Publication Date
5th century AH / 11th century AD
Publication Place
-
Museum of Islamic Art
Subject
Wood decorated with deep carvings.
Type
Other
Language
Undetermined
Digital
Yes
Manuscript
No
Physical Dimensions
الطول: 370 سم ؛ العرض: 30 سم
Library
Museum With No Frontiers
Library Asset ID
3470
Record ID
object;ISL;eg;Mus01;25;ar
Library Location
Museum of Islamic Art
Date
5th century AH / 11th century AD
Notes
The piece is a rectangular slab of wood decorated with intaglio carvings. The decorations were distributed on two narrow strips with a wide strip between them. Each of the two narrow bands is decorated with plant branches, between which are enclosed drawings of three-lobed rosettes and half-palm fans. The middle band is decorated with scenes of human and animal drawings on a ground of plant branches. Among the decorative elements contained in this tape are a drawing of a hunting scene and another of a bird with a human face, and both drawings are confined within geometric formations. These drawings were originally painted in color, which helped to make them clear and show their details. The distribution of decorative elements took into account symmetry and contrast. This panel was found with another group of panels in the mausoleum of the Mamluk Sultan Al-Nasir Muhammad ibn Qalawun and in the city of Maristan Qalawun, where these panels were used in the walls to cover the upper frieze. However, the style of decoration of these panels has nothing to do with the Mamluk era, as it is purely Fatimid. It is likely that it was adorning one of the Fatimid palaces, especially the Western Fatimid Palace, which was built by the Caliph Al-Aziz Billah and completed by Al-Mustansir Billah. Bimaristan Qalawun was later built on the ruins of the Fatimid Palace, and these panels were reused to decorate the walls of Bimaristan. These panels are considered an important source for the study of Fatimid painting, as they include scenes of hunting, singing, music, fighting, and travel. They also include drawings of birds and other animals, and show the luxurious life that the Fatimids lived.
Sample Text
Muhammad Abbas Muhammad Selim “Woodboard” in Discover Islamic Art. Museum Without Borders, 2026. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=object;ISL;eg;Mus01;25;ar
