Ewer, 18th century.

 

 

The art of engraving of the north-east

 

The art of engraving of the regions of north-east Central Asia (Chach, Ferghana, Semirechye) has somewhat different forms and decorations than the regions of the centre and the south-west. It also reflects a certain mixture of Sogdian and Turkman traditions and the influence of Byzantine art. Typical of this region are: jugs with winged camels; cups and candelabras with hammered or faceted decoration; round dishes embellished with numerous rosettes; ritual vases with engraved adornments. The decoration list essentially amounts to mammals and birds. Mostly deer and roebucks, horses, camels, sometimes also storks or herons. In the 9th and 10th centuries, the heritage of the early Middle Ages was revalued because of the Islamisation of Mavera-un-Nahr. The particularities of local schools and individual style gradually faded to be taken over by the art of engraving in order to turn a new ideology and artistic practice stemming from Arab tradition to good account.

 

In the middle of the 11th century, we meet with new changes as far as the decorative arts of Central Asia are concerned. In the art of engraving, new shapes of vessels become widespread; bronze and copper objects: rectangular and round trays, jugs with spherical bodies and faceted necks, small cylindrical inkpots, mortars, semi-spherical vases, and mirrors made of bronze. The decorative technique mostly used was engraving, extremely convenient for the artistic requirements of that time. The representations of supernatural creatures: the sphinx, winged goats, griffins, mermaids, harpies, senmourves and other figures appreciated in former days remained extremely popular with craftsmen of the 11th and 12th centuries. These engraved representations are inserted into cartouches or medallions which frame the bodies of the tall jugs and the semi-spherical vases. If plant adornments could already be found in the art of engraving of the early Middle Ages, the introduction and the rapid development of geometrical designs (ghirikh) and arabesques compelled recognition from the 13th century onwards. As time went by, inscriptions (generally in kufic) were stylised and gradually became indecipherable to finish as a sort of original writing adornment. All these designs and inscriptions were made on a background consisting of entangled foliage with round or rectangular spots.