@museumwnf/woodwork-data 1.0.3 → 1.0.4

package/translations/items.en.json

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-{"01436bcc-073d-529a-9751-7349d0fd45fc":{"name":"Wooden Qur’an Stand","description":"Items like this Qur’an stand were popular props in Orientalist painting. On the inside, this hard wood Qur’an stand, which is inlaid with ebony, bone and mother-of-pearl, is decorated with two large square geometric panels, surrounded by a wide zig-zag border. The two squares are in turn subdivided into four small squares, filled with abstract star motifs. On the underside, the stand has two large geometric roundels. Two narrow, rectangular mashrabiyyah panels occupy the upper part of the feet. The remaining surfaces surrounding them are filled with chequerboard designs.","type":"Hardwood Qur'an Stand with bone and mother-of-pearl inlay","holder":"Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilisation / Sharjah Museums Department","dates":"Hegira late 13th – early 14th century / AD late 19th – early 20th century","location":"Sharjah","provenance":"Near East","author":"Ulrike Al-Khamis"},"019b1d84-e6f3-5e53-a049-f7191924c562":{"name":"Ottoman wooden spoons","short_description":"The Kunstkammer at Ambras contains a number of wooden Ottoman spoons. One such spoon is recorded in the Kunstkammer at Munich as early as AD 1596, suggesting that the ones at Ambras also date from the 16th century, despite only being listed on a later inventory. The spoons feature floral motifs such as tulips, carnations and hyacinths in gold paint. Their backs and part of the handles are decorated with wave-band motifs.","type":"Tableware","holder":"Kunsthistorisches Museum","dates":"Hegira second half of the 10th century / AD 2nd half of the 16th century","location":"Vienna","dimensions":"Length: 29cm; Length: 23.5cm; Length: 25cm; Length: 23cm; Length: 27cm; Length: 27cm","method_for_datation":"Comparison with similar objects","method_for_provenance":"Probably Ambras castle AD 1596","provenance":"Turkey?","obtention":"Collection of Ambras castle","bibliography":"Haag, Sabine (ed), *Fernsucht: Die Suche nach dem Fremden vom 16. bis 19. Jahrhundert*, exh. cat. Schloss Ambras, Wien: Kunsthistorisches Museum, 2009.  \nHaag, Sabine, Sandbichler, Veronika, Klarer, Mario (eds), *Piraten und Sklaven im Mittelmeer*, exh. cat. Schloss Ambras, Wien: Kunsthistorisches Museum, 1997.","author":"Veronika Sandbichler","copy_editor":"Liz Cooper","keywords":["domestic vessels","floral decoration","floral motifs","hyacinths","kitchenware","ottoman empire","spoons","stripes"],"materials":["lacquer painting","Wood"]},"01c7dad2-5f26-5c46-9416-87c4c613cb64":{"name":"Table and two chairs (*Peškuns*)","description":"Interested in woodcut and its application on both profane and sacral objects, artist Branko Šotra (1906–1960) created several ensembles of *peškuns* during the 1930s. In interwar Yugoslavia, *peškun* (Tr. *peşkun*), a richly decorated (with carving, mother-of-pearl, and other) circular or polygonal low table/chair of Oriental origin, was an indispensable element of the so-called *Bosnian room* that was popular in homes in Belgrade, as an emulation of the royal family’s furnishings. They were made and decorated by skilled craftsmen, the most appreciated being those from Konjic.  \nHowever, Šotra combined the traditional form of the *peškun* with the motifs he was personally interested in and treated them using the contemporary language of Art Deco. On the top hexagonal table and chair tops of the *peškuns*, he carved relief scenes of rural life, while the lower, supporting, parts with ogee arches are decorated with geometric ornaments, motifs of grain ears, flowers, affronted doves and parrots. On the tabletop, there is a representation of a kitchen where a mother is nursing a child, a father is sitting and smoking next to the table with a *fildžan* – a Turkish coffee cup (Tr. *kahve fıncanı*) – and a *džezva* – coffee pot (Tr. *cezve*) – while a cat is drinking milk from a bowl. On the chair-tops are depictions of a shepherdess spinning wool in a meadow under a tree, surrounded by sheep and a stack of hay, and, on another chair, a woman reaping grain, a tree, a water gourd, and, in the background, a road leading to the village.  \nThe introduction of contemporary features into tradition was not Šotra’s exclusive approach. As a contributor to the journal *Primenjena umetnost* (*The Applied Art*), he published, in 1937, a pattern and instruction for the woodcuts for peškun, with geometric and floral ornaments inspired by folk art. After graduating from The Royal Art School in Belgrade in 1929, Branko Šotra taught drawing in Sarajevo, Loznica, and Vršac, and woodcut in Ohrid. At the same time, he dealt with painting, fresco painting, icon painting, and woodcarving. After World War II, he dedicated himself to the art of printing and pedagogical work. He served as the rector and professor at The Academy of Applied Arts from 1948 to 1956.","type":"Furniture","holder":"Museum of Applied Art","dates":"Hegira 1352–1354 / AD 1934–1935","location":"Belgrade","dimensions":"Table: 65 x 55 x 71cm; chair: 46 x 40 x 45.5cm","place_of_production":"Sarajevo, Kingdom of Yugoslavia","method_for_datation":"Through curatorial research","obtention":"Given in 2006 by the author's niece, Ksenija Gaćinović from Belgrade.","bibliography":"Šotra, B., *Primenjena umetnost* 3 (1937): 11–12;  \n  \nKraut, V., \"Prilog za monografiju Branka Šotre\" (Summary: \"Contribution à la monographie de Branko Šotra\"), in *Matica Srpska Journal for Fine Arts* 17 (1981): 281–297;  \n  \nDamjanović, D., *Branko Šotra: Retrospektiva*, Sarajevo: Umjetnička galerija Bosne i Hercegovine, 1991;  \n  \nDamjanović D., \"Jedan iz Kolone: Branko Šotra (1906–1960)\", in: *Slikano perom*, Banja Luka: Art print, 2000: 28–40;  \n  \nPopović, B., \"*Peškuns* / Table and Two Chairs\", in: I. Zorić (ed.), *New in the Collections: Acquisitions 2001–2010*, Belgrade: Museum of Applied Art, 2010: 114–115.","author":"Bojana Popović","keywords":["carving","Ottoman Balkans","peškun","side table","stool","Yugoslavia"],"materials":["Beechwood","carving","dark varnish","matte polish"]},"0283d533-1980-536d-937a-06e5a3d00c92":{"name":"Corbel.","description":"The sides of this corbel are painted with a simplified floral decoration of blue and yellow foliate scrolls ending in tri-lobed or four-lobed palm-leaf motifs on a bright red background. The edges of the corbel are decorated with yellow dots within blue circles. These floral motifs are perfectly typical of the Ifriqiyan decorative repertoire of the AH 3rd and 4th century (AD 9th and 10th century). The front projection of the corbel is carved in the shape of a grasshopper's head with curved grooves. Although the Orient has not left to us any other comparable wooden corbels, Ifriqiyan architecture does feature similar stone models as early as the AH 3rd century (AD 9th century), for example at the Mosque of the Three Doors. This corbel was part of the wooden roof of the prayer hall of the Great Mosque of Kairouan and served to support one of the ceiling beams. It is probably derived from an ancient design. However, one is struck by the consummate skill of the woodcarver's simple, rough-hewn, linear treatment of the surfaces, so appropriate for the decoration of a protruding architectural element.","short_description":"This corbel was part of the wooden ceiling of the prayer room of the Great Mosque of Kairouan, acting as a joist for the ceiling beams. Its floral motifs belonged to the Ifriqiyan decorative repertoire from the AH 3rd–5th / AD 9th–11th centuries.","type":"Woodwork, corbel, wood","holder":"Museum of Islamic Art.","dates":"Hegira, end of 3rd–beginning of 5th century / AH 9th–11th century.","location":"Raqqada., Kairouan.","dimensions":"Length 62 cm, width 16 cm, thickness 10 cm.","method_for_datation":"The motifs decorating this corbel are found on some carved panels of the *minbar* and on the painted wooden semi-dome of the *mihrab* of the Great Mosque of Kairouan, which dates to the middle of the 3rd / 9th century. These motifs are also found in the Umayyad art in Syria. All these allow us to date this corbel to the end of the 3rd / 9th century, certainly to the renovation work ordered and commissioned by the Aghlabid prince Ibrahim II (261-289 / 875-902).","method_for_provenance":"The motifs decorating this corbel are found on some carved panels of the *minbar* and on the painted wooden semi-dome of the *mihrab* of the Great Mosque of Kairouan.","provenance":"Kairouan.","obtention":"After the restoration of the Great Mosque of Kairouan, between 1962 and 1972, some beams, boards and joists were taken out and completely refurbished. This piece was placed along with thousands of other fragments in the storerooms of the National Institute of the Patrimony of Kairouan. It was selected for display when the Museum of Islamic Art at Raqqada was extended.","bibliography":"*De Carthage a Kairouan* (exhibition catalogue), Paris, 1982, p.207.  \n*30 ans au service du patrimoine* (exhibition catalogue), 1986, p.262.  \n*Tunisie, du Christianisme a l'Islam* (exhibition catalogue), Lattes, 2001, p.191.  \n*Ifriqiya: Thirteen Centuries of Art and Architecture in Tunisia*, pp.175–6.","author":"Mourad Rammah","copy_editor":"Margot Cortez","translator":"David Ash","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["figurative decoration","floral decoration","furnishing","sculpture"],"materials":["Carved and decorated cedarwood."]},"03af3ec3-8778-533c-8919-fead5482c63d":{"name":"Coffee Grinder","description":"A wooden coffee grinder with metal bowl attached to a cubed box on a flat extended base. The user would grind the roasted beans in the chamber by turning the handle. The ground coffee accumulated in the cubed box.","holder":"Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts","dates":"13th-14th century/AD 19th century","location":"Istanbul","dimensions":"26cm x 40cm x 21cm","materials":["metal","Wood"]},"040d5edd-ece2-5d65-a462-03b30e90b3e1":{"name":"Pieces from the Nur al-Din Zangi *minbar*.","description":"A collection of panels formed from small and medium-sized pieces of interlocking pinewood representing all that remains of the Minbar of Nur al-Din Zangi, which was crafted in Aleppo as a good omen for the conquest of Jerusalem. The *minbar* was destroyed in a fire of 1969 which damaged some of the sections of al-Aqsa Mosque, especially the southern, *qibla*, wall. Nur al-Din Zangi ordered the production of the *minbar* while preparing for the conquest of Jerusalem but he died before he could retake the city, and Salah al-Din (Saladin) undertook the transportation of the *minbar* from Aleppo to Jerusalem in AH 583 / AD 1187.  \nThe *minbar* was made from interlocking pine and inlaid with mother-of-pearl, ivory and pearls. The different components that constitute it are attached to each other by means of wooden nails and, in addition, the interlocking technique (*ta'sheeq*) is employed. The *minbar* was made up of three sections: the entrance, which faced *muqarnas* tiers, a staircase and a podium, which was covered by a kiosk. The door was composed of two leafs, important sections of which remain. The entrance opened onto the staircase with a wooden enclosure on both sides, crafted in the *mashrabiyya* technique. The staircase leads to the podium where the *khatib* would deliver the sermon.  \nThe *minbar* is rich in vegetal and geometric decorations as well as an arrangement of star-shaped medallions, each of which forms a complete decorative unit which, with the surrounding units, forms beautiful latticework (*mashrabiyya)*. The *minbar* also has a collection of epigraphic inscriptions that contain Qur'anic verses and an endowment (*waqf*) inscription of Nur al-Din Zangi and his son al-Salih, who accomplished what his father began. This is in addition to the inscriptions which bear the name of the craftsmen who made the *minbar*. The *minbar* of Nur al-Din is considered to be one of the most beautiful of the Islamic wooden *minbar*s.","short_description":"The remains of a *minbar* destroyed in 1969 in a fire that damaged al-Aqsa Mosque. The minbar was commissioned by Nur al-Din Zangi in Aleppo as a good omen for the conquest of Jerusalem. Salah al-Din (Saladin) undertook its transportation to Jerusalem. The pieces have rich vegetal and geometric decoration, interlocking and star-shaped panels and names of the craftsmen.","type":"Woodwork, minbar, pine","holder":"Islamic Museum, al-Aqsa Mosque / al-Haram al-Sharif.","initial_owner":"Nur al-Din Zangi (ruled in Syria AH 541–69 / AD 1146–74) and Salih bin Nur al-Din Zangi, Salah al-Din Ayyubi (known as Saladin, r. AH 564–89 / AD 1169–93).","dates":"Construction of the *minbar* began in hegira 564 / AD 1169, and was completed in AH 570 / AD 1174.","location":"Jerusalem","dimensions":"Length 245 cm, width 112 cm.","method_for_datation":"The *minbar* is dated by the epigraphic inscriptions it bears, and a number of historical sources, some of the most important being those of Abu Shama (d. 665 / 1267) and Ibn al-Athir (d. 630 / 1223) and Mujir al-Din al-Hanbali (d. 927 / 1520).","method_for_provenance":"Aleppo was narrowed down as the place of production for the *minbar*, supported by both the epigraphic inscriptions on it and by historical sources.","provenance":"Custom-made in Aleppo, Syria for al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.","obtention":"The *minbar* was transferred from al-Aqsa Mosque to the Islamic Museum after the fire of 1969.","bibliography":"Abu Shama, al-Maqdisi, Dhail or Tarajim Rijal al-Qarnain al-Sadis wal-Sabi' \\[The Biographies of Famous People in the 6th and 7th Century\\], Cairo, 1947.  \nAl-A'arif, A., *Tarikh Qubbat al-Sakhra wa al-Masjid al-Aqsa* \\[The History of the Dome of the Rock and the Aqsa Mosque\\], Jerusalem, 1955.  \nAbu Khalaf, M., *Islamic Art Through the Ages: Masterpieces of the Islamic Museum of al-Haram al-Sharif,* Jerusalem, 1998.  \nAl-Ansari, F., *Minbar Nur al-Din Zengi \\[The Minbar of Nur al-Din Zangi*\\], 1989, Jerusalem.  \nMayer, L. A., *Islamic Woodcarvers and their Works,* Geneva, 1958.","author":"Nazmi Al-Ju'beh","copy_editor":"Majd Musa","translator":"Amal Sachedina (from the Arabic).","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["carved inscription.","epigraphic decoration","geometric decoration","inlay","ivory","Minbar","Mother-of-pearl","pine","vegetal decoration","woodwork"],"materials":["and ivory.","inlaid with mother-of-pearl","Interlocked pine","pearls"]},"0440ce02-52d9-59e9-9d80-0b24ab6725f0":{"name":"Table.","description":"A low table made of wood inlaid with cloud-bands and simple arabesque compositions in ebony and mother-of-pearl; set into the top is an underglaze painted ceramic tile with a centralised design featuring flowers on an arabesque framework, surrounded by a border with cloud-bands on a turquoise background. The table has 12 sides, to match the 12 sides of the ceramic top, but it is constructed with spandrel-like joins between the legs so that it stands on six legs.  \n  \nThis table is a rare example of furniture from the Ottoman imperial court, as well as a most unusual use of Iznik tilework. The beautiful, bright colours of the tile make a striking contrast to the subdued tones of the inlaid wood. It seems unlikely that such a fine piece of furniture would have been intended for everyday use; more likely, it was used as part of the elaborate ceremonials which defined Ottoman court protocol and impressed foreign ambassadors.","short_description":"A table made of wood inlaid with ivory and mother-of-pearl, with a 12-sided Iznik tile serving as the top. A rare example of furniture from the Ottoman court, this splendid table may have been used in the elaborate ceremonials which defined court protocol and impressed visiting ambassadors.","type":"Woodwork, mother of pearl, painted, glazed ceramic","holder":"Victoria and Albert Museum.","dates":"Probably around hegira 966 / AD 1560.","location":"London, England","dimensions":"Height 48 cm, diameter 63 cm.","method_for_datation":"The technique, materials and style of the woodwork are similar to those found on the throne of Sultan Süleyman in the Topkapı Palace Museum in Istanbul. The tile, too, is similar to those found in Sultan Süleyman's mosque (completed in 963 / 1557), though its size and distinct shape mean it must have been made specifically as a table-top.","method_for_provenance":"Iznik was the centre of quality ceramic production in this period; Istanbul, as home to the imperial ateliers, may be where the wood was inlaid and the final product assembled.","provenance":"Iznik or Istanbul, Turkey.","obtention":"Purchased by the Museum in 1987.","bibliography":"Mitter, P. and Clunas, C., \"The Empire of Things: The Engagement with the Orient\", A Grand Design: The Art of the Victoria and Albert Museum (eds. M. Baker and B. Richardson), London, 1997, p.255.  \n  \nStanley, T., with Rosser-Owen, M. and Vernoit, S., Palace and Mosque: Islamic Art from the Middle East, London, 2004, p.103.","linkcatalogs":"IAM_TR_EN_001","author":"Barry Wood","copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["arabesque","ceramic","furnishing","tilework"],"materials":["mother-of-pearl","Painted and glazed ceramic.","Wood"]},"04d27671-b1ac-5ad5-85cb-254ee0e80def":{"name":"Bridal cushion","description":"This bridal cushion from Ma’an, Jordan, traditionally prepared by a bride as part of her trousseau for her new home, is among the most distinctive examples of Jordanian domestic textiles. They feature embroidery patterns that are believed to reflect connections with the Caucasus, whether through historical travel, trade, or settlement. These motifs stand as a testament to Ma'an's role as a crossroads of cultural exchange, where influences from distant regions were absorbed into local artistic traditions.","type":"Furniture","holder":"Tiraz: Widad Kawar Home for Arab Dress","owner":"Tiraz","dates":"ca. 1935","location":"Amman","dimensions":"Height: 64,5 cm; width: 34 cm","place_of_production":"Ma'an, Jordan","provenance":"Purchased by the collector","author":"Laila Mushahwar","copy_editor":"Danielle Morcom","keywords":["Bride","embroidery","furniture","marriage","wedding"],"materials":["cotton"]},"06a3bee7-1756-596e-90e4-49becb64c66e":{"name":"Royal Brigantine","description":"Responsible for the construction and design, Torquato José Clavina was the foreman ship's carpenter at the Naval Arsenal, much admired for his skill and competence. The brigantine is a magnificent work in gilded wood, crafted by the artist Manuel Vieira, while on the broadside is a panel of zoomorphic elements over darkened gold. In the Queen Maria I style, the barge is painstakingly decorated with pinnacles, friezes, caryatides, flower-like ornaments and tile panels depicting vases of flowers in frames. On the posterior panel of the quarterdeck cabin, there is a painting of Pedro Alexandrino de Carvalho, who was responsible for painting the sovereign's private cabin. The quarterdeck cabin stands out from all the others for its richness and beauty, notably for the framed Venetian mirrors. The lower poop panel has complex and beautiful ornamentation: Amphitrite and Neptune are represented in two bas-reliefs surrounded by gilded-wood floral borders.  \nOn board were 78 paddlers with 40 oars, which made the barge glide through the water with the help of the boss and the bow oarsman. Throughout its history, the barge transported several monarchs and heads of state.  \nWith the first French invasion of November of 1807, the barge was assigned to take Queen Maria I and the rest of the royal family to the *Príncipe Real*, the ship on which they would escape to Brazil. Likewise, it was from this galley that King João VI disembarked in Lisbon following this turbulent period.  \nLater, on his first State visit in 1903, King Edward VII of England chose his oldest ally: Portugal. The Royal Brigantine headed for the British ship HMS *Victoria and Albert* to receive the monarch. This visit was followed by series of other State visits, amongst which were the visits of Kaiser William II of Germany, Émille Loubet, President of the Republic of France, and King Albert I of Belgium. The brigantine was always present.  \nDuring the Republic, the brigantine was neglected and did not glide over the river for 40 years. In 1957, on the occasion of the official visit of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the barge crossed the waters of the Tagus for the last time.  \nIn 1963 it became part of the collection of the Museu de Marinha (Naval Museum) where it underwent restoration. The quality of the restoration saw the museum receive several honourable distinctions including that given by the World Ship Trust.","short_description":"In 1780 Queen Maria I ordered the construction of a grand royal barge: the Royal Brigantine of Queen Maria I. Its construction was destined to celebrate the betrothal of Prince João (future King João VI) to the Spanish Princess Carlota Joaquina, in 1784.  \nSymbol of power and a jewel of naval archeology, the brigantine represents more than 200 years of historical pageantry.","type":"Royal Barge (for ceremonial display)","holder":"Maritime Museum","owner":"Museu de Marinha","initial_owner":"Portuguese Royal Household","dates":"1780","location":"Lisbon, Lisbon","dimensions":"L: 29,32 m / beam w: 3,98 m","place_of_production":"Lisbon, Portugal","method_for_datation":"Technical and historical royal documentation in the Portuguese Naval Archives.","provenance":"Portuguese Navy","obtention":"In 1963 the Royal Brigantine and other royal barges were taken to the Naval Museum by order of the Naval Ministry of the time.","bibliography":"Cutileiro, A., *As Galeotas Reais*, Lisbon, 1998.  \nSilva, G. C., “A última missão do Bergantim Real”, *Revista da Armada*, Nos. 405 and 406 de Fevereiro e Março, 2007.","workshop":"Navy Arsenal","author":"Bruno Gonçalves Neves","translator":"Lili Cavalheiro","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["D. Maria I","galley","Royal ship"],"materials":["gilded and painted wood","Naval construction in wood"]},"0703f771-513c-549f-8e72-02d81616e8d9":{"name":"Captain's Pearl Chest containing his most precious possessions, including folding pearl gauges with 44 grades, knife for opening oysters, weight set and hand compass","alternate_name":"Bishtakha","description":"This pearl merchant's chest, known in the region as bishtakha, was an indispensable item of a pearl merchant's profession, as it contained not only all his equipment, but also his valuable bags of pearls. Made of hardwood and often elaborately decorated, these chests could come in different sizes and were designed to hold pearling scales with their agate weights, scoops, graded sieves, small discrete boxes for cash - often hidden in secret compartments - bags of pearls and the so-called chao book, used to calculate - by means of detailed tables - the value of specific pearls on the basis of their weight.","type":"Wooden work box with tools","holder":"Sharjah Maritime Museum / Sharjah Museums Department","dates":"Hegira late 13th – early 14th century / AD late 19th – early 20th century","location":"Sharjah","provenance":"Sharjah Emirate","author":"Ulrike Al-Khamis"},"0737cdd3-69a5-54f9-9b1f-1387094ecc4e":{"name":"Spindle","description":"A spindle is a straight spike made from wood. It is used for spinning and twisting wool fibres into yarn. It is weighted on one end, by a disc or spherical object called a whorl.","type":"Spindle","holder":"Jordan River Foundation Bani Hamida Weaving Project","dates":"AD 1916","location":"Mukawer","dimensions":"L: 38cm, W: 5cm","method_for_datation":"Owners","provenance":"Bani Hamida","obtention":"Bought","author":"Halima Al Qa'dan","copy_editor":"Lisa Kelman","materials":["Wood"]},"07cfbb4a-25e5-5ae3-a64e-9de990ccf477":{"name":"Bridal cushion","description":"This bridal cushion from Ma'an, traditionally prepared by a bride as part of her trousseau for her new home, reflects the town’s position as a crossroads of cultural exchange. Its embroidered designs and use of ikat textiles reveal connections with wider textile traditions from Central Asia, Turkey, and Syria, where ikat weaving was historically widespread and highly developed. These influences reached Ma'an through networks of travel, trade, pilgrimage, and migration, becoming integrated into local practices.","type":"Furniture","holder":"Tiraz: Widad Kawar Home for Arab Dress","owner":"Tiraz","dates":"ca. 1930","location":"Amman","dimensions":"Height: 64 cm; width: 40 cm","place_of_production":"Ma'an, Jordan","provenance":"Purchased by the collector","author":"Laila Mushahwar","copy_editor":"Danielle Morcom","keywords":["Bride","embroidery","furniture","marriage","wedding"],"materials":["cotton","silk"]},"0a76c8b6-966d-5ed5-a3d7-707a07c8ea48":{"name":"Storage chest","short_description":"This storage chest is the finest one that has been preserved of a small group of pieces of furniture with mother-of-pearl inlays in lacquer - all from Gujarat. The lid is decorated with a spiral ornamentation that helps us date it. An identical mother-of-pearl decoration is found on a canopy made in 1608-1609 for the grave of the Sufi sheikh Nizam al-Din Awliya in Delhi.","type":"Storage chest, woodwork","holder":"The David Collection","dates":"Hegira beginning of the 11th century / AD beginning of the 17th century","location":"Copenhagen","provenance":"India, Gujarat","keywords":["Mother-of-pearl","Mughal","Storage chest","woodwork"],"materials":["inlaid with mother-of-pearl in black lacquer","Wood"]},"0b5ea864-f20c-51f8-b510-3ee37516c735":{"name":"Door lintel.","description":"A door lintel, decorated with a very deep, undercut floral pattern comprising a central rosette flanked by intertwined foliage, scrolls filled with palmettes, pines and grapes, all arranged in a panel surrounded by pearling.  \n  \nThis type of floral pattern was very common during the Umayyad period and is seen throughout the decorative arts. Similar carved patterns adorned the Qasr al-Mushatta (now at the Pergamon Museum, Berlin).  \n  \nThe function of this lintel is purely aesthetic; it would reside on the upper part of a decorated doorway.","short_description":"Door lintel from Qasr al-Tuba bearing a very deep, undercut floral pattern with a central rosette that was common during the Umayyad period and is seen throughout the decorative arts. Such elaborate lintels would have been positioned on the upper parts of decorated doorways.","type":"Door, stone","holder":"Jordan Archaeological Museum.","dates":"Hegira 2nd century / AD 8th century.","location":"Amman","dimensions":"Height 44 cm, length 2.18 m, depth 42.5 cm.","method_for_datation":"The lintel was a part of a building, dated approximately to the 2nd / 8th century; the date has also been established through historical inferences.","method_for_provenance":"The provenance is known because this door lintel was found on the site of Qasr al-Tuba.","provenance":"Qasr al-Tuba, Jordan.","obtention":"According to the Museum inventory number, the lintel was transferred from Qasr al-Tuba to the Museum during the 1950s by the Department of Antiquities of Jordan.","bibliography":"Creswell, K. A. C., Early Muslim Architecture, Vol. I, Oxford, 1932, p.376, plate 80/A.","linkcatalogs":"IAM_JO_EN_001","author":"Aida Naghawy","copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["architectural decoration","floral decoration","Stonework"],"materials":["Carved limestone."]},"0b61c9ae-ef04-5d1e-af0b-b7e4ab248173":{"name":"Type-writing machine","alternate_name":"Personal belonging of Dimitrija Chupovski; Mashina za pishuvanje","description":"Dimitrija Chupovski (1878-1940) was born in Papradishte near Veles, R. Macedonia in 1878. He lived in Krushevo and acquired his education in Belgrade and St. Petersburg. He was a renowned Macedonian lexicographer, textbook writer and philologist who prepared the modern grammar of Macedonian language. Chupovski also worked out the first Macedonian-Russian dictionary.","type":"Machine","holder":"Museum of Macedonia","dates":"Early 20th century","location":"Skopje","provenance":"Saint Petersburg","author":"Nada Andonovska (author)","copy_editor":"Daniel de la Vega"},"0be609b8-eaa5-59f2-a721-5797ecc66645":{"name":"Silver-inlaid brass Qur’an stand","short_description":"This stand is an example of Mamluk revivalist work, made during an age that encouraged the nationalistic reappraisal of indigenous heritage. It copies a famous Mamluk Qur’an stand in the Museum of Arab Art in Cairo, inscribed with the name of the Mamluk Sultan al-Nasir Muhammad ibn Qalawun (r. AD 1294-1340) and made by Muhammad ibn Sunqur al-Baghdadi.","type":"Metalwork","holder":"Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilisation","dates":"Hegira late 13th century / AD late 19th century","location":"Sharjah","provenance":"Egypt, Cairo","keywords":["furnishing","inlay","Mamluk Revival","metalwork","Neo Mamluk","Qur'an stand","revivalism","silver"]},"0c359028-43e3-559c-a7ca-c955341c48c8":{"name":"Wood panels (walls and ceiling) of Syrian Room","short_description":"In the late 1970s, Doris Duke acquired a variety of components that were said to have come from a house owned by the Quwatlis, a prominent merchant family of Damascus. Combining historic elements with new pieces made in Hawai‘i by local craftsmen, Duke and her staff created an interior that conveys the spatial layout and multi-media, multi-sensory experience of the Syrian *qa‘a* (Arabic: hall), a reception room found in affluent courtyard homes of the late Ottoman period (in Syria: 1516–1918).","type":"Islamic, Indian & Southeast Asian works of art; Woodwork; painting; architectural decoration","holder":"Shangri La, Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art","dates":"Dated hegira 1271 / AD 1854-55","location":"Honolulu, Hawai'i","dimensions":"Various","provenance":"Syria, Damascus","keywords":["architectural decoration","ceiling","Damascus","late Ottoman","panels","room","Syria","wood"],"materials":["and gilded wood","moulded","painted"]},"0c62c358-069e-5101-ad0e-063173c5eefc":{"name":"Chair","alternate_name":"Silla (jamuga)","description":"This chair, known as *jamuga* in the Spanish tradition, is most certainly a Moresque European piece designed from a combination of pattern books. The chair consists of a great widely decorated back and a curved seat with two arms. The four legs are delicately ornamented. The inscriptions probably have been taken from a design book or other visual model too, rather than being designed by an Arab master calligrapher. The decorated panels, aesthetically pleasing, are imprecise in terms of execution and calligraphic style.","type":"Furniture","holder":"Cerralbo Museum","dates":"19th century","location":"Madrid","provenance":"Europe","author":"Cecilia Casas Desantes","copy_editor":"Anne Dowell"},"0e4a2c60-95e1-53b1-b364-83013292b0c9":{"name":"Qur’an Stand","short_description":"This Qur’an stand would elevate larger holy books to prevent direct contact with the unclean surface of the ground. The pigmented wood structure from India features deep floral carvings.  \n  \nMughal-style carvings with rows of florals and vines adorn the Qur’an stand in geometric precision. While Islamic woodwork in India remains widely understudied, the lobed arches of the legs remind of Mughal architecture. Furthermore, the woodwork of the Mughal Empire rarely bears inscriptions, hindering an accurate dating and study of clusters of pieces.  \n  \nThese stands still cradle Qur’ans in affluent homes, mosques, Islamic schools (*madrasa*), and in tombs for recitation and display purposes.","type":"Religious relics","holder":"FBQ Museum","owner":"Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim Al Thani","dates":"19th century","location":"Shahaniya","dimensions":"Length: 30cm , Width: 27cm, Height: 25cm","method_for_datation":"The date and origin were established in research-based comparison from an examination of material, colour, engraving and pattern.","method_for_provenance":"The date and origin were established in research-based comparison from an examination of material, colour, engraving and pattern.","provenance":"India","obtention":"Purchase","bibliography":"Carvalho, P. M., \"What Happened to the Mughal Furniture? The Role of the Imperial Workshops, the Decorative Motifs Used, and the Influence of Western Models\", *Muqarnas*, 21 (2004): 79–93.  \nMahshid, K. E., *Islamic wood work motifs of Iran and India in Mughal era/Mahshid Kakouei Ezbarami,* Doctoral dissertation, University of Malaya, 2016.","author":"Sarah Schroeder","copy_editor":"Janice Medina","keywords":["India","Mughal","post-Mughal","Quran Stand"],"materials":["Cedar Wood"]},"0e56903a-9b5a-5b71-84c1-c4e82186198b":{"name":"Yoke (*nīr*)","description":"This yoke was used for animals to raise water from a *zājrah* well. Donkeys and bullocks typically work side-by-side to pull together against the weight of the water.","type":"Yoke (*nīr*)","holder":"National Museum of Oman","owner":"National Museum of Oman","dates":"Hegira 14th century / AD 20th century","location":"Muscat","dimensions":"Height: 3.5cm, length: 81cm, width: 10.5cm","place_of_production":"Oman","provenance":"Local acquisition","obtention":"Local acquisition","copy_editor":"Alvaro Miranda","materials":["Wood"]},"0e93c801-4f27-5f79-b617-0e699aabf827":{"name":"Wooden panel","short_description":"Wooden panel from a door with vegetal decoration, in high relief, forming a calyx-shaped ornament from which spring spiralling leaves. The panel is representative of the transitional stage characterised by the bevelled technique to the next phase of which a distinctive example is the door presented by Caliph al-Hakim to the mosque of Al-Azhar in 1010.","type":"Woodwork, panel, wood","holder":"Benaki Museum","dates":"Hegira 4th century / AD 10th century","location":"Athens","dimensions":"Height 51.5 cm","provenance":"Egypt","keywords":["panel","wood"],"materials":["Wood"]},"0ed94ac3-d966-5b35-beee-4763d3799155":{"name":"Table clock","description":"An example of a richly decorated table clock decorated with alabaster columns, the popularity for which spread at the end of the 18th century in Pest, Buda and Óbuda. Richly decorated table clocks such as this one were common in the late 18th century and this type with a column decoration shows the stylistic change that took place at the end of the century, marking a transition towards Neo-Classicism. Architectural elements such as this were often used instead of ornate decoration once the Neo-Classical style took hold. From among similar clocks preserved in the collection at the Budapest History  Museum, this example is one of the most characteristic and richly decorated. It is signed by the clockmaker, Johann Kerbacher.","short_description":"This richly decorated table clock is a rare example documenting the mastery of Johan Kerbacher, whose signed clocks made in his workshop in Óbuda (Old Buda) are known from the second half of the 18th century. The alabaster-column decoration was a frequently used motif in the period, which popularity spread at the end of the 18th century in Pest, Buda and Óbuda, and marked the transition to Neo-Classicism.","type":"Applied art (clock)","holder":"Budapest History Museum","dates":"1780—90","location":"Budapest, Közép-Magyarország / Central Hungary","dimensions":"H: 78 cm","place_of_production":"Óbuda","method_for_datation":"on the basis of the signature on the clock","obtention":"By purchase.","bibliography":"*Budapest* *az Újkorban* (*Budapest* *in the Modern Times*), (ed. G. Szvoboda Dománszky), Budapest, 1995, p. 22.","workshop":"Workshop of Johan Kerbacher","author":"Terézia Bardi","copy_editor":"Terézia Bardi","translator":"Beatrix Basics","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["alabaster","Applied art","Enamel","furnishing","gilding","gold","Johann Kerbacher","metalwork","Neo-Classicism","Óbuda","silver","timekeeping","workshop"],"materials":["enamel and alabaster","Gilt silver"]},"0fca5a3a-17d8-542b-bada-abe14d89b5ed":{"name":"Carved wooden chest","description":"A carved wooden chest with painted geometric and floral decoration, it illustrates the decorative styles that began to appear in the 19th century and also how industrial colours, imported from Europe, were being used.","type":"Woodwork; furniture","holder":"Kasbah Museum","dates":"19th century","location":"Tangiers"},"1028751a-07f0-53c2-8d14-e1b298d6e008":{"name":"Board","alternate_name":"Qur'anic board","description":"Qur'anic board used in the African *madrasas* (schools), places where the first verses of the Qur'an are learned, under the direction of the *marabout* (teacher). The learning method consists of copying and reciting the different verses of the Qur'an, in a process of memorisation, which allows the students to erase them and then to write the following verses. The *alluha* (table of wood), the reed, and the ink are the only available pedagogic materials of the Qur'anic schools in the rural areas. The Qur'anic boards turn into documents that preserve the written personality of those who used them, the irregularity of the letter, the crooked lines, the hesitations, the corrected mistakes, the erased lines that refuse to disappear, as a register of a period of effort and domain of skills typical of the school stage.","type":"Print; Woodwork","holder":"National Museum of Anthropology","dates":"19th century","location":"Madrid","copy_editor":"Anne Dowell"},"112c53a7-9492-5a54-9745-591f4c96202c":{"name":"Hand-held plough (*haīs*)","description":"Ploughing with a *haīs* is the first stage in the traditional cultivation process. The *haīs* is drawn by a draft animal, usually a bullock. A ploughman walks along behind, using a sturdy guide rope and verbal commands to steer the animal while directing the path of the *haīs* by means of a tall wooden handle.","type":"Hand-held plough (*haīs*)","holder":"National Museum of Oman","owner":"National Museum of Oman","dates":"Hegira 14th century / AD 20th century","location":"Muscat","dimensions":"Height: 87cm, length: 109cm","place_of_production":"Northern Oman","provenance":"Local acquisition","obtention":"Local acquisition.","copy_editor":"Alvaro Miranda","materials":["Wood and steel"]},"114c06c2-280f-51d2-a9f9-1733b739488a":{"name":"*Kuttab* (Qur'an school).","description":"A *kuttab* is an educational establishment where children are taught to memorise the Holy Qur'an, the rudiments of the Arabic language and arithmetic. The *kuttab,* seen here is made up of two sides (forming an L-shape) and a ceiling. One side (facing) is composed of a door decorated with geometric designs, and assembled in parts. Towards the left of it, are four storage areas or cupboards, two on each side, separated by a deep niche where the teacher would sit. The cupboard doors are ornamented with geometric designs composed of star-shaped medallions executed in the same manner as that used to embellish the door. On the two sides of the niche, and above it, are 29 small compartments framed within lobed arches which were used to store educational equipment. The lower area of this side of the *kuttab* is adorned with an assemblage of various decorations. Above this whole area, at the top, there is a rectangle with seven panels. Each is filled with various shapes of turned wooden elements and is separated from the neighbouring panels with balusters of turned wood. On the right-hand side of the *kuttab* there are two cupboards decorated in a similar fashion as the other storage areas. These two cupboards are surrounded by 12 small compartments with lobed niches; to the left of them there is a plain, undecorated door. The ceiling is ornamented with geometric designs made up of parts of star-like medallions executed by superimposing thin wooden bars. Below it is a frame composed of *muqarnas* pendentives. The *kuttab* also contains some recent decorative additions.","short_description":"A *kuttab* is an educational establishment for teaching children to memorise the Holy Qur'an, reading and writing. A *kuttab* was usually situated on the second floor of a *sabil* (water dispensary). This particular example was taken from a building in Rosetta, a city in the north of the Nile delta.","type":"Woodwork, wooden decoration","holder":"Museum of Islamic Art","dates":"Hegira 11th century / AD 17th century.","location":"Cairo","dimensions":"Height 340 cm, length 465 cm, width 215 cm.","method_for_datation":"The techniques of assemblage and superimposition of small wooden parts in the construction of wooden objects was widespread during the Ottoman period of the 16th and 17th centuries, and was used especially for the decoration of household objects and ceilings in the domestic context. Amongst the residences where this style of construction and decoration are utilised are the Bayt al-Suhaymi (1058 / 1648), and the residence of Waqf al-Sadat (1070 / 1659), both of which are in the city of Cairo. These techniques were also used in the construction of *minbars* (pulpits) and *dikkat al-muballigh* (recitation platforms) in mosques during the Ottoman era.","method_for_provenance":"Provenance is supported by information in the archives of the Museum of Islamic Art in Cairo.","provenance":"Egypt.","obtention":"The piece was transferred to the museum from the residence of al-Mazdini in Rashid, (Rosetta), Egypt, but the history of its transportation is not known.","bibliography":"Khalifa, Rabi' H., *Funun al-Qahira fi al-'ahd al-Othmani \\[Arts of Cairo during the Ottoman Era\\],* Cairo, 1985.  \nMustafa, M., *Dalil Mathaf al-fan al-Islami \\[Guide to the Museum of Islamic Art\\],* Cairo, 1978.","linkcatalogs":"IAM_TR_EN_001","author":"Salah Sayour","copy_editor":"Majd Musa","translator":"Amal Sachedina (from the Arabic).","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["architectural decoration","education","furnishing","geometric decoration","kuttab","religious schools","turned wood","wood"],"materials":["interlocking and superimposition of wooden bars","Ornamental wooden decoration using assemblage","turned woodwork."]},"1182b4e7-198f-51a0-b819-4ec5360c27f8":{"name":"Casket","alternate_name":"Arqueta","description":"This casket was displayed in the exhibition about Islamic Art held in Munich in 1910. Afterwards it was acquired by Lázaro Galdiano, one of the most important Spanish art collectors. It is important to note Lazaro Galdiano's interest in and art appraisal of objects from the Spanish Muslim period. He was one of the earliest collectors of Arab art in Spain.","type":"Decorative Arts","holder":"Lázaro Galdiano Museum","dates":"1100–1199; exhibited in 1910 and then acquired by Lázaro Galdiano","location":"Madrid","provenance":"Spain","author":"Ámparo López","copy_editor":"Anne Dowell"},"13838f38-9d4c-5ce5-b63d-fabe43b3504a":{"name":"«Holbein table»","description":"The table known as the «Holbein table« is one of the most important and most mysterious items in the furniture collection. Until 1965 it was attributed to the Basle painter Hans Holbein the Younger. It was only investigations by the Swiss National Museum in Zurich that revealed the true name of the artist as Hans Herbst. Painted table tops were a popular form of art in the Renaissance. They told stories, but above all represented the expert art knowledge and importance of the person who commissioned them, who has immortalised himself with a coat of arms and that of his wife in the middle of the table. They were Hans Bär and Katharina Brunner. Bär was a textile merchant in Basle and enlisted with foreign armies in the important function of standard bearer. He was killed at the battle of Marignano in 1515. The black background of the table imitates a slate on which various objects have been drawn, which, at a closer glance, turns out to be six allegorical scenes. To achieve as true-tolife an impression as possible, the artist used the trompel’oeil technique, creating an optical illusion, and distributed random objects across the table top such as playing cards, a pair of spectacles and a seal stamp bearing his name.","type":"Furniture","holder":"Swiss National Museum","owner":"Zentralbibliothek Zurich","dates":"1515","location":"Zurich","dimensions":"H: 132,5cm, W: 168cm, D: 8,2cm","method_for_datation":"Inscription on the painting on the surface of the table","provenance":"Basle, Switzerland","obtention":"Loan from the Zentralbibliothek Zurich 1985","keywords":["Alegorien","Basel","Basle","coat of arms","furniture","Hans Herbst","Holbein Tisch","painting","Stadtbibliothek","Zentralbibliothek Zürich"],"materials":["Oil on limewood","Wooden enclosure"]},"1477ac86-b5c4-5cf6-bb7a-c80c93766095":{"name":"Rosette from Ibn Tulun's Minbar at the mosque of Sultan Lagin","short_description":"The Ibn Tulun Mosque in Cairo was erected in the late ninth century and renovated and remodelled under Sultan Lagin 1296. The *minbar* of the Ibn Tulun mosque is one of the most pre-eminent works of Egyptian applied arts.","type":"Woodwork, wood","holder":"MAK – Museum of Applied Arts","dates":"AD 1296","location":"Vienna","dimensions":"Diameter: 130cm","provenance":"Egypt, Cairo","obtention":"Assumption","bibliography":"Noever, Peter (ed), *Global:Lab: Kunst als Botschaft. Asien und Europa 1500-1700, Exh. cat. Museum of Applied Arts Vienna*, Ostfildern: Hatje Cantz, 2009.","catalogue_holding_link":"https://sammlung.mak.at/sammlung_online?id=collect-50948","author":"Mio Wakita-Elis","keywords":["Ibn Tulun Mosque","Mamluk","Mosque interior decoration","wood"],"materials":["carved and marquetry decorations","Wood"]},"148b5238-d0f6-5a73-ade6-65b1ffbc8ca4":{"name":"Palanquin","short_description":"The palanquin from India, a symbol of royal power, is comprised of a wooden compartment with a woven floor and roof resembling an arch or two oyster halves seated on large poles. Engraved decorations, various shapes and motifs enhance the carriage. Thin drapes protect from prying eyes and cover the fortune carried inside the carriage. Only men of certain castes or elephants were allowed to bear the palanquin transporting royals on long journeys and brides to their wedding ceremony.  \n  \nAcross the Arabian Peninsula, palanquins receive the name *howdah* (*hawdaj*,) and carried Bedouin women on a camel’s back, frequently appearing in the poetry of the Murrah tribe. Since 1266, another variation called *mahmal* ceremonially transferred the cover of the Kaaba with the Egyptian pilgrimage to Mecca. Today, palanquins might be represented as the predecessors of bullet-proof cars with tinted windows, escorting royals and their entourage.","type":"Means of Transport","holder":"FBQ Museum","owner":"Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim Al Thani","dates":"19th century","location":"Shahaniya","dimensions":"Length: 398cm, Width: 85cm, Height: 110cm","method_for_datation":"The date and origin were derived from an examination of material and technique in a research comparison with similar objects.","method_for_provenance":"The date and origin were derived from an examination of material and technique in a research comparison with similar objects.","provenance":"India","obtention":"Purchase","bibliography":"Behrens-Abouseif, D., \"The Mahmal Legend and the Pilgrimage of the Ladies of the Mamluk Court\", *Mamluk Studies Review*, 1 (1997): 87-96.  \nIngham, B., \"Camel Terminology Among the ĀL Murrah Bedouins\", *Zeitschrift Für Arabische Linguistik*, 22 (1990): 67–78.  \nOpler, M. E., and Shukla, S., \"Palanquin Symbolism: The Special Vocabulary of the Palanquin-Bearing Castes of North Central India\", *The Journal of American Folklore*, 81 : 321 (1968): 216–234.  \nPaolini, S., \"Palanquins on Camels and Elephants in the Islamic World\",*Vicino Oriente* (2018): 227-240.","author":"Sarah Schroeder","copy_editor":"Valerie Pulsifer","keywords":["Arabian Peninsula","Carriage","Hawdah","Mahmal","Palanquin","Palki","royal","Transportation"],"materials":["carving","Wood"]},"14d23909-007c-5bfe-ba51-0f21c11eaef4":{"name":"Namban Oratory","description":"This rectangular oratory surmounted by a triangular pediment with the monogram *IHS* (the abbreviation of the Greek *IHSOUS*, or JESUS) located at the centre, has two side-panels enclosing a painting of the Virgin Mary holding the infant Jesus. Although the lacquer decoration presents a predominantly Japanese ornamental grammar – especially a floral one – both its form and the iconography embody Christian cultural references. The pictorial image is itself an example of the possible interaction between the Jesuit painting school – operating in Japan since the 1580s – and the Japanese pupils that quickly demonstrated skill in Western-style painting.  \nAs it is, such a hybrid object, that crosses different artistic backgrounds, could only have been made during the Portuguese presence in Japan, during the period spanning approximately 1549 to 1640.  \nThe oratory is mentioned in the *Inventário Artístico de Santarém* (Santarém Artistic Inventory) as Indo-Portuguese lacquer work. Such misinformation reveals how, in the middle of the 20th century, such an item was unfamiliar to the European public in general, but that was not the case in the late 16th and beginning of the 17th century, at least not for the Portuguese elite. Such a statement can only be based on the remaining objects – with or without associated painting – the number of which has expanded increasingly during the last three decades (this example did not come to light until 1985). A fact that also draws attention to the demands of the Iberian market for these objects at the time.  \nThe Sardoal Oratory has the particularity of being associated with a religious space, thanks to an inscription located on the altar of Nossa Senhora da Esperança in the Church of Nossa Senhora da Caridade. This text, dated 1670, is the earliest known reference in Portugal to a reminiscent *Namban* object.","short_description":"A lacquered *Namban* oratory with a floral design in gold and silver powder (*maki-e)* and mother of pearl inlay (*raden*) with a painting of the Virgin Mary holding the infant Jesus.","type":"Ecclesiastical furniture","holder":"Sardoal's Holy House of Mercy, Sardoal","owner":"Santa Casa da Misericórdia, Sardoal","initial_owner":"Gaspar de Sousa Lacerda (?)","dates":"Late 16th century","location":"Convent of Santa Maria da Caridade, Sardoal, Santarém","dimensions":"H: 47.2 cm; l: 35 cm; w: 5.1 cm","place_of_production":"Japan","method_for_datation":"The date and origin of the object were established on stylistic grounds and partially by the inscription (see text above).","provenance":"Portuguese India (?)","obtention":"The object was transferred from the church of Nossa Senhora da Caridade to the Santa Casa da Misericórdia.","bibliography":"Okamoto, Y., *The* Namban *Art of Japan*, New York, Tokyo, 1972.  \nPinto, M. and Mendes, H., *Lacas Namban em Portugal. Presença portuguesa no Japão*, Lisbon, 1990.  \nWatanabe, T., “Namban lacquer shrines: some new discoveries” in *Lacquerwork in Asia and Beyond. A Colloquy held 22–24 June 1981,* William Watson (ed), London: Percival David Foundation of Chinese Art, SOAS, \\[n.d\\], pp. 194–210. (*Colloquies on Art and Archaeology in Asia*, 11).  \n*Cristo fonte de esperança.* *Exposição do grande Jubileu do ano 2000*, Exhibition catalogue, Diocese do Porto, 2000.  \nImpey, O. and Jörg, C., *Japanese export lacquer 1580–1850*, Amsterdam, 2005..","workshop":"*Namban*","author":"Alexandra Curvelo","translator":"Alexandra Curvelo","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["floral decoration","inlay","Jesuit","Jesuit school of painting","Lacquer ware","religious furnishing","urushi"],"materials":["copper and mother of pearl inlay (raden)","frame: wood","gold powder","lacquer (urushi)","Painting: oil on copper","silver powder (maki-e)"]},"15127984-6ea0-5f83-a95c-d9e4f798184a":{"name":"Spindle wheel","description":"Early wooden spinning wheel which would have been used for the long-draw spinning technique for producing both cotton and wool.","type":"Spindle wheel","holder":"Department of Antiquities","owner":"Department of Antiquities","dates":"Early 20th century","location":"Amman","method_for_datation":"Early 20th century treadle loom weavers from Syria and Palestine settled in Jordan. They produced rugs, saddle bags and other textiles.","provenance":"Amman","obtention":"Purchased","bibliography":"Rashid, Abdallah, *Traditional life in Amman from 1878-1948*, Amman: Ministry of Culture and Youth, 1983.","author":"Samia Khouri","copy_editor":"Lisa Kelman","materials":["Wood"]},"153c5ddb-dd1d-5e3c-9e80-de0b66684f95":{"name":"Parts of a *minbar*.","description":"These elements of the facing of the *minbar* are formed by two distinctive parts. The first one consists of two longitudinal panels from the upper parts of the lateral faces of the *minbar*. Their surfaces, divided into sections and surmounted by an arch, are decorated with stacks of pinecones and acanthus rosettes borrowed from Abbasid flora. The panels are framed by a band bearing an inscription in angular *kufic* script also in an Eastern style. The inscription in the right panel, whose spandrels are adorned with half-sprays of acanthus, includes the date the Fatimids founded the *minbar*. The one in the left panel shows Qur'anic texts from verse 36 of Sura 24, 'The light'.  \nThe second part includes the three elements from the back.  \nThe top, arched panel is topped by an inscription in *kufic* script, which indicates the name of the Umayyad patron and the date the *minbar* was repaired. Its surface, framed by a border of small floral medallions, is decorated in two styles: the upper section is occupied in the centre by a rectangular panel with a poly-lobed arch with floral medallions and on the sides by festoon acanthus rosettes. The lower section is adorned with an acanthus rosette flanked by poly-lobed medallions containing polygonal knotwork based on an eight-pointed star.  \nThe rectangular middle part, bordered with a votive inscription, is adorned with a central motif of tiered chevrons with palm foliage and serrated acanthus rosettes inscribed in squares.  \nThe lower part is decorated with half-balusters in turned and painted wood, glued on a slab.  \nThese facings, which illustrate a historic period of Morocco when two political and religious movements fought for the hegemony of the country, play an important role in the history of Moroccan art, which, from that time forward, would be influenced both from the East and from Andalusia.","short_description":"These *minbar* parts illustrate a historical episode and the beginnings of Islamic art in Morocco, when Fatimids and Córdoban Umayyads were fighting for control of the country. The Fatimids incorporated Eastern decoration when making the *minbar*, and the Umayyads added Western elements when converting it.","type":"Woodwork, minbar, wood","holder":"Batha Museum.","initial_owner":"*Habus (waqf)*.","dates":"Sides: Hegira 369 / AD 979; back: Hegira 375 / AD 985.","location":"Fez.","dimensions":"Back: height 146 cm, width 75 cm, depth 3–4.5 cm; panels: height 56 cm, width 20.6 cm, depth 2.5–4.5 cm.","method_for_datation":"Two inscriptions mention the dates. The date of foundation is shown on the arcature in the right panel: 'This *minbar* was made in the month of Shawwal in the year 369 \\[April / May 979\\]' and the date it was repaired appears on the upper part of the back: '… this is what was commissioned by the mayor of the palace …, al-Mansur, sword of the empire of the *imam* and servant of God … Hisham … Abi Amir Muhammad … son of Abi Amir … in the month of Jumada II in the year 375 \\[October–November 985\\]'.","method_for_provenance":"These parts were removed from the *minbar*, which remained in use at the Andalusian Mosque from its creation in 369 / 979 until 1353 / 1934.","provenance":"Andalusian Mosque, Fez.","obtention":"*Habus*.","bibliography":"Cambazard-Amahan, C., *6000 ans d'art au Maroc*, catalogue, Paris, 1990.  \nLévy-Provençal, É., *Histoire de l'Espagne musulmane*, Vol. III, Paris, 1953.  \nTerrasse, H., *La Mosquée des Andalous à Fès*, Paris, 1934.","linkcatalogs":"IAM_MA_EN_001","author":"Naima El Khatib-Boujibar","copy_editor":"Margot Cortez","translator":"Albertina Torres","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["epigraphic decoration","floral decoration","geometric decoration","Habous","liturgical object","Mosque interior decoration","vegetal decoration"],"materials":["carved","painted cedarwood.","turned"]},"155d1175-57c1-5993-9a33-680636e74497":{"name":"Cosmetic case for a man","short_description":"The craft of lacquer work was widely practised in Iran from the 16th to the 19th century. Master artists in Esfahan or Teheran supplied the lacquer work for the court and the upper circles of society. The main subjects illustrated are: life at court, the legendary history of Iran and religious themes based on the Qur'an and the Old and New Testaments. The mirror and cosmetic case is a nice example of the considerable influence European Baroque painting had on Iranian lacquer work particularly during the Qajar epoch.","type":"Household item","holder":"Weltmuseum Wien","dates":"Hejira 1193 / 1779","location":"Vienna","dimensions":"L: 25cm, W: 17.7cm, H: 2.6cm","method_for_datation":"Entry in the general inventory and publication.","method_for_provenance":"Entry in the general inventory book.","provenance":"Iran","obtention":"Catalog entry: \"Found in the storerooms without an inventory number and documentation;  re-inventorized in 1968.\"","bibliography":"Janata, Alfred, \"Nordafrika, Vorder- und Zentralasien\", in Das Museum für Völkerkunde in Wien (ed.), *Das Museum für Völkerkunde in Wien (Mit Beiträgen von Hans Manndorff, Christian F. Feest, Armand Duchâteau, Alfred Janata, Kurt Binder, Heide Theisen, Hanns Peter, Peter Kann)*, Salzburg and Vienna: Residenz Verlag, 1980: 70-93.","materials":["glass","lacquer","metal","Paper","pigments","Wood"]},"15a036a6-aeac-5f6d-9650-0c088793d738":{"name":"Panel","short_description":"This elaborately carved wood panel has a central 12-point radiating star that extends outward to form a strong geometric, symmetrical pattern of multi-shaped polygons with raised edges. Carved in the centre of the large polygon forms are scrolling arabesques in high relief while smaller polygons are unornamented, creating high surface contrast. Purchased at auction in 1972.","type":"Islamic, Indian & Southeast Asian works of art; Woodwork","holder":"Shangri La, Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art","dates":"Hegira 9th century / AD 15th century","location":"Honolulu, Hawai'i","dimensions":"Overall: 172.7 x 111.8 cm","provenance":"Central Asia or Iran","keywords":["arabesque","carving","Central Asia","geometric motifs","Iran","panel","Timurid","wood"],"materials":["Wood"]},"178f74aa-fe42-524b-94f2-f5d4a1c1bd50":{"name":"Processional Altar of St. John the Evangelist","description":"A silver processional altar made at the beginning of the 18th century, which belonged to the Royal Monastery of Our Lady of Conception, and was used in the Procession of the Holy Sacrament in Beja. The social and religious significance of the Corpus Christi Day procession cannot be understated; it represents one of the greatest manifestations of the Portuguese Baroque, which once acknowledged, justifies the sumptuousness of some of the pieces used in these ceremonies. Traditionally, up until 1893, the altar was carried by farmers.  \nRectangular in shape, the *acroteria* (small bases placed at the four extremities) has a beaded edging, and four *albarradas* or ornamental vases, alternate with smaller jars in the middle. The entirety is covered with vegetable and scalloped-shell ornamentation, and St. James' crosses. The wooden carrying rods are also silver plated.  \nThe octagonal shaped pedestal stands over the main body, decorated with double scalloped-shell ornamentation, pear-shaped “tables” and St. James' crosses. There is also an octagonal platform with small jars placed at each corner of the pedestal.  \nAn iron column rises above the pedestal, covered with silk cloth embroidered with gold thread. It meets a gold and silver halo embellished with precious stones above which a gold and silver crown rests, also studded with precious stones. In the middle of the altarpiece, the Martyrdom of St. John the Evangelist is played out, the saint graphically shown immersed in boiling olive oil. The wooden effigy of the saint with clasped hands looks straight up at the sky. The silver boiler, standing on a silver tripod above the fire, is kept alight by two multicoloured wooden figures, kneeling at either side of the boiler. One of them is blowing and the other is using a solid-silver pitchfork.  \nThe patrons of the altarpiece were a group of nuns devoted to St. John the Evangelist. There was another group of nuns in the same convent that devoted themselves to St. John the Baptist and commissioned a similar processional altar in honour of the saint. In fact, both altarpieces date from the beginning of the 18th century and were made in the same workshop. They both show the same crowned stamps of the city of Lisbon and the same maker's letter “M”.","short_description":"A silver processional altar made at the beginning of the 18th century, it portrays features typical of the Portuguese Baroque at the time of King João V. Designed to represent the Martyrdom of St. John the Evangelist, the piece belonged to the Royal Monastery of Our Lady of Conception and was used in the procession of the Holy Sacrament in Beja, on Corpus Christi Day.","type":"Metalwork","holder":"Queen Leonor Museum","owner":"Museu Rainha D. Leonor","initial_owner":"Royal Monastery of Our Lady of Conception, Beja","dates":"c. 1700","location":"Beja, Beja","dimensions":"H: 199 cm; width: 99 cm; depth: 107 cm","place_of_production":"Portugal","method_for_datation":"Historical evidence: Tavares (1899) and the Chronicle of the Procession of Corpus Christi in Beja","provenance":"Royal Monastery of Our Lady of Conception, Beja","obtention":"Originally belonged to the Royal Monastery of Our Lady of Conception, Beja was transferred to the Museu Rainha D. Leonor also in Beja.","bibliography":"*Museu Regional de Beja, Catálogo de algumas peças principais*, cat. 84, Lisbon, \\[n.d.\\].  \nViana, A., “Andores de prata do Museu Regional de Beja”, *Arquivo de Beja*, V, 1948.  \nRoque, J., “Os Andores de prata do Real Mosteiro da Conceição de Beja”, *Ourivesaria Portuguesa*, cat. 13, 14, 15, Revista oficial dos Industriais de Ourivesaria do Norte, 1951.  \nInventário Artístico de Portugal, Academia Nacional de Belas Artes, \\[Edição CD ROM, CD III - Distrito de Beja\\], Lisboa, 2000.","workshop":"National Baroque","author":"Museu Regional de Beja","translator":"Maria José Barroso","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Beja","Corpus Christi","Mosteiro da Conceição","Processional altar","religious furnishing","religious object","St.John the Evangelist","worship"],"materials":["Gilded and painted wood with silver and precious stones"]},"17a2e88a-66ac-57c9-918e-1dc52eb70372":{"name":"Chest","short_description":"This large wood rectangular trunk with a back-hinged lid is supported on four legs joined by a scalloped apron. The trunk is extensively inlaid with mother-of-pearl on its top, front, sides, and base. On the front, a flower and vase motif and a floral spray flank a central lattice-filled roundel. A highly ornate trefoil and geometric band runs along the edges of the central panel. The interior is unornamented with one compartment at left and two small shelves at right.","type":"Islamic, Indian & Southeast Asian works of art; furniture; inlaid woodwork","holder":"Shangri La, Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art","dates":"Hegira early 13th century / AD early 19th century","location":"Honolulu, Hawai'i","dimensions":"Overall: 105.4 x 165.1 x 69.9 cm","provenance":"Syria","keywords":["floral decoration","furnishing","inlay","Mother-of-pearl","Ottoman","Syria","wood"],"materials":["metal wire and hardware","mother-of-pearl inlay","Wood"]},"19a79dbf-5845-53ed-a137-ee4c74fd1299":{"name":"Inkpot and blotter","alternate_name":"Personal belonging of Dimitrija Chupovski; Mastilnica and popivatelna hartija","description":"Dimitrija Chupovski (1878-1940) devoted his life to raising the awareness of Macedonians about their national identity. He worked actively on the recognition of Macedonian as distinct Slavic language and prepared the grammar of the modern Macedonian language. He also contributed to opening schools for children in Macedonia to learn in their native language.","type":"Piece of a writing set","holder":"Museum of Macedonia","dates":"Early 20th century","location":"Skopje","author":"Nada Andonovska (author)","copy_editor":"Daniel de la Vega"},"19c131a2-1764-5332-adc2-8dd10e15a0f0":{"name":"Fragment of wooden ceiling.","description":"The ceiling, made of interlocking panels, is divided into geometric shapes by a frame with mouldings that intersect and intertwine with one another, creating squares or diamonds containing an eight-pointed star in their centre. The internal parts are carved richly and meticulously in arabesques, to form lace-like patterns. The decoration is made up of plant motifs and animals carved in full relief, including lions, gazelles, hares, birds of prey attacking their quarry and eagles with their wings outstretched. This type of decoration, with a highly worked background and the bands of the frame moulded with a simple geometric motif, is the same as is found in the more stylised stucco and plaster slabs from the medieval church of San Giuliano di Caltagirone, possibly used as decorative architectural dividers between the apse and the nave, or as an altar. The ceiling, which undoubtedly originated in a shared residence and may have come from the Royal Palace itself (suggested by the presence of figurative subjects as well as the traditional geometrical decorative motifs and arabesques) is an example of Fatimid ‘frozen realism’ (Scerrato 1979).","short_description":"Ceiling decorated with plant motifs and carved figures of common animals such as lions, gazelles and hares. Created by Fatimid craftsmen, this example almost certainly came from the Royal Palace.","type":"Woodwork, ceiling, wood","holder":"Regional Gallery of Sicily, Abatellis Palace","dates":"Mid-12th century.","location":"Palermo","dimensions":"Height 134 cm, width 74 cm.","method_for_datation":"By comparison with the Carrand ivories from Florence and shaped wood at the Museum of Islamic Art in Cairo and see Bibliography.","method_for_provenance":"From historical documents and see Bibliography.","provenance":"Royal (Norman) Palace, Palermo.","obtention":"Deposit, previously held at the Royal Museum of Palermo.","bibliography":"Delogu R., *La Galleria Nazionale della Sicilia*, Rome, 1977, pp.15, 59.  \nScerrato U., “Arte Islamica in Italia”, in *Gli Arabi in Italia* (eds. F. Gabrieli and U. Scerrato), Milan, 1979, pp.524–5 and fig. 196.","linkcatalogs":"IAM_IT_EN_001","author":"Rita Bernini","copy_editor":"Pier Paolo Racioppi","translator":"Laurence Nunny","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["Arab-Norman","carpentry","ceiling","Fatimid architecture","figurative decoration","geometric decoration"],"materials":["Carved wood."]},"1b9f2cfd-d948-5273-a47b-a0eb83cc7069":{"name":"Qur'an stand (*kursi*)","short_description":"This tall, hexagonal brass side table has a flat top, six-sided body, and six baluster-shaped feet. The table is inlaid with inscriptional panels offset by engraved or pierced vegetal patterns. The sides are composed of several panels inset within a frame. This stand may originally have been used to support the Qur’an as it was read. For protection, the Qur’an could be stored inside the stand by opening the small doors and placing the text within.","type":"Islamic, Indian & Southeast Asian works of art; Metalwork","holder":"Shangri La, Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art","dates":"Hegira c. 1317 / AD 1900","location":"Honolulu, Hawai'i","dimensions":"Overall: 86 x 47 x 47 cm","provenance":"Egypt, probably Cairo","keywords":["brass","Copper","copper alloy","Egypt","furnishing","geometric motifs","inlay","inscription","kursi","Neo Mamluk","Neo-Mamluk","Qur'an","revivalism","silver"],"materials":["Copper alloy (brass)","inlaid with silver and copper inlay"]},"1ca4ae5b-e753-59d1-a5de-423460efb5d1":{"name":"Iconostasis in the Church of the Holy Saviour","description":"This iconostasis was created by one of the greatest Macedonian masters of woodcarving, Petre Filipovski Garka, who formed his own group of artisans and developed his outstanding style of wood-carving, which was widely recognizable in the Balkans in the early 19th century. This exquisite piece of wood-carving was made from walnut in the technique of high relief. The iconostasis depicts scenes from the Old and the New Testament in which biblical figures are rendered wearing traditional costumes worn in Macedonia. The detail shows the self-portraits of Petre Filipovski and his associate artisans.","type":"Work of art executed in wood-carving; iconostasis","holder":"The Church of the Holy Saviour","dates":"1824","location":"Skopje","provenance":"Skopje","author":"Nada Andonovska","copy_editor":"Daniel de la Vega"},"1cc24be1-3e5f-5a9b-babb-1317370820d2":{"name":"Walls and ceiling of the Damascus Room","short_description":"The Damascus Room consists of eighteenth-century *‘ajami* wood panelling (four walls and a ceiling), which would have originally decorated a reception room (typically known as a *qa‘a*) of an affluent courtyard home in Syria. It is a quintessential example of late-Ottoman Syrian architectural decoration reconstituted to meet the needs of a twentieth-century environment and collector.","type":"Islamic, Indian & Southeast Asian works of art; Woodwork; painting; architectural decoration; panel","holder":"Shangri La, Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art","dates":"Hegira 1163–1215 / AD 1750–1800, with some panels added in hegira 1372–1374 / AD 1953–54","location":"Honolulu, Hawai'i","dimensions":"Various","provenance":"Syria, Damascus","keywords":["Ajami","Ajami room","Aleppo room","architectural decoration","ceiling","Damascus room","interior ornament","late Ottoman","painted wooden wall paneling","Syria","Syrian craft","wood","wood paneling"],"materials":["gilded","painted","with metal leaf and translucent glazes ('ajami technique)","Wood"]},"1d94b78b-1988-5dfa-9032-f8a590336d06":{"name":"Chest from Palencia Cathedral.","description":"Wood core and leather chest, covered with ivory plates and arrises (edges) reinforced with enamelled copper. It has a prismatic structure and a coffin-shaped lid. The fretwork ivory plates are finely decorated with chiaroscuro plant arabesques, formed by fan- and ring-shaped leaves and palmettes interspersed with peacocks, gazelles and griffins facing one another. The traditional themes of a lion attacking a deer and crossbowmen hunting also appear. The decoration is completed by an inscription in florid *kufic* characters that reads: 'In the name of God the Clement and the Merciful. Everlasting blessing, complete protection, constant peace, lasting fortune, renewed benefits, glory, wealth, constant favour and the hope to be heard, for its owner, may God prolong his life. Of that which was made in the city of Cuenca, under the orders of *hajib* Hisham al-Dawla Abu Muhammad son of al-Ma'mun Dhu'l-Majdayn, son of al-Zafir Dhu'l-Riyasatayn, Abi Muhammad son of Dhi'l-Nun, may Allah enlighten him! in the year one and forty and four hundred. The work of 'Abd al-Rahman bin Zaywan'. Although it would be inaccurate to speak of an ivory workshop in Cuenca, the creation of three 11th-century chests has nonetheless been documented: one from Silos (1026) which is now in the Museum of Burgos (Spain), this chest from Palencia (1049–50) and the box from Narbonne Cathedral (France), from a similar period as this one.","short_description":"The work on the ivory plates that cover this wooden chest was taken from the Caliphate tradition, although the relief is lower and the interpretation of its decorative plant and hunting scenes more schematic. It was made in Cuenca for one of the sons of the king of Toledo.","type":"Woodwork, chest, ivory, wood","holder":"National Archaeological Museum.","dates":"Hegira 441 / AD 1049–50.","location":"Madrid","dimensions":"Height 23 cm, width 34 cm, depth 23 cm.","method_for_datation":"The chest, signed by ‘Abd al-Rahman bin Zaywan, is dated 441 / 1049–50.","method_for_provenance":"It takes its name from Palencia Cathedral where it was found in use as a reliquary. However, we know from the inscription that it was made in Cuenca, which at that time belonged to the Taifa of Toledo.","provenance":"Cuenca, Spain.","obtention":"The chest was donated to the National Archaeological Museum by the Bishop and Chapter of Palencia Cathedral on 14 December 1911.","bibliography":"*Al-Andalus: Las Artes Islámicas en España*, Exhibition catalogue, Madrid, 1992, p.204, cat. no. 7. English edition: *Al-Andalus: The Art Of Islamic Spain* (ed. J. D. Dodds), New York, 1992.  \nAmador de los Ríos, R., “Arquetas Arábigas de Plata y Marfil”, in *Museo Español de Antigüedades*, Vol. VIII, 1877, pp.529–49.  \nFranco Mata, á., “La Eboraria de los Reinos Hispánicos Durante los Siglos XI y XII”, in *La Península Ibérica y el Mediterráneo Entre los Siglos XI y XII, Codex Aquilarensis. Cuadernos de Investigación del Monasterio de Santa María la Real*, 13, 1998, pp.143–66.  \nGómez Moreno, M., *El Arte en España: Guía del Museo del Palacio Nacional*, Barcelona, 1929, p.66, no. 2585.  \nZozaya Stabel-Hansen, J., “Los Marfiles de Cuenca”, in *Cuenca, Mil Años de Arte*, Cuenca, 1999, pp.75–114.","author":"Ángela Franco","copy_editor":"Rosalía Aller","translator":"Laurence Nunny","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["calligraphy","Chest","figurative decoration","floral decoration","hunting","inscription","ivory","kufic","reliquary","sumptuary arts"],"materials":["copper","deep carvings","enamel","ivory","mould cast.","Wood"]},"1e282c8c-3fed-5331-b88b-4c2782ff7968":{"name":"Fragment of a painted wooden panel.","description":"In Palace B in the Raqqa region, we find a group of applied ornamental techniques executed in various materials. These include the use of plaster frames for doors and windows as well as wooden panels to cover walls and ceilings of formal imperial halls. Similar forms and techniques existed in the Umayyad period and may be found in Qasr al-Hayr al-Gharbi. This indicates a continuation of this type of palatial decoration between the Umayyad and Abbasid periods.  \nThis rectangular fragment from a painted wooden panel is decorated with stylised floral and vegetal motifs bracketed by geometric designs. The decoration is executed in black, red, yellow and brown applied in gradual shades to make the drawings seem three-dimensional.","short_description":"A painted wooden panel that once decorated the reception hall of an 'Abbasid palace in Raqqa reveals a high degree of expertise in three-dimensional shading of floral motifs.","type":"Woodwork, panel, wood","holder":"National Museum of Damascus","initial_owner":"Caliph al-Mu'tasim Billah (r. AH 218–27 / AD 833–42).","dates":"Hegira 218–27 / AD 833–42.","location":"Damascus","dimensions":"Length 52.2 cm, width 11.1 cm.","method_for_datation":"The object was found in Palace B in the Raqqa region. An inscription on plaster was found on one of the walls of the palace associating it with the Abbasid Caliph al-Mu'tasim Billah (r. 218–27/ 833–42). The palace is thought to have been built in around 220 (835).","method_for_provenance":"This piece of architectural ornamentation was found in palace B in the Raqqa region and was probably made *in situ*.","provenance":"Raqqa region, Syria.","obtention":"The object was recovered during archaeological excavations carried out in 1952 by the Syrian General Directorate of Antiquities under the direction of Nasib Salibi.","bibliography":"Abu al-Faraj al-Ush, M., *A Concise Guide to the National Museum of Damascus,*  \nDamascus, 1969, p.158.  \nAndalucia, J., de- (ed), *El esplendor de los Omeyas cordobeses*, exhibition  \ncatalogue, Granada, 2001.  \nDaiber, V., and Becker A., *Raqqa III*, Mainz, 2004.  \nKohlmeyer, K. (ed), *Land des Baal,* Mainz, 1982.","author":"Mona al-Moadin","translator":"Hilary Kalmbach (from the Arabic)","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Nasib Salibi","Raqqa","wood"],"materials":["Painted wood."]},"1ea97525-6563-5427-9f6b-2069ec80926d":{"name":"Pencase","short_description":"Little is known of the painter Muhammad Yusuf. As his signature attests, he was the son of Muhammad Zaman (active Hegira ca. 1072-1105 / AD ca. 1662-1694). Besides the pencase presented here, only two others are known, both of which are in the Museum of Decorative Arts in Tehran. Like his better-known brother Muhammad ʿAli, he apparently specialised in lacquer paintings. A fourth work is part of the so-called Plovtsova Album in St. Petersburg (VP-7153); it is dated Hegira 1108 (AD 1696/97) and so far the oldest known and published work by Muhammad Yusuf.  \n  \nThe pencase shows a sumptuously dressed young woman in a landscape on the front. With its many Europeanising motifs, it is typical of the landscapes of Muhammad Zaman and his brother Haji Muhammad (active Hegira 1084-1124 / AD 1673-1712). The young woman, on the other hand, goes back to a figure type that was popular in Safavid Persia from around 1660 to the late 1680s. \"Invented\" by Bahram Sofrakish (active Hegira 1030-1050s / AD 1621-1640s) probably in the Deccan in South India, he brought it to Isfahan around 1640, where it was further developed by Shaykh ʿAbbasi (active Hegira 1057-1094 / AD 1647-1683) and then taken up by other painters. The sides of the pencase are decorated with an array of different flowers. Such \"flower portraits\" are first found in the work of Shafiʿ Abbasi (active Hegira 1040-1066 / AD 1631-1656), and are later incorporated into the work of Muhammad Zaman and especially his brother.","type":"Pencase","holder":"Museum Rietberg","initial_owner":"1979-2017: private collection, USA","dates":"Hegira 1120 / AD 1708/09","location":"Zurich","dimensions":"Length: 22.7cm, Width: 3.6cm, Height: 3.8cm","method_for_datation":"Signature and date on object","method_for_provenance":"Information of previous owner was provided by Christie's, where the object was bought in 2017.","provenance":"Iran","obtention":"Acquisition with funds of the Rietberg Kreis","bibliography":"ʿAli Karimzada Tabrizi, Muhammad, “Muḥammad Yūsuf”, *Aḥvāl va asar-i naqqashan-i qadim-i Iran va barkhi az mashahir-i nigarʹgar-i Hind va ʻUsmani* (The Lives and Arts of Old Painters of Iran and a Selection of Masters from the Ottoman and Indian Regions), 3 (1997): 1115-6.  \nLanger, Axel, “Rohrfederschachtel, qalamdan”, in *Jahresbereichts 2017*, Zurich: Museum Rietberg, 2018: 26-31.","author":"Axel Langer","copy_editor":"Jonathan Turnbull","materials":["lacquer","Opaque watercolour","Papier maché"]},"1f803c2c-5108-54ea-bfed-5c226d537a0e":{"name":"Mirror","description":"The mirror, which has a gilded wooden frame and ground-glass edges with flower and plant ornaments, is probably the work of one of the numerous glass workshops on the island of Murano, near Venice. Its form most probably suited the sophisticated taste of the European nobility. There are similar mirrors in many manors and museum collections today.  \nUnfortunately, the original owner is unknown.  \nExhibited in the Baroque salon of the permanent collection of Varaždin’s Gothic-Renaissance castle, the mirror, together with other items of the collection, present the visitor with the most representative trends and refined atmosphere of the Baroque period in Varaždin.","short_description":"The mirror, which has a gilded wooden frame and ground-glass edges with flower and plant ornaments, is probably the work of one of the numerous glass workshops on the island of Murano, near Venice. It is representative of the trends and refined atmosphere of the Baroque period in Varaždin.","type":"Furniture (mirror)","holder":"City Museum, Varaždin","dates":"First half of 18th century","location":"Varaždin, North-West Croatia","dimensions":"H: 133 cm; w: 70 cm; glass: h: 50 cm; w: 37 cm","place_of_production":"Murano, near Venice, Italy","method_for_datation":"By the inscription and analysis of style.","bibliography":"Klemm, M., *Guide to the Permanent Exhibition of the Cultural History Department*, City Museum, Varaždin, 1989, p. 56.  \nKlemm, M., *Baroque in Croatia*, Zagreb, 1993, p. 237.  \nŠimunić, L., *Abitare il Settecento*, exhibition catalogue, 2008, p. 38.","workshop":"“Manifattura Veneziana” (Manufacture Venice), Murano","author":"Ljerka Šimunić","translator":"Ljerka Šimunić","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["floral decoration","furnishing","gilding","glass","wood carving"],"materials":["Gilded wood and ground glass"]},"204c2ab2-db81-52a6-a76c-ac1ed90fe523":{"name":"Window screen.","description":"A wooden panel consisting of a framed latticework is called a *mashrabiyya*. The area of this *mashrabiyya* is structured in three zones formed by carved frames of different sizes. Each zone is filled with a geometric design of woodwork. The vertical and horizontal bars of the outer area are combined with diagonals arranged in the same direction in each row giving the impression of a stem and leaf pattern. In contrast, the diagonal bars of the second zone lead away radially from an oval centre forming a pattern of abstract flowers. The hinged aperture situated in the upper part of the second zone is filled with a latticework consisting of round junctions, each with four diagonal bars leading away radially.  \nThe outer frame of the panel, assembled in a different way from the frame of the aperture, might be not original. The ledges are of various widths and are not carved like the two inner ones.  \nWooden latticework panels are intended to serve as windows onto the inner courtyard of a house or onto the street.","short_description":"Wooden panel consisting of a framed latticework, called *mashrabiyya*. The latticework is formed by vertical, horizontal and diagonal bars arranged in geometrical patterns. *Mashrabiyyas* serve as windows onto the courtyard of the house or onto the street.","type":"Woodwork, architectural decoration","holder":"Museum of Mediterranean and Near Eastern Antiquities (Medelhavsmuseet).","owner":"National Museum of Fine Arts, Stockholm. In order to reorganise the expanding collections, the main part of the Islamic collection has been on permanent loan to the Museum of Mediterranean and Near Eastern Antiquities since 1982.","dates":"Hegira 10th–13th centuries / AD 16th–19th centuries.","location":"Stockholm","dimensions":"Height 116.5 cm, width 89 cm.","method_for_datation":"The dating of this object is difficult. The latticework shows no specific features. Since the acquisition is also unknown, there is no *terminus ante quem*. Furthermore, it lacks a comparative study of the decorative patterns to establish a certain dating. To date, the only feature is the rough surface that could be evidence of a dating earlier than the 13th / 19th century.","method_for_provenance":"Window screens housed in the Louvre Museum, Paris, for which an Egyptian provenance seems to be proved, show a similar structure and design to this screen.","provenance":"Egypt.","obtention":"Gift to the National Museum of Fine Arts from the estate of Björkman, Paris.","bibliography":"Anglade, E., *Catalogue des Boiseries de la Section Islamique,* Paris, 1988.  \nLane-Pool, S., *The Art of the Saracens in Egypt*, London, 1886.","linkcatalogs":"IAM_TR_EN_001","author":"Friederike Voigt","copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["architecture","geometric design","latticework","Mashrabiyya","woodwork"],"materials":["latticework.","Wood"]},"20ddf7d0-c8c3-5985-8cd5-4be93c3b922b":{"name":"Qur’an box.","description":"This Qur’an box was constructed to contain a Qur’an made of 30 fascicles. It was probably produced at the request of a Mamluk sultan or a high dignitary, in order for them to donate it to a religious foundation (mosque, *madrasa* or mausoleum).  \nThe box, which is supported on four legs, consists of a square wooden box covered in brass plates. The sloping, desk-like lid is attached on the back by two hinges and has a buckle on the front through which to put a lock. Each brass plate is decorated and features inscriptions in gold and silver inlay. The inside of the box is upholstered in fabric and has two compartments, each with 15 divisions, in which to put a Qur’an. The outer sides are covered in Arabic inscriptions, in *kufic* and *thuluth* script, that protrude from the surface; the calligraphy covers a backdrop composed of small-scale plants including lotus blossoms. Quotations from the Qur’an run along the length of the outer surfaces (Sura 24 verse 35 and Sura 2 verse 255 ‘Ayat al-Kursi’). More quotations are found on the desk-like lid and on the narrow inscription friezes (Sura 3 verses 26–7, Sura 26 verses 192–9, Sura 56 verses 76–89 and 92–5, and Sura 59 verses 22–4). The underside is decorated with geometric patterns.  \nBoth a name and the 30 Qur’an fascicles are missing. Two related Qur’an boxes from the same period, around AH 730 / AD 1330, have survived in Cairo. One of these displays the name of the Mamluk sultan al-Nasir Muhammad and the date AH 723 / AD 1322. It now belongs to the library of al-Azhar mosque. The second, undated, box is housed in the Museum of Islamic Art in Cairo.  \nIn Mamluk Egypt, Qur’ans were usually kept in boxes (*sunduq*) or in freestanding metal cabinets (*kursi*). Because they were used constantly, few of the actual Qur’ans survived.","short_description":"This square box, supported on four legs, was made to hold a now missing Qur’an of 30 separate volumes, which were placed in two rows of 15 compartments. Magnificently executed Qur’anic inscriptions in different scripts lavishly decorate the exterior in gold and silver.","type":"Box, Quran, metalwork","holder":"Museum of Islamic Art at the Pergamon Museum","dates":"Around Hegira 730 / AD 1330.","location":"Berlin","dimensions":"Height 27 cm, width 42.5 cm, depth 42.5 cm.","method_for_datation":"The name of the maker of this Qur’an box also appears on a tall *kursi* (an octagonal cabinet which houses a Qur’an) housed in the Museum of Islamic Art, Cairo, and dated to 727–8 / 1327–8. It is thought that the Berlin Qur’an box dates from the same period.","method_for_provenance":"Inlaid Qur’an boxes such as this one were only known in Mamluk Egypt, and it was here where they were also made.","provenance":"Cairo, Egypt.","obtention":"Acquired from a private art gallery in Cairo in 1904 through B. Moritz.","bibliography":"*The Arts of Islam*, Catalogue, Hayward Gallery, London 8 April – 4 July 1976, London, 1976, no. 214.  \nAtil, E., *Renaissance of Islam: Art of the Mamluks*, Washington, 1981, no. 25.  \n*Islamic Art in Egypt 969–1517*, Catalogue, Cairo, 1969, nos. 60–2.  \nJames, D., *Qur’ans of the Mamluks*, London, 1988.  \nZaky, M. H., *Atlas of Moslem Decorative Arts*, Cairo, 1956, fig. 512.","linkcatalogs":"IAM_EG_EN_001","author":"Jens Kröger","translator":"Maria Vlotides","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["inlay","metalwork","Qur’an","Qur’an box"],"materials":["Bronze sheets on a wooden core","gold and silver inlay."]},"232d8890-0876-5479-966e-ac44c41896b0":{"name":"Frieze panels.","description":"Two panels made of pine, each carved with an inscription in deep relief and background decoration in lower relief. Both levels of carving are decorated with plaster and with green, red, and white paint. The inscriptions, done in a style of calligraphy known as foliated *kufic*, consist of verses from the Qur'an: the first panel has part of *sura* 2, verse 164, while the second has part of *sura* 3, verse 191. Clearly these panels were part of a much larger ensemble, one which probably decorated the upper level of a building intended for religious use, such as a *madrasa* or a mosque. Friezes of Qur'anic quotations were common in such settings in many parts of the Islamic world; one such frieze in the Mosque of Ibn Tulun in Cairo was originally over 2 km long.  \n  \nThe style of the panels suggests an origin in Spain or North Africa under the Almohads. The Almohads are known to have had fairly ascetic views on art, yet it is worth noting that for them, a Berber dynasty with origins in the Sahara desert, wood would have been considered a luxury material.","short_description":"Two panels of pinewood carved in relief with inscriptions and (originally) decorated with paint and plaster. The inscriptions are Qur’anic verses, and the panels were probably once part of a frieze in a mosque. Wood was considered a luxury material in a desert environment like that of North Africa.","type":"Woodwork, carved, painted","holder":"Victoria and Albert Museum.","dates":"Hegira 6th / AD 12th or early AH 7th / AD 13th century.","location":"London, England","dimensions":"378B–1907: Height 16.8cm, width 101.4cm, depth 1.8cm; 378C–1907: Height 16.7cm, width 103cm, depth 2cm.","method_for_datation":"Both the style of calligraphy and the arabesque scrolls forming the background, are typical of Spanish and North African architectural decoration under the Almoravids (448–551 / 1056–1147) and Almohads (524–667 / 1130–1269).","method_for_provenance":"Stylistic comparisons.","provenance":"Spain or North Africa.","obtention":"Purchased by the Museum in 1907.","bibliography":"Stanley, T., with Rosser-Owen, M. and Vernoit, S., *Palace and Mosque: Islamic Art from the Middle East*, London, 2004, p.27.","author":"Barry Wood","copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["carving","foliated","inscription","kufic"],"materials":["carved","plastered and painted wood."]},"24c4d60c-f039-586c-b878-b41f99dc6b12":{"name":"Panel.","description":"The rectangular panel consists of an arch with small plain sections on each side. Its carved decoration shows a symmetrical floral composition. The centre forms a vase-like motif with a flower. Leaves of different sizes and shapes fill the space inside and outside the arch. The decoration consists of a variety of small elements, but the overall composition appears integrated since the curves form a relationship through all parts. The deep carved patterns are of charming clarity and possess sculptural depth.  \nThis type of decoration goes back to the stuccoes and wood carvings at Samarra. Samarra, situated some 60 miles up the Tigris from Baghdad, was the capital of the Abbasid caliphs from AH 224 / AD 838until AH 270 / AD 883. Ahmad ibn Tulun, the founder of the Tulunid dynasty in Egypt (AH 254–94 / AD 868–906) spent many years in Samarra and brought the Abbasid style of decoration and Abbasid craftsmen to his own capital, al-Qata'i. The so-called style C of the Samarra stuccoes is characterised by bevelling carved, symmetrical abstract patterns of leaf and vase motifs which match the shapes within the arch of the wooden panel. The wood carvings made in Tulunid Egypt at the end of the AH 3rd / AD 9th century represent the culmination of this style, although they have a tendency to break up the originally broad sculptured surface into smaller elements as in the case of this panel. The specific function of the panel is not known; it was possibly part of the architectural decoration.","short_description":"The carved decoration on this rectangular wooden panel shows a vase-like motif, with a flower in the centre and leaves inside and outside the arch. This decorative style goes back to Abbasid stuccoes and wood carvings in Iraq. The panel was possibly part of Tulunid architectural decoration.","type":"Woodwork, panel, wood","holder":"Museum of Mediterranean and Near Eastern Antiquities (Medelhavsmuseet).","owner":"National Museum of Fine Arts, Stockholm. In order to reorganise the expanding collections, the main part of the Islamic collection has been on permanent loan to the Museum of Mediterranean and Near Eastern Antiquities since 1982.","dates":"Hegira late 3rd century / AD late 9th century.","location":"Stockholm","dimensions":"Height 29 cm, width 68 cm.","method_for_datation":"The architectural decoration of the mosque of Ahmad ibn Tulun in al-Qata'i, completed in 266 / 879, is close to the style of this panel.","method_for_provenance":"The object was found during excavations in Egypt.","provenance":"Probably al-Qata’i, Egypt.","obtention":"Purchased by the Crown Prince of Sweden in December 1934 in Cairo.","bibliography":"Abu Khalaf, M., “Early Islamic Woodwork in Egypt and the Fertile Crescent”, Ph.D. dissertion, University of Oxford, 1985.  \nAnglade, E., *Catalogue des Boiseries de la Section Islamique,* Paris, 1988.  \nPauty, M. E., *Catalogue Général du Musée Arabe du Caire: Les Bois Sculptés*, Cairo, 1931.","author":"Friederike Voigt","copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["floral decoration","woodwork"],"materials":["carved.","Wood"]},"25fd225a-8425-5648-a345-5ebb03d005da":{"name":"Gate of ash-Shibak Fort","short_description":"This magnificent gate once guarded the entrance to ash-Shibak Fort. Also known as *al-Bait al-Kabir* (literally “the Big House”), ash-Shibak Fort was built by Sheikh Ahmad bin Rabia’a al-Ismaili al-Himyari, a leading figure of the Yaruba Imamate under the rule of Imam Sultan bin Saif II al-Yarubi.  \nThe gate carvings features calligraphic, floral and animal motifs including the Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom and an Arabic inscription that reads:  \n  \n*To the Great Lord \\[al-Sayyid\\] Made in Surat  \nAhmad al-Ismaili In Muharram  \nal-Himyari \\[may he\\] consolidate Islam in the year 1126*  \n  \nToday, the gate stands as a unique example of defensive artistry and bears witness to the strong commercial and political ties that existed between Oman and India during the time of the al-Yaruba Imams, the Mughal Empire and the British East India Company.","holder":"National Museum Oman","dates":"Hegira 1126 / AD 1714","location":"Muscat","dimensions":"Height: 283.5cm, Length: 218.5cm, Width: 31cm","provenance":"Surat, Mughal Empire, India","copy_editor":"Liz Cooper","materials":["Teakwood and brass"]},"268cfa7c-8dd4-56db-8479-fc02d03a57e6":{"name":"Door","short_description":"One part from a wooden door panel laid out in strap work following the structural lines of an infinite-repetition geometric star pattern (square plan of repetition, eight-pointed stars and other polygons), all compartments with panels carved with palmette and half-palmette designs.","type":"Woodwork, architectural","holder":"Dar al-Athar al-Islamiyyah","dates":"Hegira late 8th century / AD late 14th century","location":"Kuwait City","provenance":"Spain","keywords":["Door","geometric patterns","wood"]},"26fd8fdd-9bc0-5670-be93-f86c07c23383":{"name":"Dresser","description":"This wooden dresser contains four large drawers and one thin upper drawer. It is topped with a marble slab and rectangular mirror in a wooden frame, decorated with a wooden crest and carved with floral patterns. The wood is covered in a mosaic of bone or ceramic pieces, organised in a floral design. Each drawer has a keyhole and is opened by two individually painted knobs.","type":"Furniture; woodwork","holder":"Lebanese Heritage Museum","dates":"19th century","location":"`Ayn Najm","provenance":"Turkey","author":"Marie Therese Moujabber","copy_editor":"Flaminia Baldwin"},"2761dfdd-179f-5f5e-bc92-ae41bdd8bcc2":{"name":"Door of the ante-chamber of the *maqsura*.","description":"This huge rectangular door is made up of a main-door framework containing two pass-doors. The door is divided into panels separated by uprights and cross-pieces which stand out in relief, carved with rich floral decoration. This decoration also covers the main surrounding framework, on which alternating relief panels (long hexagons and diamond shapes) make a base for even more striking carving. These panels are filled with furled tri-lobed fleurons all connected to a curving stem, which, according to some mysterious symmetry, seems to weave in and out in ever more fantastical convolutions. The top centre panel of the frame is a 16-sided star polygon, even more boldly and exuberantly decorated with pine cones and chalices, palm leaves and stalks, some carved with certain symmetry. One feels that this is the beginning of a break-away from the decorative repertoire of the *minbar* of the Great Mosque of Kairouan (built AH 248 / AD 866) towards the Fatimid art of Egypt, which itself had absorbed some Abbasid themes.  \nThe simpler decoration of the internal panels of the door and of the pass-doors is confined to a few geometric motifs. Some of these panels seem to have been restored during the Hafsid period.","short_description":"The decoration and manufacturing technique of this door are identical to those used for the *maqsura* (recess) at the Great Mosque of Kairouan. The framing and decoration of the panels that make up the two halves are simple and limited to geometric motifs, presenting similarities with Egyptian Fatimid art.","type":"Woodwork, door, wood","holder":"Museum of Islamic Art.","initial_owner":"The Zirid prince, al-Mu‘izz ibn Badis.","dates":"Hegira, second quarter of the 5th century / AD 11th century.","location":"Raqqada., Kairouan.","dimensions":"Height 284 cm, width 221 cm.","method_for_datation":"The decoration and structure of this door are absolutely identical to those of the *maqsura* built by the Zirid prince, al-Mu'izz ibn Badis. In fact, some believe it to be the door of the *maqsura* itself. But taking into consideration the differing dimensions of the two objects in question, especially the height, and the absence of any calligraphic inscription, some studies have concluded that this door was the entrance to a room adjacent to the *maqsura* and which is now the imam's audience-chamber. It is likely to have been the room from which the prince and his attendants entered the *maqsura* to join in prayers. This would date the door from the same period as the *maqsura* of al-Mu'izz (second quarter of the 5th / 11th century).","method_for_provenance":"The decoration leaves no doubt that the door is Kairouanese. The cedarwood used in its construction probably came from the forests of northwest Tunisia or from Sicily.","provenance":"Kairouan.","obtention":"Until the mid-1960s, this door was part of the relics of the Great Mosque of Kairouan and was kept in one of its storage rooms. As from 1978, it was displayed in the museum of the Great Mosque and then, in 1992, transferred to the Museum of Islamic Art at Raqqada. It will be on display in the second section, which is now undergoing refurbishment (2005).","bibliography":"*Ifriqiya: Thirteen Centuries of Art and Architecture in Tunisia*, pp.159–62.","author":"Mourad Rammah","copy_editor":"Margot Cortez","translator":"David Ash","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["carving","floral decoration"],"materials":["Carved cedarwood."]