6 works, The Art of War, Mavia, (ماوية‎, Māwiyya) an Arab warrior-queen, with footnotes

Henry Zaidan
Queen Mavia, c. 2024
AI Deviant Art

Mavia was a Tanukh ( تنوخ‎)An Arab tribe that had migrated northwards from the Arabian peninsula because of the growing influence in Iran in the area. She married al-Hawari, the last king of the semi-nomadic Tanukh confederation in southern Syria in the latter half of the fourth century. When he died in 375 CE Mavia rose to rule the confederation.

After al-Hawari's death in 375 AD, the Roman emperor Valens, disregarded the requests of the Arabs and appointed them an Arian bishop. This sparked an uprising, and Mavia withdrew her people from Aleppo and moved into the desert, were she formed alliances with desert Arabs, and gained support throughout much of Arabia and Syria. 

François Emile de Lansac (French, 1803–1890)
Preparing for battle
Oil on canvas
50.5 x 65.5 cm. (19.9 x 25.8 in.)
Private collection

Sold for  16,250 GBP in Apr 2015

François-Émile de Lansac (1 October 1803 – 1 April 1890) was a French painter.

Lansac was born in Tulle (Corrèze) A pupil of Jean-Charles Langlois, a great admirer of Théodore Géricault, Lansac spent several years at the stud farm in Tarbes, studying horses. Back in Paris he collaborated with Ary Scheffer, became his pupil and contributed his talents to many of Scheffer's paintings. On leaving the Scheffer workshop, Lansac specialized in portraits, military scenes and historical subjects. He participated regularly at the Salon des artistes français from 1827 until 1878, was awarded a third-class medal in 1836 and a second class medal in 1838. He was soon placed out of competition. Among his close friends were the contemporary artists Ary Scheffer, Alexandre-Gabriel Decamps, Thomas Couture, Constant Troyon, Henry Scheffer and Alfred de Dreux.

Lansac's former residence, located on 37 Avenue Montaigne, in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, housed until 2017 the visa office of the Canadian Embassy.

He died in Paris in 1890. More on François-Émile de Lansac

In the spring of 378 CE Mavia began to fight a guerrilla style war against the Romans, moving about the desert on horseback and striking Roman forces whenever the opportunity presented itself. It was during her military exploits that she met an ascetic monk who so impressed her that she converted to Orthodox Christianity, and her conditions for any truce with Rome, was this monk's appointment as bishop over her people.

Her forces were difficult for Rome to deal with. The Tanuhk had fought side by side with Roman soldiers for over a century, since they assisted in quelling the uprising by Zenobia a century earlier.  The Tanuhk cavalry was faster, and their lances longer, and they had the advantage of their knowledge of the terrain.   Furthermore, the Tanuhk had no home base, giving the Romans no target to aim at.  

Adolf Schreyer (1828-1899) German
The Arab Warrior Leading a Charge
Oil on canvas
33x26 inches
Private Collection

Adolf Schreyer (July 9, 1828 Frankfurt-am-Main – July 29, 1899 Kronberg im Taunus) was a German painter, associated with the Düsseldorf school of painting. He studied art, first at the Städel Institute in his native town, and then at Stuttgart and Munich. He painted many of his favourite subjects in his travels in the East. He first accompanied Maximilian Karl, 6th Prince of Thurn and Taxis through Hungary, Wallachia, Russia and Turkey; then, in 1854, he followed the Austrian army across the Wallachian frontier. In 1856 he went to Egypt and Syria, and in 1861 to Algiers. In 1862 he settled in Paris, but returned to Germany in 1870; and settled at Cronberg near Frankfurt, where he died.

Schreyer was, and is still, especially esteemed as a painter of horses, of peasant life in Wallachia and Moldavia, and of battle incidents. His work is remarkable for its excellent equine draughtsmanship, and for the artist's power of observation and forceful statement; and has found particular favour among French and American collectors. Of his battle-pictures there are two at the Schwerin Gallery, and others in the collection of Count Mensdorff-Pouilly and in the Raven Gallery, Berlin.  More on Adolf Schreyer

Rome had to call on it’s finest soldiers; lead by the Commander in Chief of the Eastern Roman military himself.  But that didn't stop Mavia or her men, who defeated the reinforcements, killing their commander in the process.  Without additional troops to call upon for assistance the emperor was forced to sue for peace, allowing Mavia to choose the bishop of her people; a man named Moses, of Saracen birth who had lead an especially pious life in the desert, earning their respect as a people.

