Publication Date
About 743-744
Publication Place
-
Museum of Islamic Art
Subject
Carved and shaped limestone.
Type
Other
Language
Undetermined
Digital
Yes
Manuscript
No
Physical Dimensions
الارتفاع: 70 سم ؛ العرض: 50 سم
Library
Museum With No Frontiers
Library Asset ID
I. 6172
Record ID
object;ISL;de;Mus01;50;ar
Library Location
Museum of Islamic Art
Date
About 743-744
Notes
A fragment of the lower half of a woman's body showing that her dress had been removed from her buttocks to below her buttocks. It is still clear on this fragment of the statue how the woman is holding with her right hand the robe folded at the bottom of her thigh, and part of the robe is still remaining on her left thigh. The buttocks and buttocks area of the statue is completely naked. The thighs are preserved until just above the knees. The back is partially covered with cloth, but the thighs are bare on the front side of the statue. This female figure, with its round features and full shapes, is consistent with the concepts of beauty in fine art in the Umayyad era, as it was known in court life at that time. It was possible to identify an inscription in Kufic script on the left thigh of this sculpture. The inscription is deep and goes from top to bottom. This inscription cannot yet be fully read, but it is believed to be the name of the woman in whose likeness the statue was carved. This fragment of the statue belongs to groups of female statues in several Umayyad palaces. It is believed that Byzantine and Sassanian sculptures and paintings were models that were emulated in these Umayyad statues. The Umayyads developed their own set of courtly themes and drew on models from older civilizations. Life-sized statues of women were also found in Khirbet al-Mafjar and Qasr al-Hayr al-Gharbi, in addition to Qasr al-Mushta. There are also life-sized drawings that decorate a short life. The question that arises is whether the religious doctrinal perceptions that were less strict at the beginning of the Umayyad era than in later eras encouraged the making of such statues. However, it is known that women were painted and depicted as dancers, musicians, and as part of the harem, as well as in the form of goddesses. It is not known whether this missing statue from Mshatta represents a woman from the harem or something else, because the position of the statue did not allow for that. There is another statue from Mashta of a woman carrying on her left side an engraved pot or a cloth bag to spray perfumes on herself or on the ruler. Such statues show the great influence of pre-Islamic drawings on the works of this period. However, the blows that left their marks on the statue indicate that these nude statues were rejected in later times.
Sample Text
Annette Hagedorn “Fragment of a statue of a woman from Mashta” in Discover Islamic Art. Museum Without Borders, 2026. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=object;ISL;de;Mus01;50;ar
