Pseudo-Kufic, orKufesque, also sometimespseudo-Arabic,[1] is a style of decoration used during theMiddle Ages and theRenaissance,[2] consisting of imitations of theArabic script, especiallyKufic, made in a non-Arabic context: "Imitations of Arabic in European art are often described as pseudo-Kufic, borrowing the term for an Arabic script that emphasizes straight and angular strokes, and is most commonly used in Islamic architectural decoration".[3] Pseudo-Kufic appears especially often inRenaissance art in depictions of people from theHoly Land, particularly theVirgin Mary. It is an example ofIslamic influences on Western art.
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Some of the first imitations of the Kufic script go back to the 8th century when the English KingOffa (r. 757–796) producedgold coins imitating Islamic dinars. These coins were copies of anAbbasid dinar struck in 774 by CaliphAl-Mansur, with "Offa Rex" centred on the reverse. It is clear that the moneyer had no understanding ofArabic as the Arabic text contains many errors. The coin may have been produced in order to trade withAl-Andalus; or it may be part of the annual payment of 365mancuses that Offa promised to Rome.[4]
In Medieval southernItaly (in merchant cities such asAmalfi andSalerno) from the mid-10th century, imitations of Arabic coins, calledtarì, were widespread but only used illegible pseudo-Kufic script.[5][6][7]
Medieval Iberia was especially rich in architectural decorations featuring both pseudo-Kufic and pseudo-Arabic designs,[2] largely because of the presence ofIslamic states on the peninsula. TheIglesia de San Román (consecrated in 1221) inToledo included both (real) Latin and pseudo-Arabic (i.e., notKufic style) inscriptions as decorative elements. The additions ofPedro I of Castile and León to theAlcazar of Seville (mid-14th century) bear pseudo-Kufic design elements reminiscent of theAlhambra in Granada, and the metal facade of the main doors to theCathedral of Seville (completed 1506) include arabesque and pseudo-Kufic design elements. Such decorative elements addressed both social realities and aesthetic tastes: The presence of many Arabized Christians in many of these otherwise Christian states, and a general appreciation among the Christian aristocracy for Islamic high culture of the time.
Examples are known of the incorporation of Kufic script and Islamic-inspired colourful diamond-shaped designs such as a 13th FrenchLimoges enamelciborium at theBritish Museum.[8] The band in pseudo-Kufic script "was a recurrent ornamental feature inLimoges and had long been adopted inAquitaine".[9]
![Pseudo-Kufic inscription meaning "Allah" combined with arabesque elements at the arc of the apse (12th century) in the Chapel of Saint John, Prügg [de]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aP%25C3%25BCrgg_St.Johannes_-_Chorbogen_au%25C3%259Fen_1_Kufisch.jpg)
![Armenian inscription that runs around the cornice of the east facade of the St. Astvatsatsin Church in Harichavank (1201).[10]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aArmenian_inscription_in_Kufic_style_on_east_facade_of_main_church_at_Harichavank%2c_1201.jpg)
![Pseudo-Kufic band in Limoges enamel ciborium, c. 1200. Louvre Museum[9]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aLimoges_enamel_ciborium_pseudo_Kufic_circa_1200.jpg)
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Numerous instances of pseudo-Kufic are known from European art from around the 10th to the 15th century. Pseudo-Kufic inscriptions were often used as decorative bands in the architecture ofByzantineGreece from the mid 11th century to mid-12th century, and in decorative bands around religious scenes in French and German wall paintings from the mid-12th to mid-13th century, as well as in contemporary manuscript illuminations.[11] Pseudo-Kufic would also be used as writing or as decorative elements in textiles, religioushalos or frames.[12] Many are visible in the paintings ofGiotto (c. 1267 – 1337).[3]
From 1300 to 1600, according to Rosamond Mack, the Italian imitations of Arabic script tend to rely on cursive Arabic rather than Kufic, and therefore should better be designated by the more generalist term of "pseudo-Arabic".[3] The habit of representing gilt halos decorated with pseudo-Kufic script seems to have disappeared in 1350, but was revived around 1420 with the work of painters such asGentile da Fabriano, who was probably responding to artistic influence inFlorence, orMasaccio, who was influenced by Gentile, although his own script was "jagged and clumsy", as well asGiovanni Toscani orFra Angelico, in a moreGothic style.[13]
From around 1450, northern Italian artists also started to incorporate pseudo-Islamic decorative devices in their paintings.Francesco Squarcione started the trend in 1455, and he was soon followed by his main pupil,Andrea Mantegna. In the 1456–1459San Zeno Altarpiece, Mantegna combines pseudo-Islamic script in halos and garment hems (see detail), to depiction ofMamluk book-bindings in the hand of San Zeno (see detail), and even to a Turkish carpet at the feet of the Virgin Mary (see detail).[14]
The exact reason for the incorporation of pseudo-Kufic or pseudo-Arabic in Medieval or early Renaissance painting is unclear. It seems that Westerners mistakenly associated 13-14th century Middle-Eastern scripts as being identical with the scripts current duringJesus's time, and thus found natural to represent early Christians in association with them:[15] "In Renaissance art, pseudo-Kufic script was used to decorate the costumes ofOld Testament heroes like David".[16] Another reason might be that artist wished to express a cultural universality for the Christian faith, by blending together various written languages, at a time when the church had strong international ambitions.[17]
Pseudo-Hebrew is also sometimes seen,[18] as in themosaics at the back of the apse and the base of the dome inMarco Marziale'sCircumcision, which do not use actual Hebrew characters.[19] It was especially common in German works.
Finally pseudo-Arabic elements became rare after the second decade of the 16th century.[20] According to Rosamond Mack: "The Eastern scripts, garments, and halos disappeared when the Italians viewed the Early Christian era in an antiqueRoman context."[20]
![Pseudo-Arabic script in the Virgin Mary's halo, detail of Adoration of the Magi (1423) by Gentile da Fabriano. The script is further divided by rosettes like those on Mamluk dishes.[21]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aGentile_da_Fabriano_015.jpg)
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