Publication Date
8th/14th century
Publication Place
-
British Museum
Subject
Ivory decorated with engraving.
Type
Other
Language
Undetermined
Digital
Yes
Manuscript
No
Physical Dimensions
الارتفاع 28.2 سم (الارتفاع الحالي للقطعة المكسورة 17.6 سم)؛ العرض 2 سم؛ العمق 0.6-0.7 سم
Library
Museum With No Frontiers
Library Asset ID
1874.3-2.6 & 7
Record ID
object;ISL;uk;Mus01;26;ar
Library Location
British Museum
Date
8th/14th century
Notes
Two elongated rectangular pieces of pale elephant ivory, originally identical in height before one of them was broken. The two panels are decorated in engraving with figurative shapes on a ground of arabesques or spiral floral decorations. The human figure at the top of the intact panel wears a hat decorated with a cross, and carries a Byzantine double cross. He is most likely a Christian priest, and in the middle is a human figure representing a Christian ruler wearing a robe with a Y-shaped decoration on his clothes, and a three-pointed crown. The remaining human figure holds a cross in his right hand, and a censer in his left hand of the type used in Christian rituals. The broken painting has lost the top figure and half of the middle figure, and the human figure below wears a turban covering his long hair and holds a long-necked flask. Some researchers have assumed that it was in a Muslim court, but it could be Christian because both Christians and Muslims wore turbans. The human figures all wear a dress that falls below the knees, with low belts and bands around the arms. The intact fragment bears five randomly placed holes, which are not visible from the front, and appear to have been drilled for the purpose of attaching the painting to a larger element. However, the broken piece does not bear such holes, and it seems likely that they were attached to the larger element with adhesives. Given the thinness of the two paintings, and because the figures all appear to be facing inward, it is likely that they were forming a frame around the cover of a book, and it is possible They were made at the request of a Christian ruler as a cover for a Bible or other religious book.
Sample Text
Emily Shovelton “Two Ivory Panels” in Discover Islamic Art. Museum Without Borders, 2026. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=object;ISL;uk;Mus01;26;ar
