Editing Islamic art (section)

=== Precious stones ===
[[Egyptians|Egyptian]] carving of [[rock crystal]] into vessels appears in the late 10th century, and virtually disappears after about 1040 C.E.  There are a number of these vessels in the West, which apparently came on the market after the [[Cairo]] palace of the [[Fatimid]] [[Caliph]] was looted by his mercenaries in 1062, and were snapped up by European buyers, mostly ending up in church treasuries.<ref>[http://simerg.com/literary-readings/literary-reading-fatimid-rock-crystal-ewers-most-valuable-objects-in-islamic-art/ Fatimid Rock Crystal Ewers, Most Valuable Objects in Islamic Art]</ref> From later periods, especially the hugely wealthy Ottoman and Mughal courts, there are a considerable number of lavish objects carved in semi-precious stones, with little surface decoration, but inset with jewels. Such objects may have been made in earlier periods, but few have survived.<ref>Arts, 120–121</ref>

[[File:WLA vanda Ottoman marquetry and tile-top table 2.jpg|thumb|left|Ottoman [[marquetry]] and tile-top table, about 1560]]