion, another characteristic of Arabic art

was the cogency of the geometrical structures.

We can find here typical features of Arabic

ornamentation, such as the constantly

twisting lines that radiate out from one centre

(the rosette that forms the centre of the plate).

The combination of a stylised flower ornament

with a linear ornament and the way that the

former becomes an integral part of the latter is

an indication of Persian influence.

Arabic Art Plate 61

138 renaissance

Book miniatures and murals

The works shown in this plate belong to

the most remarkable period of the Italian

Renaissance miniature. Giorgio Vasari speaks in

the most rapturous terms about the Florentine

masters of this form of art: Stefano, Gherardo

and Attavante (or Vante) are the ones who stand

out especially among the others.

1 Prayer book (for a requiem) that

belonged to Pope Paul II. 1450;

2 Manuscript from the library of Matthias

Corvinus with miniatures by Attavante

or Gherardo. 1492;

3–7 Book of antiphons (psalms and excerpts

from the Sacred Scriptures or the Bible

that were performed during a church

service) from Florence. Miniatures by

Attavante, 1526–1530;

8, 9 Missal (for daily use) with miniatures

ascribed to Attavante di Gabriello;

10, 11 Manuscript with miniatures by Attavante

from the library of the noble Barberini

family, Rome;

12, 13 Details from decorative frescoes by

Raphael in the Vatican. They may have

been painted by his pupil Giovanni di

Udino;

14, 15 Miniatures from a prayer book that

belonged to Cardinal Cornari. Ascribed

to Raphael;

16–19 Lives of the Dukes of Urbino. Vatican

Library. Rome;

20–24 From a Book of Hours with a calendar

dating from 1554. Terento Monastery.

Renaissance Plate 138

ISBN 978-1-908126-26-9

9626218091879

www.vivays-publishing.com

THE WORLDORNAMENT

SOURCEBOOK Auguste Racinet

An opulent resource of decorative motifs from throughout the world ranging from

Greek, Roman and Egyptian times to the early 19th century, this survey of ornament

is unsurpassed both as a visual reference and an inspirational study of the aesthetics of

different cultures and periods. With over 1500 decorative motifs derived from illuminated

manuscripts, jewelry, tiles, weaponry, wall painting and other sources, The World Ornament

Sourcebook is published here in its entirety as a single volume.

This is a book that every architect, interior designer, fashion designer, graphic designer or

artist must have, it will also be invaluable to those interested in aesthetics and visual culture.