Traces of Buddhist influence in Persian, Central Asian and Anatolian rugs.

[Egbert Vennema]

Sorry wrong link.

It s title is called:

CINTAMANI:
NOTES ON THE FORMATION
OF THE TURCO-IRANIAN STYLE by Kadoi Yuka. pages 33 - 49 .( Edinburgh University.)

Epilogue
This paper has taken account of the infinitely complex way in which the triple-ball pat-
tern was formed and became known as ?intamani in Ottoman art. Because of its immense
impact on the art of the Ottoman period and modern times,67 a decorative peculiarity of
three balls in the triangular arrangement has been celebrated by inviting yet confusing
etymological stories. The misleading naming — ?intamani — has increased yet another
perplexity and turned into one of the scholarly wonders in Islamic art studies. Clearly,
this decorative motif is by no means a parody of Buddhist jewels. Its Turco-Iranain asso-
ciations speak for itself.
There is no intention to rehearse the Ottoman story of ?intamani — how the crea-
tive spark of Ottoman designers made this motif special; how the echo of ?intamani
reached its climax in the design of ceramics in the 16th century68 and subsequently spread
a variety of media; and how it became standardised due to its involvement in the mass
market and lost its exquisite flavour in the 17th century. Yet in any cases, ?intamani ap-
pears along the ebb and flow of Buddhist inspiration.69 As the style mellowed, the triple-
ball pattern lost its animal features and began to convey different artistic messages. Its
talismanic function was by degrees enhanced in Ottoman contexts, combining the forms
of a crescent; it was eventually incorporated into a symbol of Islam, the profession of
faith, as exemplified in the design of Ottoman banners.70
Today, the eye-like appearance of ?intamani evokes that of nazar boncuk, a charm
against the evil eye;71 even at a popular souvenir level, the ingenuity of ?intamani, recall-
ing the glory of Turco-Iranain culture in a vast geographical area of Eurasia, is by com-
mon consent to be accepted.

The full article is on the internet. page 33-49 .

If you search on '" Buddhist influence in Persian, Central Asian and Anatolian rugs " you can find a link to the peeters-leuven file ( not behind a pay-wall.)

Egbert.