Islamic Figurine of a Lion

The visual arts of the Islamic world are richly diverse and cannot be defined by a single aesthetic or style. However, certain elements often appear on objects from different regions, either in isolation or in combination. These include calligraphic inscriptions, geometry (shapes and symmetry), flowers and vegetation (naturalistic and abstract), and figures (people and animals). Geometric patterns, plant motifs and figural ornament were inherited from the existing traditions of Byzantine culture in the Eastern Mediterranean and from Sasanian Iraq and Iran, but reached new pinnacles of expression in Islamic contexts. The development and use of Arabic script as ornament, however, was entirely new. The decoration on this steel lion imaginatively combines vegetal and figural ornament with script. Scenes of hunting and merriment engraved on its surface suggest it was intended for a secular setting, although the object's precise use remains unclear.