Islimi – Ring, Alliance, Black Enamel

Description

Islimi can be described as a split leaf also known as “arabesque” or “tendril”. Presumably derived from a Sassanian motif, it developed under the Abbasids in the ninth and tenth centuries and matured under the Seljuks in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. The motif is thought to derive from leaf which was considered to be sacred in ancient times. Some scholars suggest the name of Islimi derives from Islam since the ornament is widely applied in Islamic art.