▁Islam ic ▁objects ▁did ▁not ▁off end ▁Christian ▁sens ib ilities . ▁ ▁In ▁the ▁early ▁centuries ▁of ▁Islam ▁the ▁most ▁important ▁points ▁of ▁contact ▁between ▁the ▁Latin ▁West ▁and ▁the ▁Islam ic ▁world ▁from ▁an ▁art istic ▁point ▁of ▁view ▁were ▁Southern ▁Italy ▁and ▁Sic ily ▁and ▁the ▁I ber ian ▁pen ins ula , ▁which ▁both ▁held ▁significant ▁Muslim ▁populations . ▁Later ▁the ▁Italian ▁mar itime ▁republic s ▁were ▁important ▁in ▁trad ing ▁art works . ▁In ▁the ▁Cr us ades ▁Islam ic ▁art ▁seems ▁to ▁have ▁had ▁relatively ▁little ▁influence ▁even ▁on ▁the ▁Cr us ader ▁art ▁of ▁the ▁Cr us ader ▁kingdom s , ▁though ▁it ▁may ▁have ▁stim ulated ▁the ▁desire ▁for ▁Islam ic ▁imports ▁among ▁Cr us aders ▁returning ▁to ▁Europe . ▁ ▁N umer ous ▁techniques ▁from ▁Islam ic ▁art ▁formed ▁the ▁basis ▁of ▁art ▁in ▁the ▁Norman - A rab - By z antine ▁culture ▁of ▁Norman ▁Sic ily , ▁much ▁of ▁which ▁used ▁Muslim ▁artists ▁and ▁craft s men ▁working ▁in ▁the ▁style ▁of ▁their ▁own ▁tradition . ▁Te chni ques ▁included ▁in l ays ▁in ▁m osa ics ▁or ▁met als , ▁iv ory ▁car ving ▁or ▁por phy ry , ▁sculpt ure ▁of ▁hard ▁stones , ▁and ▁bronze ▁found ries . ▁In ▁I ber ia ▁the ▁Moz arab ic ▁art ▁and ▁architecture ▁of ▁the ▁Christian ▁population ▁living ▁under ▁Muslim ▁rule ▁remained ▁very ▁Christian ▁in ▁most ▁ways , ▁but ▁showed ▁Islam ic ▁influ ences ▁in ▁other ▁respect s ; ▁much ▁what ▁was ▁described