Arabesque (Islamic art) The arabesque is a form of artistic
decoration consisting of "surface decorations based on rhythmic
linear patterns of scrolling and interlacing foliage, tendrils"
or plain lines, often combined with other elements. Within the
very wide range of Eurasian decorative art that includes motifs
matching this basic definition the term "arabesque" is used
consistently as a technical term by art historians to describe
only elements of the decoration found in two phases: Islamic art
from about the 9th century onwards, and European decorative art
from the Renaissance onwards (see Arabesque (European art)).
Arabesques are a fundamental element of Islamic art but they
develop what was already a long tradition by the coming of
Islam. The past and current usage of the term in respect of
European art can only be described as confused and inconsistent.
Some Western arabesques derive from Islamic art, but others are
closely based on Ancient Roman decorations. In the West they are
essentially found in t