SELJUK ART (11th to 13th century)
During the Seljuk period, the arts were encouraged not only by the sultans but also by
orders placed by emirs, the Atabegs, and the members of wealthy merchant families. Cast
bronze vessels intended for everyday use were manufactured and decorated with engraving,
reliefs, and openwork. While the use of gold and silver declined except in the manufacture
of jeweiry, brass begins to make an appearance towards the end of the 12th century. The
most important innovation introduced by the Seljuks in the art of metalworking was that of
inlaying bronze and brass vessels with gold and silver. This technique, which was
developed in Herat and Nishapur in the Khorasan region, involved the use of geometric and
floral motifs as decorative elements as well as human and animal figures (whether as
symbols of power and prosperity or as zodiacal signs); hunting, court, and festival
scenes; and inscriptions that invoke blessings and abundance. The most important
metalworking centers in Anatolia were Konya, which worked in the Iranian style, and a
number of maniifactories in Artukid-control regions that worked in the Mosul style.
In pottery, monochrome glazed wares in turquoise, cobalt blue, and white decorated with sgraffito or with molded or carved decorations are frequently encountered. In addition to the lakabi, underglaze, and slip techniques, richly-figured works done in the Iiister and minai techniques during the last quarter of the 12th century and the early part of the 13th represent some of the finest examples of pottery-making ever achieved. The most important centers of pottery and tile-making during this period were Rayy, Kashan, Sultanabad, and Nishaptir in Iran and Raqqa in Syria. Star-shaped and cruciform tiles are decorated with hunters, scenes of enthronement, horsemen, musicians, and fabulous creatures executed in a miniattire-like style. In the monumental architecture of Seijuk Anatolia we encounter numerous examples of mosaic tile and glazed brick while in the palace architecture we find tile decorations decorated in the luster, underglaze, in minai techniques. Examples of pottery decorated in the barbutine, sgraffito, underglaze, and slip techniques are encountered with lesser frequency. Although some luster ware was produced locally at Ahlat, other examples of minai and luster pottery are imports.
