Publication Date
AH 6th century / AD 12th century
Publication Place
-
Archaeological Museum; Rabat
Subject
Carved and engraved plaster.
Type
Other
Language
Undetermined
Digital
Yes
Manuscript
No
Physical Dimensions
الارتفاع من اليسار: 107 سم؛ الارتفاع في المركز: 110 سم؛ الارتفاع من اليمين: 163 سم؛ الطول: 62 سم
Library
Museum With No Frontiers
Library Asset ID
99.12.10.2463
Record ID
object;ISL;ma;Mus01;21;ar
Library Location
Archaeological Museum; Rabat
Date
AH 6th century / AD 12th century
Notes
This painting is decorated with several fields. The upper field consists of a protruding band, over which runs a decorative braid made of two fluted bands. Above it is a wide frieze decorated with palmettes and acanthus leaves. The palmettes, carved in relief, consist of seven lobes, the two lower lobes encircling the upper lobe, while an axial slit perforates the upper lobe. These alternating palmettes are surrounded by bunches of acanthus leaves, emerging from disc-shaped cups. The lower field consists of a corner and a series of decorative nodules. The triangular corner is surrounded by a braid consisting of two bands, and is stamped with a medallion formed from a rosette consisting of three acanthus leaves. The central leaf with veins, fingers, and buds appears on the front, while the two side leaves are folded, forming a cup and shown in profile. This medallion is surrounded by two knotted legs, bearing acanthus leaves, and flanked by two slanting pine nuts. The decorative knots are surmounted by two bands, the upper band of which consists of a capital with dyed acanthus leaves, which in turn is surmounted by another arched frieze decorated with a braid consisting of two bands. Beneath this frieze, smooth vertebrae alternate with relief carved vertebrae, reminiscent of those found in the arches of the Mosque of Cordoba. The tangled twigs with buds, some of whose lateral branches extend beyond the straight frame of the vertebrae, adorn the protruding cymbals of the arches; It is surrounded within its whorls by symmetrical or asymmetrical palm fronds that have the shape of acanthus leaf fingers and trifoliate florets. This ornamental plant group and the deep engraving technique that we find in the decoration on plaster in the Almoravid Dome in Marrakesh and on a dome dating from the same period in the Al-Qarawiyyin Mosque in Fez, suggest that this part of the decorative paneling be traced back to the Almoravid period.
Sample Text
Naima El Khatib-Boujibar “Gypsum painting” in Discover Islamic Art. Museum Without Borders, 2026. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=object;ISL;ma;Mus01;21;ar
