Publication Date
731-751/1331-1351
Publication Place
-
Dar Si Said Museum; Marrakesh
Subject
Carved white marble. — Madinat al-Zahra workshops in Cordoba.
Type
Other
Language
Undetermined
Digital
Yes
Manuscript
No
Physical Dimensions
الطول:155 سم؛ العرض 82 سم؛ الارتفاع: 70 سم؛ السماكة: من الجوانب 10 سم؛ سماكة العمق: 20 سم
Library
Museum With No Frontiers
Record ID
object;ISL;ma;Mus01_D;5;ar
Library Location
Dar Si Said Museum; Marrakesh
Date
731-751/1331-1351
Notes
This basin is characterized by multiple parallel surfaces and small channels dug inside it, on its small sides, and in the corners. The piece was richly decorated on the outside, but only two sides of it were almost completely preserved. The decoration of the decorated face, which contains a distorted inscription, is distributed over two fields. The first consists, starting from the bottom, of a wide frieze that includes decorations of twigs with channels decorated with buds and rosettes, which also bear various large palmettes, including simple ones with a triangular stalk, double-gritted ones, aqueducts, and palmettes. The second field includes a band carved in relief and decorated with interlacing with overlapping channels and curved lines, different from the interlacing of the second decoration, which relied on straight lines encircling floral decorations and palmettes. Polygonal palm. The band is surrounded by a border composed of floral interlacing drawn with stylized palm leaves in the form of six-pointed stars. The small side of the basin is occupied by two symmetrical scenes containing two animal subjects carved on two perpendicular panels separated by an empty space. Each panel shows an eagle with an outstretched tail, raising two quadrupeds on its wings, and two deer suspended from its claws. It concludes with Alan Beryan in a state of confrontation, with Zahira in the middle, the scene of the lower field. The decoration on the other two sides is largely destroyed, and only texts written in Kufic letters and carved in relief on the edges remain. The decoration of the band framing the face of the large basin consists of a capital with a frieze of water birds alternating with fishes on a floral background. The remaining elements of the inscription that once decorated the entire edge of the basin refer to the last number of the Hijri date (300) and to the name of the patron, Abd al-Malik, chamberlain of Caliph Hisham II. This beautiful work relates to the rule of the Caliphate in terms of its workmanship and animal scenes, and is reminiscent of the basin of Al-Mansur, and appears to have been produced by the same Saqili workshop. Marble in Medina Al-Zahra in Cordoba.
Sample Text
Naima El Khatib-Boujibar "Ablution Basin" in Discover Islamic Art. Museum Without Borders, 2026. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=object;ISL;ma;Mus01_D;5;ar
