Arabian no. 4. Portian of an illuminated copy of the 'Koran' 

This portion of an illuminated copy of the 'Koran' was produced by Owen Jones, a Welsh architect and designer who died in 1874. Jones saw non-Western art as a source of design principles that could reform British manufacturing and even society at large. In this image, we see geometrical patterns and Arabic calligraphy, typical of Islamic art, rendered in a style that reveals the influence of Jones’s experience as a designer of buildings and interiors. Jones was part of a circle of designers and reformers who believed that the decorative arts could shape people’s habits and morals. Jones's work reflects an attitude that was both progressive and appropriative. By looking at sources such as historical Islamic manuscripts, we can better understand how Western designers have engaged with other cultures, sometimes with respect, sometimes with the intention of domination.