▁of ▁gold ▁tool ing ▁had ▁also ▁arrived ▁in ▁the ▁ 1 5 th ▁century ▁from ▁the ▁Islam ic ▁world , ▁and ▁indeed ▁much ▁of ▁the ▁le ather ▁itself ▁was ▁imported ▁from ▁there . ▁ ▁Like ▁other ▁Renaissance ▁orn ament ▁styles ▁it ▁was ▁dis sem in ated ▁by ▁orn ament ▁prints ▁which ▁were ▁bought ▁as ▁patterns ▁by ▁craft s men ▁in ▁a ▁variety ▁of ▁tr ades . ▁Peter ▁Fur hr ing , ▁a ▁leading ▁special ist ▁in ▁the ▁history ▁of ▁orn ament , ▁says ▁that : ▁The ▁orn ament ▁known ▁as ▁m ores que ▁in ▁the ▁fif teenth ▁and ▁six teenth ▁centuries ▁( but ▁now ▁more ▁commonly ▁called ▁arab es que ) ▁is ▁character ized ▁by ▁b if ur c ated ▁scroll s ▁composed ▁of ▁branches ▁forming ▁inter la ced ▁fol i age ▁patterns . ▁These ▁basic ▁mot ifs ▁gave ▁rise ▁to ▁numerous ▁variants , ▁for ▁example , ▁where ▁the ▁branches , ▁generally ▁of ▁a ▁linear ▁character , ▁were ▁turned ▁into ▁stra ps ▁or ▁bands . ▁... ▁It ▁is ▁characteristic ▁of ▁the ▁m ores que , ▁which ▁is ▁essentially ▁a ▁surface ▁orn ament , ▁that ▁it ▁is ▁impossible ▁to ▁locate ▁the ▁pattern ' s ▁beginning ▁or ▁end . ▁... ▁Origin ating ▁in ▁the ▁Middle ▁East , ▁they ▁were ▁introduced ▁to ▁contin ental ▁Europe ▁via ▁Italy ▁and ▁Spain ▁... ▁Italian ▁examples ▁of ▁this ▁orn ament , ▁which ▁was ▁often ▁used ▁for ▁book bind ings ▁and ▁emb roid ery , ▁are ▁known ▁from ▁as ▁early ▁as ▁the ▁late ▁fif teenth ▁century . ▁ ▁El abor ate