Wpływ kultury arabskiej na sztukę polską. Rzemiosło artystyczne, architektura i malarstwo. Tom III - ebook

Foreword by the Series Editors

This is the third volume from the Transfer of Arabic Culture in the Polish History series. The series presents the fields in which the Arabic culture somehow interacted with the Polish culture: from early mediaeval archaeological results of work by a team of researchers from various disciplines, performed as a part of the research programme under the National Humanities Development Programme: Cultural transfer as the transdisciplinary element of the science of intercultural relations, as exemplified by the impact of Arabic culture on the cultural heritage of Poland (Project No. 2bH 15 0156 83 for the years 2016–2020).

The researchers focused on various elements, areas, and finds, starting from manuscripts by early Arab travellers, through direct travels by Poles and the memoirs they left, their participation in diplomatic relations with the Arab world, and ending up at science, literature, and arts. The project also included studying the role of intermediaries of other ethnic origins in the transfer of the Arabic culture into the Polish culture. The researchers also paid attention to the spiritual sphere, including philosophy, even religion, as well as language and linguistic issues. As one may see, the range of interactions between the Polish and Arabic cultures has been extensive, multidimensional, and multifaceted.

A cultural transfer also happens at the level of physical manifestations of culture. Monuments of Islamic art came to Poland in a myriad of ways: by trade, as souvenirs from travels, including pilgrimages to the Holy Land, but also as spoils of war, i.a. weapons, often of artistic value, horse harnesses, as well as tents, carpets, and even manuscripts. The Sarmatism of the Polish nobility – which rendered oriental products fashionable – fostered the process of gathering artistic products of Arab or, broader, Muslim culture. Later centuries saw the transformation of the collection into a deliberate enterprise among the Polish aristocracy and bourgeoisie; the collections of oriental art in Polish museums represent its culmination.

This volume, the third in the series, is entitled The influence of Arab culture on the Polish art: handicraft, architecture, and painting. The material collected in this publication shows the diffusion of Arab-Muslim elements into Polish culture, which manifested itself in various fields and forms: construction, plastic arts, as well as the presence of handicraft made locally and imported from the East.

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Since the publication is also intended for readers who are not specialised scholars, this book uses simplified Polish transcription^() for terms of Arabic origin. However, for reasons of clarity, the first occurrence of a particular term includes, in parentheses, the spelling that follows the scientific ISO standards. The currently valid names have been provided according to the directives of the Committee for Standardisation of Geographic Names from Outside the Republic of Poland.

Agata S. Nalborczyk

Mustafa SwitatForeword

The diffusion of Arab culture into Polish lands dates back as early as the Middle Ages. Arab merchants reached the borderland of Poland through Ruthenia. Numerous finds of Arab coins in the area of Poland prove that they were a legal tender; thus, it cannot be ruled out that Arab merchants were present on Polish territories.^()

On the other hand, the mediaeval European interest in Arabic philosophy, medicine, mathematics, physics, astronomy, and alchemy resulted in numerous translations of works by, e.g. Averroes (Arab. Ibn Rušd), Avicenna (Arab. Ibn Sinā), from Arabic into Latin. They became available to Polish scholars, as exemplified by the preserved old prints of these works in Polish library collections.^()

Among the artistic fields presented in this volume, handicrafts meant for interior decoration or brought as souvenirs reached Poland first. Pilgrims carried valuable pieces of Arab art to the Holy Land. Although there are no archival records on the imported products, this was a common habit amongst the European pilgrims. In all likelihood, many prominent Polish pilgrims purchased local artisanal handicraft. Importantly, during the reign of the Fatimids (Arab. Al-Fāṭimīyyūn), Ayyubids (Arab. Al-Ayyūbīyyūn) or Mamluks (Arab. sing. mamlūk, pl. mamālīk) in the Middle East, handicraft was developing extensively, especially products made of metal, ceramic, and bones. Monuments of Islamic art made in the Arab countries, Iran, Turkey, and India during the Mogul Empire reached Poland in a myriad of ways; chiefly thanks to the early developed trade with the countries of the East. Islamic art was also a source of fascination to the Polish nobility, as strongly evidenced in the era of Polish Sarmatism, which proved crucial in the dissemination of the products of Islamic art. Spoils of war provided an equally important source of obtaining oriental products. There are many archival records on the origin of many works of Oriental art. The most valuable spoils of war were weapons, notably weapons of artistic value, and horse equipment, but there were also tents, carpets, and even manuscripts. Although rich collections of the Orientalia had appeared earlier in aristocratic palaces and royal courts, the systematic collection of works of Islamic art started in the 18^(th) century.

When considering the diffusion of Arab art forms into Polish artistic culture, one must bear in mind the diffusion of artworks made by Arabs as well as works of art that incorporate elements of Arab art created in the circle of Persian, Tur-kish, and Mogul art in India. The first category includes art pieces brought by Poles from the Arab world or, more broadly, from Islamic countries, as well as pieces purchased by European collectors through antiquarian distribution. The articles by Małgorzata Redlak, Magdalena Pinker, and Karolina Krzywicka deal with this category of Arab pieces gathered in museum collections in Poland. On the other hand, the stream of Persian, Turkish or Ilkhanid art pieces – which incorporated various forms and motifs of the Arab art – into Polish artistic culture was much broader; these include fabrics, carpets, and architectural forms. In their articles, Beata Biedrońska-Słotowa and Mikołaj Getka-Kenig address the transfer of art pieces that incorporate forms and motifs of the Arab art. In the case of Arabic motifs in Polish painting, it is about the artists using motifs taken from architecture, landscapes, or scenes of everyday life in various Arab countries; Anna Kozak deals with this subject in her article.