Roman school, late 16th century
Battle of Adrianople
Oil on board
80 x 216 cm
Private collection

The 16th century saw at Rome a great increase of literary and aesthetic circles or 'academies', more or less inspired by the Renaissance, all of which assumed, as was the fashion, odd and fantastic names.  At the beginning of the 16th century came the "Accademia degli Intronati", for the encouragement of theatrical representations. There were also the Academy of the "Vignaiuoli", or "Vinegrowers" (1530), and the Academy "della Virtù" (1538), founded by Claudio Tolomei under the patronage of Cardinal Ippolito de' Medici. These were followed by a new Academy in the "Orti" or Farnese gardens. There were also the Academies of the "Intrepidi" (1560), the "Animosi" (1576), and the "Illuminati (Roman)" (1598); this last, founded by the Marchesa Isabella Aldobrandini Pallavicino. Towards the middle of the 16th century there were also the Academy of the "Notti Vaticane" (Vatican Nights), founded by St. Charles Borromeo; an "Accademia di Diritto civile e canonico", and another of the university scholars and students of philosophy (Accademia Eustachiana). As a rule these academies, all very much alike, were merely circles of friends or clients gathered around a learned man or wealthy patron, and were dedicated to literary pastimes rather than methodical study. They fitted in, nevertheless, with the historical milieu and in their own way played significant roles in historical development. Despite their empirical and fugitive character, they helped to cultivate a general esteem for literary and other studies. Cardinals, prelates, and the clergy in general were most favourable to this movement, and assisted it by patronage and collaboration. More on the Roman school, late 16th century

As part of the truce agreement, Mavia sent her forces to Thrace to help the Romans fight the Goths at the Battle of Adrianople. Her forces proved less effective outside of their native territory and the Goths pushed the Romans back to Constantinople, even killing the emperor. 

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Battle of Adrianople
833x625px 88.68 KB

Mavia's forces returned home, badly bruised and depleted in number. The new emperor, Theodosius I, favored the Goths, giving them many positions within the Roman establishment, at the expense of the Arabs. After having demonstrated their loyalty to Rome, the Arabs felt increasingly betrayed and mounted another revolt in 383 CE. This revolt was quickly put down and the Tanukh-Roman alliance ended for good, as Rome courted another Arab tribe, the Salih.


To solidify the peace, Mavia married her daughter to Victor, a prominent military official under Valens. Marriage to Victor was a was a big plus, because that suddenly put her in the center of the Roman-Byzantine administration.

Mavia died in Anasartha, east of Aleppo in the heart of the Tanukh tribal territory, where there is an inscription recording her death there in 425 CE.



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10 Works, RELIGIOUS ART - Interpretation of the Koran, Khawla bint Al-Azwar was a Muslim Arab warrior

Henry Zaidan
Khawlah bint al Azwar
OpenArt

Khawla bint Al-Azwar, who lived in 7th Century Arabia, was the daughter of a powerful chief of the Bani Assad tribe. As a young girl Khawla learned swordsmanship and literary from her brother  Zirrar, a well-known local warrior-poet. Zerar, as the son of the chief, had been trained from birth in the art of literature and war. 

Khawla and her brother were early converts to the religion of Islam, in the early 600s, and participated in the entire Islamic Conquest, as the sons of the Prophet conquored most of the Middle East civilizations. She served as a nurse and a healer, and fought as a front-line warrior.  


Traveling with general Khalid bin Walid in Palestine, Syria and Jordan, Khawla was one of a team responsible for patching together gaping sword wounds, bringing water to dying men, and replacing bandages and cleaning out wounds. 

PIERO DELLA FRANCESCA, (b. 1416, Borgo San Sepolcro, d. 1492, Borgo San Sepolcro)
Battle between Heraclius and Chosroes, 1452-66
Fresco
329 x 747 cm
San Francesco, Arezzo

One of the most important events in that period was the famous battle near the Yarmouk River in August 636, in which the Arabs completely crushed the Byzantine army.

Piero della Francesca (c. 1415 – 12 October 1492), originally named Piero di Benedetto, was an Italian painter of the Early Renaissance. To contemporaries he was also known as a mathematician and geometer. Nowadays Piero della Francesca is chiefly appreciated for his art. His painting is characterized by its serene humanism, its use of geometric forms and perspective. His most famous work is the cycle of frescoes The History of the True Cross in the church of San Francesco in the Tuscan town of Arezzo.

