Publication Date
Late eighth - early ninth / late fourteenth - early fifteenth
Publication Place
-
Royal Museum, National Museum of Scotland NMS
Subject
Ebony and ivory with a modern redwood frame.
Type
Other
Language
Undetermined
Digital
Yes
Manuscript
No
Physical Dimensions
الارتفاع: 271.78 سم؛ العرض: 121.28 سم
Library
Museum With No Frontiers
Library Asset ID
A.1884.2.1
Record ID
object;ISL;uk;Mus03;13;ar
Library Location
Royal Museum, National Museum of Scotland NMS
Date
Late eighth - early ninth / late fourteenth - early fifteenth
Notes
Pulpit panel with modern redwood frame, rectangular in shape, with a wide central field of original geometric elements executed in ebony and ivory on a modern redwood frame. The design includes two star shapes in the center, separated by a quatrefoil geometric design. This formation is bordered by two half-stars on the sides and four-quarters of a star in the corners. The remaining spaces are filled with star patterns. All the main elements of the design, such as the stars and quatrefoils, are created from star shapes, angled shapes, and a group of polygons, each decorated with a carefully worked arabesque design. At the top and bottom of the base field, two narrow longitudinal panels of ebony bordered with ivory were inserted, each bearing the same Arabic inscription in thuluth script: “Glory be to God, our Lord, the Sultan, the Just King.” It was customary to decorate pieces like this panel with patterns of stars and polygonal shapes executed with different types of wood and ivory. This tradition began in the Ayyubid period, and continued in use during the Mamluk period. The formations consisted of geometric designs emanating from a central star shape whose number of vertices ranged between 6 and 16, forming a group of polygonal shapes emanating from the heart. This type of star formation developed around the beginning of the 8th / 14th century, and became the most widely used form of wood decoration during the Mamluk period. The method used in the manufacture of this panel and other pieces from this period allowed the wood to expand and contract according to temperature and humidity. The patterns used in woodwork in that period reflected book covers and decorations of Mamluk manuscripts executed for the Mamluk court and its officers. In addition to the intricately engraved polygonal shapes and stars, the engraving executed in thuluth script is another distinctive feature of Mamluk woodwork, and of Mamluk decorative arts in general.
Sample Text
Ulrike Al-Khamis "Panel from a mihrab" in Discover Islamic Art. Museum Without Borders, 2026. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=object;ISL;uk;Mus03;13;ar