},"2a413532-70d8-5c80-baa6-741f9adf4403":{"name":"Turban stand in Ottoman rococo style","short_description":"The Ottoman tombs of the 17th and 18th centuries are a testimony to the great symbolic power of the turban. While the tombstones of women are characterised by depictions of fruit and flowers, a stone turban symbolising rank crowns the tomb stele of a man. In the Ottoman Empire, court officials and members of the elite classes wore elaborately shaped turbans, the form, colour, and decoration of which signal the social position and status of the wearer. The profession of the turban winder, the *sarıkçı*, ensures that the turban corresponds to and complies precisely with clothing regulations. After being worn, the turbans were placed for their protection on turban stands (*kavukluk*). In 1829, Sultan Mahmud II abolished the turban and introduced the fez, a red felt headdress with a black tassel, as the national headwear. From this time on, the wearing of a turban is restricted to religious dignitaries. In 1925, both fez and turban were prohibited in secular Turkey.","type":"Household item","holder":"Weltmuseum Wien","dates":"18th century","location":"Vienna","dimensions":"H: 106.5cm, W: 41cm, Diameter: 26cm","method_for_datation":"Entry in the general inventory and archival documents.","method_for_provenance":"Entry in the general inventory book.","provenance":"Turkey","obtention":"Catalog entry: \"Collection Betty Grossmann, 1934.\"","materials":["gold leaf","pigments","Velvet","Wood"]},"2a8f3f10-1a76-54cb-bfe6-0ccb6a3700bd":{"name":"Picture frame with photograph of James Camille Samson","short_description":"Part of the decorum of upper class houses in the late 19th century was the convivial circle of gentlemen who retired to the smoking room after dinner to enjoy cognac, cigars and conversation while the hostess entertained her female guests with tea in the ladies’ salon. In the period of the World’s Fair and modern tourism, a tremendous stylistic diversity was available for decorating the smoking room. Moorish-Oriental styles were fashionable: heavy Persian carpets on the floors, Anatolian kilims on the walls, furniture plushily upholstered, side tables with mother-of-pearl inlays, palm plants and hookahs and Caucasian daggers. Trophies and souvenirs of journeys, including picture frames with finely turned *mashrabiya* latticework were mostly mass-produced in Europe and purchased in specialised furniture shops.","type":"Household item","holder":"Weltmuseum Wien","dates":"Prob. 1885","location":"Vienna","dimensions":"H: 40.5cm, W: 29.4cm","method_for_datation":"Entry in the general inventory and archival documents.","method_for_provenance":"Entry in the general inventory book.","provenance":"Egypt, Cairo","obtention":"Catalog entry: \"Estate James Camille Samson, imperial and royal Secretary of Legation, 1908, inventorized addenda, 1926.\"","bibliography":"Steinmann, Axel, \"Wanderlust\", in Christian Schicklgruber (ed), *Weltmuseum Wien, exhibition catalogue*, Vienna: Weltmuseum Wien, 2017: 90-93.","materials":["albumen print","Bone","glass","mother of pearl","Wood"]},"2e9bb9ef-0628-53b2-88c7-0bb1e2984d88":{"name":"Mint-mould for six coins","description":"A bronze mint-mould holding six coins, in use at the mint in Fez during the reign of Sultan Mulay al-Hasan I (r. 1873-94). It should be noted that, compared to earlier periods, coinage was evolving quickly in relation to industry at this time.","type":"Mint-mould","holder":"Batha Museum","dates":"1872","location":"Fez"},"2fa0159c-28bf-57b7-b310-d0bf0b2180c6":{"name":"Wooden panel.","description":"A wooden panel with inlaid decoration of bone, ivory and ebony in the manner of a mosaic. The ornamentation is composed of semi-circles, circles, arches, pillars and vegetal decorations that include five-lobed vine-leaves and half-fan palm-leaves. The artistic roots of these motifs lie in Sassanid, Byzantine and Coptic art. Egypt had acquired fame from the Pharonic period onwards for its craftsmanship in wood and inlay work in ivory, bone and ebony. The Copts inherited these skills, mastered them, and became outstanding artisans in this craft, producing doors, door-panels and partition screens. The woodcrafts flourished in Egypt during the Umayyad and Abbasid periods, and production included objects such as doors, windows, *minbars*, inscription bands, dining tables, tribunes and chairs. All of these objects were decorated with small pieces of ivory, bone and ebony which were set to adjoin each other and to create delicate and detailed geometric and vegetal designs, such as on this inlaid panel, believed to have been a side panel for a piece of furniture belonging to a residence or palace.","short_description":"Early Egyptian woodwork was decorated both by carving and by inlaying with ivory and bone. This piece is a good example of the second method.","type":"Woodwork, panel, wood","holder":"Museum of Islamic Art","dates":"Hegira 3rd century / AD 9th century.","location":"Cairo","dimensions":"Length 180 cm, width 51 cm.","method_for_datation":"The panel is dated based on an analysis of its geometric and vegetal decorative motifs; the style indicates a date during the Tulunid period of the 3rd / 9th century.","method_for_provenance":"Wooden inlayed panels such as this were used to furnish mosques and residences. Fustat in particular was famous for the production of such panels in the early Islamic period, and production flourished during the Fatimid and Mamluk periods. Many of these panels were discovered in Fustat.","provenance":"Fustat, Egypt.","obtention":"This panel was uncovered during the course of archaeological excavations carried out at Fustat.","bibliography":"Abu Sadaira, al-Sayyed Taha al-Sayyed, *Al-Hiraf wa al-Sina'at Masr al-Islamiya \\[Handicrafts and Manufactures in Islamic Egypt\\],* Cairo, 1991.  \nBrend, B., *Islamic Art,* London, 1991.  \nHassan, Z. M., *Al-Fan al-Islami fi Masr \\[Islamic Art in Egypt\\],* Cairo, 1935.  \nMarzuq, Muhammad Abd al-Aziz, *Al-Fununal-Zukhrufiya al-Islamiya fi Masr qabl 'Asr al-Fatimiyyin, \\[Islamic Decorative Arts in Egypt Before the Fatimid Period\\],* Cairo, 1974.  \nWilson, E., *Islamic Designs,* London, 1988.","author":"Muhammad Abbas Muhammad Selim","copy_editor":"Majd Musa","translator":"Amal Sachedina (from the Arabic).","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["geometric decoration","inlay","mosaic","panel","vegetal decoration","wood"],"materials":["ivory and ebony.","Wood inlaid with bone"]},"305f4585-8d17-53d5-a7d9-3ce3b3fa0f2c":{"name":"Cupola from Torrijos.","description":"Nailed-board, octagonal cupola ceiling supported on smooth walls covered with tapestries or silks with ornamental drawings. Above the level of these fabrics, in the four corners, sit the squinches, decorated with honeycomb work, that give the ceiling its circular shape from the octagonal base section, where the noble coats of arms of the owners can be seen. A second, lower band bears chequered strips on all four sides, alongside others decorated with Gothic plasterwork, and in their centre large pilgrim shells and the heraldic 'S's of Don Gutierre de Cárdenas, who played an important role in the celebration of the marriage of the Catholic Kings. These two are alluded to in the inscription 'D Ferdinandus I D Isabel' that can be read on a frieze also from the Cardenas Palace, which is held at the National Archaeological Museum. The ceiling sections converge radially on the centre and are delicately decorated with knotwork based on a twelve-star or *sinos* pattern that develops around structures of various different forms known as *almendrillas*, *azafates*, *candilejos* and *costadillos*. The plasterwork is decorated in relief with palmettes, apexes and engravings. The cupola originally covered the room in the northeast corner of the palace of the Torrijos and the Dukes of Maqueda. This ceiling, like the other ones from the palace, currently outside Spain, were commissioned from the decorative painters García del Barco and Juan Rodríguez.","short_description":"An example of Mudéjar excellence in carpentry and the adoption of Muslim models by the Christian aristocracy in their search for luxurious and welcoming spaces. The huge number of separate parts in this hemispherical cupola overlap and interlink to form a great geometric design.","type":"Woodwork, cupola, wood","holder":"National Archaeological Museum.","dates":"Late 15th century.","location":"Madrid","dimensions":"Height 800 cm, diameter 550 cm.","method_for_datation":"From documentation of the Cardenas, friends of the Catholic Kings.","method_for_provenance":"Through historical documentation.","provenance":"Cardenas Palace, Torrijos, Toledo, Spain.","obtention":"The piece was purchased for the National Archaeological Museum from Adela and Elisa Páramo on 15 June 1969.","bibliography":"Franco Mata, á., “Antigüedades Cristianas de los Siglos VIII al XV”, *Guía del Museo Arqueológico Nacional*, 2nd edition, Madrid, 1992, p.96.  \nLongobardo Carrillo, J. and Peña Carbonero, J. de la, *Los Palacios de Torrijos*, Torrijos, 2001.  \nRepullés y Vargas, E., *El Palacio de Torrijos*, 2nd edition, Madrid, 1894.  \nSánchez de Rivera, G., *Don Gutierre de Cárdenas, Señor de Torrijos (materiales para una biografía)*, Toledo, 1984.","linkcatalogs":"IAM_ES_EN_001","author":"Ángela Franco","copy_editor":"Rosalía Aller","translator":"Laurence Nunny","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["carving","Cupola","gilding","modelled","Mudéjar","plaster","Torrijos","wood"],"materials":["carving","gilding.","moulding","plaster","Wood"]},"30cafd37-23c3-561f-9f01-a12c90b5d8b6":{"name":"Base for a tray (*sinija*)","description":"The *Sinija* (Tr. *sini*) is a large, round tray made of copper or brass. It was used for serving food or as a floor dining table – a *sofra* (Tr. *sofra*). tTherefore it had an important place in the shared living culture of the Ottoman Balkans among urban populations of different confessional and ethnic backgrounds. The diameter of *sinijas* sometimes reached 1–2 meters or more. When used as a floor dining table, the *sinija* was placed on a wooden or iron base. Valued for their craftsmanship, locally produced or imported *sinijas* have also found a place in the interiors of the modern age as wall decor or top parts of decorative side tables placed on custom-made bases of different styles.","type":"Table","holder":"Museum of Applied Art","dates":"Hegira late 13th–early 14th century / AD late 19th–early 20th century","location":"Belgrade","dimensions":"Height: 34.5cm, width: 34.5cm","place_of_production":"Ottoman Empire","method_for_datation":"By stylistic analysis, material, technique, and analogy with other similar examples","obtention":"Purchased in 1954.","author":"Ana Samardžić","keywords":["carving","floor dining table","Ottoman Balkans."],"materials":["carving","turning","Walnut"]},"310da155-3663-5beb-b8de-caa608f5aade":{"name":"*Dhiil*","description":"The *dhiil* is a traditional Somali milk container, both practical and finely crafted, used mainly to collect and store milk from different livestock, and sometimes water. Traditionally made by Somali nomad women, the *dhiil* can be woven from the thorny *qabo* (a plant from the *Euphorbia* genus), as featured, or crafted from wood. Its construction involves peeling and softening the spiny *qabo* stems into long strips, which are then coiled and bound in a basketlike technique. The vessel has a hemispherical base that widens to a central ridge (*kelli*) before narrowing toward the top, capped with a fitted lid (*bugul*). Once woven, the *dhiil* is treated with *asal*, a dye and sealant made from red acacia bark (*qaroon*), giving it a rich colour and protective finish. The interior is traditionally smoked over *shilin* (wood) and cleaned carefully, a process that imparts a distinct smoky flavour to the milk. Milk is shared from the cup of the *dhiil*, called *harrubi*, in a tradition known as *waddagid* (\"sharing\").","type":"Traditional everyday object.","holder":"Islamic Museum of Australia (IMA)","owner":"Salim Mohamed","initial_owner":"Salim Mohamed","dates":"n.d","location":"Thornbury, VIC 3071","dimensions":"Depth: 20cm, Height: 40cm","place_of_production":"Somalia","method_for_datation":"Date not precisely known; established as at least three generations old based on family oral history.","method_for_provenance":"Provenance established through oral history provided by the lender, supported by family inheritance records.","provenance":"Belonged to Mohamed family in Somalia; passed down through generations before being inherited by Salim Mohamed.","obtention":"Loaned to the museum by the owner who inherited it from his grandmother.","copy_editor":"Alvaro Miranda","keywords":["Dhiil","haroub","milk container"],"materials":["Plant fibers (qabo) and cotton fabric"]},"3145dc39-d491-535e-aaa2-6545cc31f4e7":{"name":"Chair of Krste Petkov Misirkov","alternate_name":"Taburetka na Misirkov","description":"Misirkov’s book “On Macedonian Matters” lays the foundations of the modern Macedonian language and grammar. Being one of the central figures of the “Slav-Macedonian Scientific Literary Society\" in St. Petersburg, he largely contributed to issuing the periodical Macedonian and Russian-language publication, “Makedonski Golos” (“Macedonian Voice\").","type":"Furniture","holder":"Museum of Macedonia","dates":"Early 20th century","location":"Skopje","author":"Nada Andonovska (author)","copy_editor":"Daniel de la Vega"},"3281a778-30ea-57b8-8d73-b1b6ddf74613":{"name":"Wooden panel.","description":"A rectangular wooden panel decorated with two narrow borders flanking a broad central band. The two narrow borders are ornamented with an epigraphic inscription in *kufic* script, which consists of the *bismillah (In the Name of God)* and the 'Throne' verse (2: 255) as well as the expression '*Hasbi Allah*' ('Allah is sufficient for me'). The broad central band is ornamented with geometric motifs, which divide it into seven square-shaped sections. All sections are decorated with vegetal decorations, winged motifs, oval forms and tri-lobed leaf designs. The third and fifth squares hold a lobed arch, within which is vegetal decoration and, flanking the triangular areas between the outer curvature of the arch and the corners of the square-shaped section, are further vegetal motifs. Both the decorative style and the carving of this piece portray a Hellenic stamp, seen in the relief carving of decorative motifs, the oval shapes, the tri-lobed leaves and the vegetal stems. The panel also displays Sassanid influences seen in the winged motifs and lobed arches.","short_description":"Islamic art came into being on the shoulders of Hellenistic and Sassanid arts and then developed its own Islamic character. This piece demonstrates the blending of the three artistic styles.","type":"Woodwork, panel, wood","holder":"Museum of Islamic Art","dates":"Hegira 3rd century / AD 9th century.","location":"Cairo","dimensions":"Length 192 cm, width 32 cm.","method_for_datation":"This panel was dated based on study into the development of *kufic* script, the origins of the decorative motifs, and the technique of manufacture, which included high relief, decorative motifs, winged designs, oval forms and vegetal motifs. Furthermore, during the Abbasid period, entire texts were used as inscriptions on objects; it is possible, therefore, to date this piece to the early part of the Abbasid era.","method_for_provenance":"Wooden panels were used to furnish mosques and residences, and embellished tribunes and chairs. Egypt, Fustat in particular, was famous for the production of such panels in the early Islamic period, and production flourished during the Fatimid and Mamluk periods. Many of these panels were discovered in Fustat where they were used to protect the walls of small tombs from the dust and dirt that might fall from the grave onto the deceased.","provenance":"Fustat, Egypt.","obtention":"The object was discovered during the course of archaeological excavations at Fustat.","bibliography":"Abu Sadaira, al-Sayyed Taha al-Sayyed, *Al-Hiraf al-Sina'at fi Masr al-Islamiya \\[Handicrafts and Manufactures in Islamic Egypt\\],* Cairo, 1991.  \nHassan, Z. M., *Al-Fan al-Islami fi Masr \\[Islamic Art in Egypt\\],* Cairo, 1935.  \nMarzuq, Muhammad Abd al-Aziz, *Al-Funun al-Zukhrufiya al-Islamiya fi Masr qabl 'Asr al-Fatimiyyin \\[Islamic Decorative Arts in Egypt before the Fatimid period\\],* Cairo, 1974.  \nPauty, E., **Les bois sculptés jusqu'à l'époque ayyoubide*,* Cairo, 1931.  \nRizq, A. M., *Marakiz al-Sina'at fi Masr al-Islamiya \\[Manufacturing Centres in Islamic Egypt\\],* Cairo, 1989.","author":"Muhammad Abbas Muhammad Selim","copy_editor":"Majd Musa","translator":"Amal Sachedina (from the Arabic).","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["high relief","inscription","panel","vegetal decoration","wood"],"materials":["Wood decorated in high relief."]