This volume opens with Małgorzata Redlak’s ‘Precious Treasures of Arabic Handicraft from the 7th–16th Centuries in Polish collections’, which presents the most prized works of Arab art that demonstrate the collectors’ connoisseurship of Arab art. The collection of unique works of Arab art ranks the Polish collection at the global level; it includes, i.a., a collection of early glassware, especially flacons from the area of Iraq, Syria and Iran, an 11^(th)-century marble chapiter from the Andalusian palace Madinat az-Zahra (Madīnat az-Zahrā). A piece of an 11^(th)-century religious amulet is a rare object of historical value.

Another article by Małgorzata Redlak ‘On Selected Arabic Medieval Objects of Everyday Use from the 8th–16th Centuries in the Islamic Art Collection of the National Museum in Warsaw’, discusses selected objects of historical value made of ceramic and glass, mainly from Iraq, Syria, and Egypt, from the 7^(th) up to the 16^(th) century. These treasures come from the Islamic Art Collection of the National Museum in Warsaw. Their function, form, and decoration comprised the selection criteria.

In ‛Arab Treasures of the Ottoman Period in Collections of Polish National Museums’, Magdalena Pinker discusses objects of historical value from the period during which the rule of the Ottoman Empire extended to the Arab countries of the Middle East and North Africa. In many places, such as Syria or Egypt, handicraft had characteristically ‘Arabic’ features of the particular place as well as some features ubiquitous in the entire Empire. The author of the article shows a selection of the most valuable treasures.

In ‘Collections of Arabic Manuscripts in Poland – a History of Collecting’, Tadeusz Majda tries to retrace the route of Arabic manuscripts to Poland over a few centuries. A considerable number of manuscripts in Arabic, especially Qur'ans and scientific works attested in library collections since the 16^(th) century, evinced the Polish interest in the world of Islam.

Fabrics and their products, as well as carpets, came to Poland first; for several centuries, they were receiving great recognition, and the popularity of oriental carpets has lived on to modern times. Eastern fabrics were valued above all for the weaving artistry, patterns and colours, as well as expensive raw materials, mainly silk, cotton, Angora fibre, and others. Beata Biedrońska-Słotowa’s article, ‘Transfer of Arab Culture to Poland through the Mamluk, Ottoman, Persian, and Ilkhanid Fabrics from the Middle Ages to around 1900’, meticulously presents the import of fabrics from the Muslim countries over several centuries. As a result, it is possible to comprehend the scale of imports of rolls of textiles as well as end products, e.g., sashes, tapestries, carpets or kilims. Oriental weaving products constitute vibrant collections in Polish national and church museums, in monasteries and churches, as well as in private collections.

Mikołaj Getka-Kenig in his text ‘Arabic and Related Inspirations in the Polish Architecture of the Turn of the 18^(th) and 19^(th) Centuries: Exotic Forms in the Elite Contexts of an Eclectic Era’ reveals the still underdeveloped aspect of the general tendency or presence of motifs from Arab and Turkish architecture in the Polish 18^(th)–19^(th)-century architecture. While the Arab architecture was usually the source of the borrowings, their routes led through the Arab countries, Turkey, as well as Western Europe. The Arabic style in Polish architecture was reflected mainly in residential architecture, gardens and parks, and arranging bathrooms.

Chronologically speaking, the manifestations of the transfer of Arab culture are abundant in Polish 19^(th)-century painting, and they were still prevalent in the first decades of the 20^(th) century. Anna Kozak’s article ‘Arabic Motifs in Polish Painting of the 19^(th) Century and the Beginning of the 20^(th) Century’, discusses the leading Polish painters who used Arabic motifs in their work. The author, presenting a rich repertoire of strictly Arabic motifs and themes, points not only to the general tendency prevailing in Europe at that time but also to the specificity of using the favourite motifs by Polish painters.

The collection of ethnic jewellery from the Arab countries in the Asia and Pacific Museum in Warsaw is an example of a museum collection created after 1945. The author of the study ‘Collection of Arabic Jewellery from the Middle East in the Holdings of the Asia and Pacific Museum in Warsaw’, Karolina Krzywicka, discusses the history of compiling jewellery collections from various countries of Asia and North Africa, focusing on a vibrant collection of jewellery from Yemen. The author describes different types of jewellery worn by women, their form, types of decorations, and usage. Krzywicka richly illustrates the text with photographs of the discussed historical objects.

The material gathered in this volume shows the process of diffusion of elements of Islamic culture into Polish culture over several centuries. The diffusion manifested itself in various fields and forms, both in architecture, painting or drawing, as well as in the presence of handicraft. The culture of the Middle East also influenced other domains, namely the Polish vocabulary, with its many borrowings, and literature, with oriental motifs. All material objects of historical value discussed in this publication prove the intensity of cultural contacts between Poland and the Arab world or, more broadly, the Muslim world; they also serve as a testimony to what is valuable and precious in the Arab and Muslim art.

Tadeusz Majda

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