Publication Date
In the year 303 AH/916 AD
Publication Place
-
Museum of Islamic Arts; sluggishness; Kairouan
Subject
Limestone mosaic pieces.
Type
Other
Language
Undetermined
Digital
Yes
Manuscript
No
Physical Dimensions
الطول: 107 سم؛ العرض: 106 سم
Library
Museum With No Frontiers
Library Asset ID
Mos 001
Record ID
object;ISL;tn;Mus01;44;ar
Library Location
Museum of Islamic Arts; sluggishness; Kairouan
Date
In the year 303 AH/916 AD
Notes
This painting forms part of a mosaic measuring approximately fifty square metres. The initial decoration was surrounded by a border of geometric shapes and floral elements. The mosaic floor is characterized by a decoration of quatrefoil braided networks, which overlap each other, creating various geometric shapes. After the mosaic was removed, a number of its panels were distributed to several Tunisian museums. The red, white and black lines alternate in the panel acquired by the Raqqada Museum, and it outlines a decoration in the form of a lilac leaf surrounded by an octagon, and a corolla decoration that includes four oval-shaped ends located within a circle, then all the elements are confined between oval decorative strands. This mosaic constitutes a unique example of African (Tunisian) art during the Fatimid era. But some art historians confirm that it testifies to the continuation of mosaic art in Tunisia during the Middle Ages. Indeed, the technique of executing mosaics in the city of Mahdia represents a continuation of the ancient tradition of Roman and Byzantine Africa, but everything leads to believe that it was the work of Byzantine craftsmen, who were kidnapped and imprisoned during the successive raids carried out by Al-Qaim’s army on the island of Sicily and on Italy.
Sample Text
Mourad Rammah “Mosaic panel” in Discover Islamic Art. Museum Without Borders, 2026. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=object;ISL;tn;Mus01;44;ar
