Editing Islamic art (section)

=== The Three Empires ===
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[[File:Iznik ware 1500 1510.jpg|thumb|left|16th century [[İznik pottery]]]]

==== Ottomans ====
The [[Ottoman Empire]], whose origins lie in the 14th century, continued in existence until shortly after [[World War I]]. This impressive longevity, combined with an immense territory (stretching from Anatolia to Tunisia), led naturally to a vital and distinctive art, including plentiful architecture, mass production of ceramics for both tiles and vessels, most notably [[İznik pottery|Iznik ware]], important metalwork and jewellery, Turkish paper marbling [[Ebru]], [[Turkish carpet]]s as well as tapestries and exceptional [[Ottoman miniature]]s and decorative [[Ottoman illumination]].

Masterpieces of Ottoman manuscript illustration include the two "[[Surname-I Hümayun|books of festivals]]" (Surname-I Hümayun), one dating from the end of the 16th century, and the other from the era of Sultan [[Murad III]]. These books contain numerous illustrations and exhibit a strong [[Safavid dynasty|Safavid]] influence; thus they may have been inspired by books captured in the course of the Ottoman-Safavid wars of the 16th century.

The Ottomans are also known for their development of a bright red pigment, "Iznik red", in ceramics, which reached their height in the 16th century, both in tile-work and pottery, using floral motifs that were considerably transformed from their Chinese and Persian models. From the 18th century, Ottoman art came under considerable European influence, the Turks adopting versions of [[Rococo]] which had a lasting and not very beneficial effect, leading to over-fussy decoration.<ref>Levey, chapters 5 and 6</ref> European-style painting was slow to be adopted, with [[Osman Hamdi Bey]] (1842-1910) for long a somewhat solitary figure. He was a member of the Ottoman administrative elite who trained in Paris, and painted throughout his long career as a senior administrator and curator in Turkey. Many of his works represent [[Orientalism]] from the inside, as it were.

[[File:The marriage procession of Dara Shikoh - Google Art Project.jpg|thumb|An illustrated manuscript of the [[Mughal Emperor]] [[Shah Jahan]] attending the marriage procession of his eldest son [[Dara Shikoh]]. Mughal-Era [[fireworks]] brightened the night throughout the wedding ceremony.]]

==== Mughals ====
The [[Mughal Empire]] in the [[Indian subcontinent]] lasted from 1526 until (technically) 1858, although from the late 17th century power flowed away from the emperors to local rulers, and later European powers, above all the [[British Raj]], who were the main power in India by the late 18th century. The period is most notable for luxury arts of the court, and Mughal styles heavily influenced local Hindu and later [[Sikh]] rulers as well. The [[Mughal miniature]] began by importing Persian artists, especially a group brought back by [[Humayun]] when in exile in [[Safavid]] Persia, but soon local artists, many Hindu, were trained in the style. Realistic portraiture, and images of animals and plants, was developed in Mughal art beyond what the Persians had so far achieved, and the size of miniatures increased, sometimes onto canvas. The Mughal court had access to European prints and other art, and these had increasing influence, shown in the gradual introduction of aspects of Western [[graphical perspective]], and a wider range of poses in the human figure. Some Western images were directly copied or borrowed from. As the courts of local [[Nawab]]s developed, distinct provincial styles with stronger influence from traditional [[Indian painting]] developed in both Muslim and Hindu princely courts.

The arts of jewelry and [[hardstone carving]] of gemstones, such as [[jasper]], [[jade]], adorned with rubies, diamonds and emeralds are mentioned by the Mughal chronicler [[Abu'l-Fazl ibn Mubarak|Abu'l Fazl]], and a range of examples survive; the series of hard stone daggers in the form of horses' heads is particularly impressive.

The Mughals were also fine metallurgists they introduced [[Damascus steel]] and refined the locally produced [[Wootz steel]], the Mughals also introduced the "bidri" technique of metalwork in which silver motifs are pressed against a black background. Famous Mughal metallurgists like [[Ali Kashmiri]] and [[Muhammed Salih Thatawi]] created the [[wikt:seamless|seamless]] [[celestial globes]].

[[File:Sheykh lotfollah mosque.jpg|thumb|left|Entrance to [[Sheykh Lotfollah mosque]], [[Naqsh-e Jahan Square]], [[Isfahan]]]]

==== Safavids and Qajars ====
The Iranian [[Safavid dynasty|Safavids]], a dynasty stretching from 1501 to 1786, is distinguished from the Mughal and Ottoman Empires, and earlier Persian rulers, in part through the Shi'a faith of its shahs, which they succeeded in making the majority denomination in Persia. Ceramic arts are marked by the strong influence of Chinese porcelain, often executed in [[blue and white porcelain|blue and white]]. Architecture flourished, attaining a high point with the building program of [[Abbas I of Persia|Shah Abbas]] in [[Isfahan]], which included numerous gardens, palaces (such as [[Ali Qapu]]), an [[Grand Bazaar, Isfahan|immense bazaar]], and a [[Shah Mosque (Isfahan)|large imperial mosque]].

The art of manuscript illumination also achieved new heights, in particular in the [[Shahnameh of Shah Tahmasp]], an immense copy of [[Ferdowsi]]'s epic poem containing more than 250 paintings. In the 17th century, a new type of painting develops, based around the album ([[muraqqa]]). The albums were the creations of connoisseurs who bound together single sheets containing paintings, drawings, or calligraphy by various artists, sometimes excised from earlier books, and other times created as independent works. The paintings of [[Reza Abbasi]] figure largely in this new art of the book, depicting one or two larger figures, typically idealized beauties in a garden setting, often using the [[grisaille]] techniques previously used for border paintings for the background.

After the fall of the Safavids, the [[Qajar dynasty|Qajars]], a [[Turkmen people|Turkmen]] tribe established for centuries along the [[Caspian Sea]], assumed power. [[Qajar art]] displays an increasing European influence, as in the large oil paintings portraying the Qajar shahs. Steelwork also assumed a new importance. Like the Ottomans, the Qajar dynasty survived until 1925, a few years after [[World War I]], when they were replaced by the [[Pahlavi dynasty|Pahlavis]].