The inspiration behind our upcoming collection, Alhambra October 05 2015

Our new collection, 'Alhambra', has been inspired by the richly decorated carvings of the Alhambra Palace- the repeated motifs of interlaced arabesques, in particular.
Arabesque is the English term to describe an ornamental style of decoration long associated with Arab culture. Arabesque is basically an art of intricate, repetitive, and symmetrical patterns of intertwined lines.

The answer to why this form of decoration was favored and perfected by muslim artists lies in Islam’s general rejection of reproducing anything realistically. To reproduce human figures ran the risk of idolatry; to attempt to recreate the natural world was to compete with Allah, the one and only creator.

P.S: our research tells us, while arabesque is a recognised characteristic of Islamic art, Muslim artists may have been inspired initially by earlier Greek, Roman and Byzantine fondness for scrolling stylised plant or vegetal motifs such as vine tendrils, grapes, acanthus on, for example, the capitals atop of columns.

Originally posted on our Facebook page on 5th October, 2015.