The Finest Islamic Antiques

Welcome to Islamic Art

Islamic art stretches from Spain to the borders of China and covers a period of approximately 1300 years.
Through a certain number of innate characteristics, their works are remarkably related to each other.

One basic element could be the tendency to cover surfaces entirely with patterns.
Basically, we are dealing with two design elements: geometric patterns and highly stylized plant shapes, which were later supplemented by masters of calligraphy, among others (Suras from the Koran). The two former elements were adopted by conquests of hostile countries. Geometric patterns were especially common in the tradition of Rome and Byzantium, which was directly inherited by early Islamic art. Islamic geometric art built on this tradition to eventually manifest the most sustained and imaginative use of the decorative possibilities of geometry in the history of art in the world.

The classical art of Greece, Rome and pre-Islamic Iran had used plant ornaments in various styles. The motifs were adopted by Islamic artists but executed in an abstract style. The best example of this is the arabesque, a stylized vine ornament developed from the decorative art of the Roman-Hellenistic world, which is the predominant decorative element in all genres of Islamic art.

The third very common element is calligraphy. The Arabic script was subjected to an unprecedented development with the beginning of Islam. Since the Koran was considered to be written only in Arabic, this script took on an importance almost comparable to that of the image.

Therefore, calligraphy has always been considered the highest form of art in the Islamic world, captivating the most talented among the artists of these countries and encouraging them to excel. The art was expanded and supplemented by meaningful, diverse iconography with representations of people.

Especially from Persian we know decorative hunting scenes and images of rulers (Shah dynasties). Due to its long history and geographic expansion, Islamic art has also developed a number of regional and national styles, and even in individual stages of development, several phases can be observed.

Large parts of M.I.M.K. (with the help of Islamic Art, author: R.E. Richard Ettinghausen)

Today there are two major Islamic Art collections at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Bode Museum in Berlin. Both museums began collecting Islamic exhibits about 100 years ago.

The main sources were donations and excavations in Nishapur in Iran (1935-1939) which were continued in 1947.

Already in 1910 there was the largest Islamic art exhibition of its time in Munich.

My  exhibits range from Persia to Afghanistan, Syria, Egypt and Arabia and were lovingly assembled by us.

A brief history of Iran: The Persian Empire is the ancient great empire of the Persians, which at times extended from Thrace to northwest India and Egypt. It existed in different geographic expanse from about 550-330 BC (Old Persian Empire of the Achaemenides) and from about 224 – 651 a. Chr. (New Persian empire of the Sassanids).

It is a foreign name, because the uniform name was a variant of the term Iran at all times. The Sassanid Empire or Neo-Persian Empire covered approximately the territories of the present-day states of Iran, Iraq, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Pakistan and Afghanistan, as well as some peripheral areas. It was thus located at an important intersection between East and West and also had a significant influence on art. Oriental artists were settled in Venice to learn from them. Under King Cyrus, the magnificent Babylon, today’s Baghdad in Iraq, was conquered in 539 BC. As a result of this conquest, Persia was the first Indo-European world empire in history.

As a result of this conquest, Persia was the first Indo-European world empire in history.

(Some lines of text from Wikipedia)