Author
(Calligrapher): Ali Abdel Wahed.
Author Original
الخطاط علي عبد الواحد
Publication Date
531 AH / 1136 AD
Publication Place
-
Batha Museum; Fez
Subject
Cast, engraved and engraved bronze.
Type
Other
Language
Undetermined
Digital
Yes
Manuscript
No
Physical Dimensions
الارتفاع: 75 سم؛ الطول: 40 سم
Library
Museum With No Frontiers
Library Asset ID
57.17.1
Record ID
object;ISL;ma;Mus01_C;14;ar
Library Location
Batha Museum; Fez
Date
531 AH / 1136 AD
Notes
The parts of the bronze paneling of the funerary door (funeral door), which are placed on top of a restored wooden door, consist of two groups: an inscriptional frieze and a decorative panel. The inscriptional decorative frieze located in the upper part consists of a frame surrounded on its sides by straight and curvilinear lattices decoration, which connects to another section and forms a braid that defines its lateral borders. The text emblazoned on it reproduces the phrase “Eternal Bliss and Wellness,” commonly found in architectural decoration. The inscription was engraved in Kufic letters with sharp angles and braids. Which is characterized by high, sloping tails above a dense plant ground, where, on a graceful, wavy stalk, various types of palmettes are attached, including simple symmetrical palmettes, palmettes emanating from a calyx with two sections that take the form of discs with elongated stem-shaped ends, and bilateral symmetrical palmettes with obtuse lobes, or with multiple lobes, the parts of which are located at the base taking an arched shape. The decorative panel consists of various nailed pieces, held together by copper rods, to form a fractured double geometric composition, comprising cruciform and polygonal shapes emanating from two lobed squares. The center of the squares is furnished with a molded floral decoration consisting of smooth palmettes and branches, surrounded by a circular braid wrapped in an inscribed band in relief molded cursive letters - a statement on the theme of happiness and success. The center of the polygons was stamped with borders decorated with a floral pattern similar to the vegetal ground of the Upper Kufic inscription. The history of the bronze cladding plates from which these parts were taken and the name of the artist who executed them remains known, and these pieces may represent the first samples of Islamic coppersmithing in the Western world.
Sample Text
Naima El Khatib-Boujibar “Parts of a bronze door paneling” in Discover Islamic Art. Museum Without Borders, 2026. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=object;ISL;ma;Mus01_C;14;ar
