Publication Date
End of the 3rd century - beginning of the 5th century AH/end of the 9th century - beginning of the 11th century AD
Publication Place
-
Museum of Islamic Arts; sluggishness Kairouan
Subject
Carved and decorated cedar wood.
Type
Other
Language
Undetermined
Digital
Yes
Manuscript
No
Physical Dimensions
الطول: 62 سم؛ العرض: 16 سم، السماكة: 10 سم
Library
Museum With No Frontiers
Library Asset ID
C 142
Record ID
object;ISL;tn;Mus01;11;ar
Library Location
Museum of Islamic Arts; sluggishness Kairouan
Date
End of the 3rd century - beginning of the 5th century AH/end of the 9th century - beginning of the 11th century AD
Notes
The piece forms a supporting bracket, its painted faces decorated with a simple floral decoration, consisting of blue and yellow branches, and ending with two palm fronds with a three- or two-lobed pattern, and its ground is painted in a bright red color. As for its perimeter, which takes the form of the frieze carrier, it is indicated by yellow dots surrounded by blue circles. These plant decorative elements fall completely within the African (Tunisian) decorative repertoire during the 3rd to 5th centuries AH / 9th - 11th centuries AD. On the other hand, the facade decoration, which takes the form of a locust, was carved using curved grooves. African (Tunisian) architecture presents similar models carved on stone, such as the Three-Gate Mosque, from at least the 3rd century AH / 9th century AD, while the East did not inherit frieze carriers that would enable some comparisons to be made. This bracket, which formed part of the wooden ceiling of the prayer hall of the Great Mosque of Kairouan, and was used as a support for the wooden beams of the roofs, is most likely a distant derivation of ancient models. However, one is amazed at the genius of the ebony carpenter, who, in order to decorate a very prominent element, had to simply carve the wood and inlay its surfaces with underlined decorative elements.
Sample Text
Mourad Rammah “Katifa (Frieze Stand)” in Discover Islamic Art. Museum Without Borders, 2026. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=object;ISL;tn;Mus01;11;ar
