Publication Date
XII century. About 550/1155
Publication Place
-
Museum of Islamic Art
Subject
wood.
Type
Other
Language
Undetermined
Digital
Yes
Manuscript
No
Physical Dimensions
الارتفاع: 25 سم؛ العرض: 46.3 سم
Library
Museum With No Frontiers
Library Asset ID
I. 612
Record ID
object;ISL;de;Mus01;42;ar
Library Location
Museum of Islamic Art
Date
XII century. About 550/1155
Notes
This decorative panel is believed to be part of the wooden decoration in the Omri Mosque in Qus, and it also includes the covering of the pulpit, which was first mentioned by A. Bryce Davin in the 1870s. In the center of the painting there are two large, branched leaves decorated with very fine interior drawings, surrounding a central palmette. The two branched leaves end in stylized, flat branches, forming an almost geometric appearance. The two branched leaves are also surrounded by a ten-pointed star that connects to the outer frame of the painting. The upper and lower ends move smoothly into a network of spiral branches, and on these branches, which contain branched leaves and small veins, vine leaves and small bunches of grapes grow. The surface of the two central branched leaves is covered with designs of fine branches. Similar wooden decorations were found in the Al-Hakim Mosque, which dates back to the eleventh century, although they are not as finely crafted as this piece. The city of Qus developed during the construction of the Salih Talai Central Mosque in 555/1160 and became a major commercial city in Egypt. The famous pulpit of Qus had been made shortly before that. Qus was an exchange site for trade goods with Central Africa and Yemen, and goods intended for trade with India were stored there. Ibn Jubayr (579/1183) linked in his writings the development of this city to the Crusades. This city was also a meeting place for pilgrims from Egypt and Morocco, and scholars also used the relative name of this city, Al-Qusi, to indicate its importance, as it was in the nineteenth century the second most important Arab commercial city in Egypt.
Sample Text
Annette Hagedorn "Ornamental painting" in Discover Islamic Art. Museum Without Borders, 2026. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=object;ISL;de;Mus01;42;ar
