The 17th century was a period of volatile change, each in science, through innovations and developments, such as the telescope or the microscope, and in religion, as the Catholic Counter-Reformation contested the rising recognition of Protestant religion. After the Protestant Reformation the Catholic Church reacted with the Counter-Reformation, decreeing that art should encourage viewers with passionate spiritual themes. Early Christian art typifies the early stages of this era, followed by Byzantine art, Anglo-Saxon art, Viking art, Ottonian art, Romanesque art and Gothic art, with Islamic art dominating the japanese Art Galery Mediterranean. Medieval art grew out of the creative heritage of the Roman Empire and of Byzantium, blended with the “barbarian” creative culture of northern Europe. The Paracas culture of the south coast of Peru is finest recognized for its advanced patterned textiles, particularly mantels. The Moche controlled the river valleys of the north coast, while the Nazca of southern Peru held sway along the coastal deserts and contiguous mountains.