He was probably apprenticed to the local painter Antonio di Giovanni d'Anghiari. He certainly took notice of the work of some of the Sienese artists active in San Sepolcro during his youth. In 1439 Piero received, together with Domenico Veneziano, payments for his work on frescoes for the church of Sant'Egidio in Florence, now lost.

Piero returned to his hometown in 1442. Three years later, he received his first commission, to paint the Madonna della Misericordia altarpiece for the church of the Misericordia in Sansepolcro. In 1449 he executed several frescoes in the Castello Estense and the church of Sant'Andrea of Ferrara, now also lost. His influence was particularly strong in the later Ferrarese allegorical works of Cosimo Tura.

In his later years, painters such as Perugino and Luca Signorelli frequently visited his workshop. More on Piero della Francesca

One day, during a battle against the Byzantine Empire outside Jerusalem, Khawla was watching the battle from a ridge when she saw her brother Zerar get knocked from his horse and dragged off by Byzantine troops as a prisoner. Rather than sit back and weep about over her brother, Khawla ran to the supply tent, grabbed a suit of armor, threw on a black robe with a green sash, turned a black strip of cloth into a mask that concealed everything on her face except her eyes, and rode out into battle on horseback carrying a heavy spear and a scimitar.

Maciej Kuciara

Stories written down from people who were there claimed that they just saw a knight in a black hood blasting into the Byzantine lines, swinging around a spear that dripped blood, and massacring everything in the way. One man mentioned that he thought this warrior fought with such fury that it must have been Khalid himself. 

Maciej Kuciara has established himself as a go-to talent for awe-inspiring concept art. Originally hailing from Poland, Maciej quit university to create artwork for tabletop games, then landed jobs at video game developers People Can Fly (Painkiller), Crytek (Crysis) and Naughty Dog (The Last of Us), and then worked on movies including the Ghost in the Shell remake, Blade Runner 2049 and Terminator: Dark Fate.

Most recently, Maciej unleashed his short film “Showtime,” a painstakingly accurate homage to classic animes Akira and Ghost in the Shell. He tells Chris about his life behind the Iron Curtain, his love of role-playing games and anime, how working hard on major games and movies helped him bring his incredible vision to life — and his plans for its future. More on Maciej Kuciara


When the real Khalid arrived, he saw this one warrior wasting an entire battalion singlehandedly, and ordered all of his men to attack; he even sent a trusted member of his personal bodyguard out to ensure that the warrior made it through the battle alive. 


In the battle that ensued, the Byzantines were driven from the field. Khawla had not only helped turn the tide of the battle, but as the Byzantine army was routing she led a small detachment that rode down their ranks, found her brother (and the other Muslim prisoners), slew the guards, and brought all of the POWs back to friendly lines.

cosplay, nightingale armor

At the end of the battle, Khalid tracked down this mysterious black-clad knight and demanded her to reveal his true identity. Once she revealed herself as a woman Khalid really didn't seem upset, but told her that while she may have started the battle standing with the women, now she was going to fight like a man. From that point on, she continued to serve throughout the campaign, battling on horseback with sword and spear in battles across Palestine, Syria and Jordan, including one fight when she personally rallied a routed Muslim force, re-organized them, and led them in an all-out counter-attack.

Khawla served the rest of the war, eventually married a powerful Arab prince, and is now remembered as one of the greatest female warriors in the Muslim world. 

Found on garoopatternandcolour.tumblr.com

ضریح خوله
Khawla bint Al-Azwar's Shrine




Please visit my other blogs: Art CollectorMythologyMarine ArtPortrait of a Lady, The OrientalistArt of the Nude and The Canals of VeniceMiddle East Artists365 Saints365 Days, and Biblical Icons, also visit my Boards on Pinterest

Images are copyright of their respective owners, assignees or others. Some Images may be subject to copyright

I don't own any of these images - credit is always given when due unless it is unknown to me. if I post your images without your permission, please tell me.

I do not sell art, art prints, framed posters or reproductions. Ads are shown only to compensate the hosting expenses.

If you enjoyed this post, please share with friends and family.

Thank you for visiting my blog and also for liking its posts and pages.

Please note that the content of this post primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online.