Art and Architecture

Abstract

The Arabs in Spain carried on almost all the minor and practical arts developed by Moslems in other lands. In metal-work¹ involving decoration, raising patterns in relief or engraving them, inlaying with gold and silver² and inscribing characters, the Hispano-Moresque school excelled. One of the earliest specimens is a relic of Hishām II (976–1009) preserved on the high altar of the Cathedral of Gerona in the form of a wooden casket sheathed with silver-gilt plating patterned in repoussé with scroll-like foliation. It bears an Arabic inscription stating that it is the work of two craftsmen, Badr and Tarif, and was made for a courtier of al-Hakam II (961–76) as a present for the heir apparent, Hishām. In metal-work such as cutlery, sword blades and astrolabes Toledo and Seville³ were especially noted. Next to damascene blades, toledos had the finest temper and the greatest elasticity. The astrolabe, an astronomical instrument of ancient Greek invention, was perfected by the Moslems and introduced into Europe in the tenth century. Besides its use to determine the hour of prayer and the geographical position of Makkah, the astrolabe was invaluable to mariners for nautical observations and was a necessary adjunct of the astrologer’s equipment. In the story told by the tailor in the Arabian Nights (no. 29), the glib barber exasperates his customer by trying to find with an astrolabe the precise moment auspicious for shaving. A properly executed astrolabe is a beautiful work of art.