In the Middle Ages and the Renaissance painters and sculptors often incorporated inscriptions into their work Many of these were legible texts in Latin or other European languages, but sometimes painters reached east, borrowing the languages of the Holy Land. Arabic was especially popular, but there was one small problem: Prior to the 16th century, hardly any Europeans actually knew the language The solution? Fake Arabic. Starting in the early 14th century some Italian paintings feature a delicate, flowing script that at first glance appears to be Arabic. A closer look reveals that it's actually a simulated script. The artists were seeking to reproduce the shape of Arabic without actually knowing what it was they were reproducing. They saw beautiful squiggles, so they painted beautiful squiggles. Art historians call this style of ornamentation pseudo- Arabic or pseudo-Kufic, although the latter term is confusing since Kufic is a heavy, angular. script and the forms produced by European artists resemble the curved thuluth script Pseudo-Arabic usually appears in religious images, often as an inscribed band at the hem of a garment or in the halo of a holy figure. Both of these conventions probably derive from actual Islamic artworks. In the early centuries of Islamic history, rulers and other individuals in important positions had special robes with embroidered bands of text on them. These were called tiraz, from a Persian word meaning "adornment" or "embellishment." In European art it is common to see tiraz-like bands on the hems of garments of the Holy Family, especially the Virgin Mary. The artists understood that such a garment signified the wearer's exalted status, so they borrowed it from the caliphs and their entourages and placed it on the most important figures in Christianity. That the actual Arabic versions of these garments probably would have included Islamic religious inscriptions does not seem to have been problem. The pseudo-Arabic designs that often appear in 50 of items angels such and as1 other platters religious and bowls, figures which may have often been featured inspired circular by inlaid inscriptions metal is in were that Why Arabic. brought they were Islamic to mistakenly European Europe metalwork in artists believed large (and So that quantities many interested Arabic other by in was kinds Venetian the Arabic? of traders. `portable language One of possibility artworks) early Christianity and the Christianity. Medieval Europeans were aware that Bible had come from the Middle East, but they were hazy on the details. The Knights Templar, for example, believed that the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem was the Biblical Temple of Solomon, but, in fact, it had been built by the Umayyad caliph Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan in the late 7"h century CE. The interior of the Dome of the Rock prominently features Arabic inscriptions,s the K nights Templar must have been unaware that the presence of Arabic in the region dated only to the time of the Islamic conquest (around 636 CE). Another thing to consider is the role that imported luxury goods from the Islamic world, such as textiles, glass, metals, and ceramics, played in the culture of late medieval and Renaissance Europe. These finely crafted items were symbols of wealth and status. By incorporating Islamic ornamentation into their artwork, artists could honour the religious personages that they were depicting, while simultaneously advertising their patrons' wealth and good taste. 13 The Renaissance painters and sculptors incorporated both fake Arabic and fake Latin inscriptions into their works of art. I) True 2) False 3) Not stated 14 Artists reproduced Arabic inscriptions because they knew their meaning. 1True 2) False 3) Not stated 15 Fake Arabic inscriptions can mostly be found in certain places of the images 1) True 2) False 3) Not stated 16 Artists imitated royal garments while depicting the members of the Holy Family. 1) True 2) False 3) Not stated 17 The pseudo-Arabic designs can be found both in pictures and items of applied art. 1) True 2) False 3) Not stated 18 Arabic was the language of early Christianity. 1) True 2) False 3) Not stated 19 Arabic goods from different countries of the Far and Middle East were imported to Europe. 1) True 2) False 3) Not stated