In this formative phase one cannot speak strictly of a full-blown Islamic art as it is the juxtaposition and innovative combination of various decorative styles and motifs drawn from different artistic traditions that produced such striking results and made them appear different. The eclectic art of this early period is different from that which developed in later centuries; it lacks the predilection for abstract and infinite designs which became characteristic of later Islamic art. Islamic Art in this early phase might be considered as a continuation of Late Antique art of the AD 4th–6th centuries.