},"33a6c84f-b10f-5856-b654-7f8c5f9a715b":{"name":"Rectangular piece of wood.","description":"A rectangular piece of wood decorated with low-relief carvings, which was probably once part of a high frieze. The decorations are arranged along two narrow bands, which hem-in a wider band lying in between them. Both of the narrow bands are embellished with vegetal decorative motifs, such as branches, surrounded by tri-lobed rosettes and fan-leaf palmettes. The central band is embellished with scenes of naturalistic human and animal activity, such as a hunting scene; a bird with a human face is also present. The scene is played out against a background of vegetal decoration, and surrounded by geometric compositions. The decorative components were originally painted which would have highlighted the detail. Symmetry and alternation were the twin dynamics that helped harmonise and defuse the decorative components.  \nThis panel was unearthed together with some other rectangular wooden pieces in the tomb of the Mamluk Sultan al-Nasir Muhammad ibn Qalawun, and in the Bimaristan (hospital) Qalawun where they were used to cover the upper frieze. The decorative mode of this panel bears no relationship to the Mamluk period, but is exclusively in the Fatimid style. It is likely, therefore, that this wooden panel once graced a Fatimid palace, specifically the Fatimid Western Palace, which was built by Caliph al-Aziz bi-Allah and completed by al-Mustansir bi-Allah. However, it was on the ruins of the Fatimid Western Palace that the Bimaristan Qalawun was later built and it is, therefore, likely that these wooden frieze components were later re-used to embellish the hospital walls.  \nThese decorative panels are considered an important source for the study of Fatimid painting for they include scenes of hunting, music, entertainment, battle and excursions, as well as depictions of birds and other animals and reveal the life of opulence led by the Fatimid elite.","short_description":"This item is an example of carving on wood from the Fatimid period, influenced by Abbasid styles from Samarra that spread all over the Islamic world. Decoration is based on hunting scenes and animal shapes on a background of vegetation.","type":"Woodwork, low-relief carving, wood","holder":"Museum of Islamic Art","dates":"Hegira 5th century / AD 11th century.","location":"Cairo","dimensions":"Length 370 cm, width 30 cm.","method_for_datation":"This piece was dated through study of the decorative components that appear on it, the style of representation, and by comparison with other analogous decorative pieces.","method_for_provenance":"In view of the fact that the panel was almost certainly made for the Fatimid Western Palace, it is likely that it was made by craftsmen employed in the atelier of Caliph al-Aziz bi-Allah and produced especially to furnish the palace.","provenance":"Cairo, Egypt.","obtention":"The object was transferred from the Mausoleum of Qalawun in the *Nahassien* (coppersmith's) district, and received by the Museum in 1909.","bibliography":"Abu Sadira, al-Said T., *Al-Hiraf wa al-Sana'at fi Masr al-Islamiyya \\[Handicrafts and Manufacture in Islamic Egypt\\],* Cairo, 1991.  \nAl-Pasha, H., et al, *Al-Qāhira, tārikhuha, fūnunuha, Āthāruha \\[Cairo, Its History, Arts and Monuments\\],* Cairo, 1970.  \nAl-Maqrizi, *Al-mawā'iz wa'l-i'tibār bi-dhikr al-khiţaţ wa'l-āthār \\[Exhortations and Contemplation of the Recollection of Plans and Monuments\\],* 2 Vols, Cairo, 1853.  \n  \nHassan, M. Z., *Kunuz al-Fatimiyyin \\[Treasures of the Fatimids\\],* Cairo, 1938.","author":"Muhammad Abbas Muhammad Selim","copy_editor":"Majd Musa","translator":"Amal Sachedina (from the Arabic).","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["figurative decoration","geometric decoration.","Low-relief","vegetal decoration","wood"],"materials":["decorated with low-relief carving.","Wood"]},"366a9ff1-e485-57a9-ad1c-a5eb7cf07698":{"name":"Chest of drawers","alternate_name":"Cajonera","description":"This chest has a European shape and the decoration is near to Indian or Near-Eastern motifs. It has an Arab inscription, but only the date could be read it. This chest was probably made in India or in Egypt for the European customers who lived there.","type":"Furniture","holder":"National Museum of Decorative Arts","dates":"1862","location":"Madrid","provenance":"India? Egypt?","author":"Ana Cabrera","copy_editor":"Anne Dowell"},"36773e08-5d5d-510b-9eaf-d6bc145e39d8":{"name":"Cigarette case","alternate_name":"Tabaquera","description":"The Orientalism or Neo-Mudéjar style gave new light to old motifs as decoration in ivory or bone, with flowers and interlaces, as in this cigarette case. The decoration is strongly influenced by Arab pieces.","type":"Accessories","holder":"National Museum of Decorative Arts","dates":"1850–1920","location":"Madrid","provenance":"Spain?","author":"Ana Cabrera","copy_editor":"Anne Dowell"},"36adfe60-d1bb-5d20-835e-c6987c2d3ca0":{"name":"Coffee group","description":"Coffee is always served at the beginning of a visit and is repeatedly offered until guests politely signal that they have had enough by rocking their cup from side to side. In order to keep coffee hot and fresh for unexpected guests it goes through many stages. After roasting and grinding the coffee beans the grains are added to boiling water inside a large *dallah* (coffee pot) called a *khamra*. Next, the liquid is poured into a medium-sized coffee pot called a *taljeemah*. At this stage cardamom seeds, saffron and rose water may be added for flavour. From this jug, the coffee is poured into a serving *dallah* referred to as a *mezallah*, where the coffee is refined and filtered. The server must hold the *mezallah* with their left hand and distribute the *fanayeel* (coffee cups) using the right hand. The coffee should fill less than half of the cup.","holder":"Sharjah Heritage Museum","owner":"Sharjah Museums Authority","location":"Sharjah, United Arab Emirates","obtention":"Purchased","author":"Amanda Snyder","copy_editor":"Judy Harter","keywords":["beans","coffee","coffee beans"]},"373ae550-80af-546a-8e29-6fd330505a98":{"name":"Qajar lacquer Casket","short_description":"This lacquer casket depicts the second ruler of the 19th-century Qajar dynasty, Fath’Ali Shah. Seated on the legendary Mughal Peacock Throne, he is flanked by three of his sons, ministers, and other important figures. The side panels, decorated with raised medallions on a *gul-ol-bulbul* (rose and bulbul bird) background, show courtiers in Western clothing, landscapes, and hunting scenes. The caskets are mentioned in William Ouseley’s *Travels into Various Countries of the East; More Particularly Persia* (1823), based on his visits to Iran. Ouseley claims these caskets—made of paper and a serish glue—were mass produced in Isfahan; there are now a number of similar objects in various museums and collections. He also mentions beautifully painted, varnished boxes similar to the Fath’Ali Shah caskets. Common subjects included battle scenes and hunting parties as well as depictions of popular romances.","type":"Casket","holder":"MKG Museum for Applied Arts","dates":"Hegira 13th century / AD early 19th century","location":"Hamburg","dimensions":"Height: 42cm, Width: 30cm, Length: 24cm","method_for_datation":"By comparison with similar objects from the Qajar period.","method_for_provenance":"Weltausstellung 1873 Wien (World Exposition 1873 Vienna).","provenance":"Iran","obtention":"Purchased in 1873.","bibliography":"Khalili, N. D., Robinson, B. W. and Stanley, T., *Lacquer of the Islamic Lands*, London: Nour Foundation; Oxford: Oxford University Press; London: Azimuth Editions, 1993.  \nRobinson, B. W., *An Exhibition of 50 pieces of Persian, Indian and Turkish Lacquer: from 10 June to 27 June 1986*, London: Bernheimer Fine Arts, 1986.","copy_editor":"Caitlin Link","keywords":["lacquer"],"materials":["lacquer","Wood"]},"38e58977-4147-5180-845f-11ffcd1daba9":{"name":"Pulley","description":"A wooden pulley in the form of a circular wheel with a recessed rim, around which the rope was wound to facilitate drawing a water bucket from the well. At its center is a round wooden piece fitted with various wooden boards arranged in a circular manner. Animals were used to pull the rope passing through the pulley.","type":"Pulley","holder":"Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim Al Thani Museum FBQ Museum","dates":"AH Late 13th century / AD 19th century","location":"Ash-Shahaniyah, Qatar","dimensions":"Diameter: 108cm","provenance":"The Arabian Peninsula","copy_editor":"Zeina Al Amad","keywords":["Arabian Peninsula","pulley","water","wells"],"materials":["Cutting and assembling","Wood"]},"3b494886-dcbc-53f0-858a-e56bcd9a8635":{"name":"Sculpturally conceived emblem","short_description":"This work of art belongs to a group of emblems which is an artistic interpretation of an Arabic letter or word that brings the Sufi farther along his path to God when he remembers or repeats it in his devotions (*dhikr*).  \nThis emblem is a symmetrical composition with the word *al-shafi* (the Healer), one of Allah’s many names.","type":"Ottoman emblem, wood","holder":"The David Collection","dates":"Hegira 12th–13th century / AD 18th–19th century","location":"Copenhagen","provenance":"Turkey","keywords":["blazon","calligraphy","inscription","Procession","Standard","Sufism","Symmetry"],"materials":["Wood"]},"3de78d7d-0ff4-5d07-a1ac-c4173aa7e91e":{"name":"*Peškun*","description":"Hexagonal *peškun* (Tr. *peşkun*) is made of carved walnut wood. It is divided into a bottom middle part with a hexagonal plate in the form of a shelf, making two stories for storing – an upper and a lower plate. Both plates are richly decorated with interlacing floral motifs. In the center of the upper plate, there is a motif of the six-pointed star, while beneath its edges a frieze of trefoil elements is formed. Each of the six vertical sides is divided by a plate into two zones with three openings in the shape of the oriental arch each.  \n*Peškun* is the name of a traditional piece of Ottoman furniture in the shape of a table or stool. It was originally meant for sitting, although it had different purposes throughout history, especially as a decorative table in Balkan oriental interiors of the 19th and of the first half of the 20th century. Over time, the larger table (in the set of usually three pieces,) began to be used as a coffee table, while the smaller ones were used as stools. *Peškun* were ordinarily made of walnut wood, ornamented with incrusted floral and geometric motifs made of mother of pearl and bone.","type":"Table","holder":"Museum of Applied Art","dates":"Hegira late 13th–early 14th century / AD late 19th–early 20th century","location":"Belgrade","dimensions":"Height: 44.5cm, width: 46cm","place_of_production":"Ottoman Empire","method_for_datation":"By stylistic analysis, material, technique, and analogy with other similar examples.","obtention":"Purchased in 1964/65.","author":"Ana Samardžić","keywords":["carving","Ottoman Balkans","peškun","side table","stool"],"materials":["carving","turning","Walnut"]},"3e6397b4-d839-55fb-83c0-463d120d0c76":{"name":"Tray stand","short_description":"This spectacular tray stand, made of sheet brass inlaid with silver, has a decorative scheme devoted entirely to glorifying the (unnamed) ruler for whom it was made. On the body, among other scenes, is that of the monarch between two pairs of servants, seated on a throne with lions below and winged angels above. Above and below this are astrological symbols, thus showing the ruler not only as an earthly but also a heavenly power.","type":"Metalwork","holder":"Museum of Islamic Art","dates":"Hegira 7th century  / AD 13th century","location":"Doha","dimensions":"Height: 24.8 cm, Diameter: 25.6 cm","provenance":"Northern Syria or Northern Iraq (probably Mosul)","obtention":"Sambon Collection, Paris , France until 1912, then Charles Gillot Collection, Geneva, Switzerland  \nJasim Al-Homaizi Collection, inv. no. I/345 until 1999; sold to Qatar Museums","bibliography":"Abdellatif, Rania, *Syria Matters*, Milano: Silvana Editoriale, 2018.  \nAl Khemir, Sabiha, *From Cordoba To Samarqand, Masterpieces from the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha*, Milan: Musée du Louvre Editions, 2006.  \nAllan, James W., *Metalwork Treasures from the Islamic Courts*, London: The Islamic Art Society, 2002.","author":"Tara Desjardins","keywords":["astrology","Ayyubid","inlay","Iraq","metalwork","Monarch","Syria","Tray stand","Zangid"],"materials":["Black compund","brass","Chasing","Engraving","hammering","inlaying","Silver","Solder","soldering"]},"3ea5c496-cc96-57ae-a6e7-f47f064d36cb":{"name":"Teak Panel.","description":"A wooden panel of dark-brown teak wood. The surface is carved with an abstract design, known as the 'bevelled' style, a pattern of repeated curved shapes with bevelled edges, usually moulded rather than carved, probably derived from stylised vegetal forms. This type of design is typical of the Abbasid period and can also be found on stucco wall panels. This piece would have been part of a larger panel of carved wood used for furniture or doors. It is close in style to wood panels and stucco found at Samarra, capital of the Abbasid dynasty (AH 177–655 / AD 749–1258). Wood, particularly teak, was highly valued in Iraq and was probably imported from South East Asia.","short_description":"A teak panel, carved with an abstract design in the technique known as the ‘bevelled style’. This stylised design was typical of the Abbasid period and was employed on stucco wall panels as well as on carved wood on walls and ceilings.","type":"Woodwork, architectural decoration","holder":"The British Museum.","dates":"Hegira 3rd / AD 9th century.","location":"London, England","dimensions":"Height 13 cm width 73 cm.","method_for_datation":"Through stylistic analysis: the 'bevelled' style was found on AH 3rd- / AD 9th-century architectural decoration from Samarra that was built in AH 221 / AD 836, and which was the Abbasid capital for only 37 years before the caliphate returned to Baghdad.","method_for_provenance":"The style of the carving resembles architectural decoration found at Samarra in Iraq.","provenance":"Samarra, Iraq.","obtention":"Acquired by the British Museum in 1944, from the Collection of Sir Sydney Bernard Burney, through the National Art Collections fund.","bibliography":"Ettinghausen, R. and Graber, O., The Art and Architecture of Islam: 650–1250, 1987, pp.102–9.  \n  \nNorthedge, A., 'Samarra', in Encyclopedia of Islam, 1995, pp.1039–41.","author":"Emily Shovelton","copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Abbasid furnishing design","Bevelled style","carving","furnishing","vegetal decoration"],"materials":["Carved teak wood."]},"3f812372-02bd-5235-89dd-a89ca9e526fd":{"name":"Desk","description":"This desk, an important object with great symbolic value, was offered by the Tunisian people to the great reforming minister, Khaireddine (Khayr al-Din) Pacha. The wooden desk is painted white, and a floral pattern decorates its drawers.","type":"Woodwork; furniture","holder":"Musée d’Histoire Moderne et Contemporaine de Kassar Saïd","dates":"19th century","location":"Le Bardo, Tunis","provenance":"Palais de Kassar Saïd","author":"Saloua Zangar","translator":"Flaminia Baldwin"},"3fcb079f-6a10-569e-97e4-f341d5df2eca":{"name":"Ceiling, custom-made for Shangri La's living room","short_description":"The living room ceiling at Shangri La was custom-made by Moroccan artisans working under the supervision of the Rabat-based firm S.A.L.A.M. René Martin. It is carved, painted, and gilded throughout. The central field features recessed octagrams in interlocking, knotted niches, predominantly orange and brown in tone. The bottommost border consists of a moulded plaster frieze of floral motifs in an arcade repeated throughout.","type":"Islamic, Indian & Southeast Asian works of art; woodwork; painting; architectural decoration","holder":"Shangri La, Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art","dates":"Hegira 1355 / AD 1937","location":"Honolulu, Hawai'i","dimensions":"Overall: 1437 x 726.4 cm","provenance":"Morocco","keywords":["architectural decoration","ceiling","floral decoration","French Protectorate","geometric motifs","gilded","Morocco","painted","wood","workshop"],"materials":["gilded","painted","varnished","Wood (cedar)"]},"410982f8-b847-57f8-9f76-389d106adfca":{"name":"Door jamb.","description":"The jambs and lintel of the door to the Casa Maturano bear a fairly complex decorative frieze, unlike the other significant wooden example from more or less the same period in Palermo, which is still *in situ* on the main door of the Church of Santa Maria dell'Ammiraglio dating back to 1143, the year the church was founded by Admiral Giorgio of Antioch. It is characterised by traditional decorative rectangular panels similar to Egyptian examples dating back to the 11th and 12th centuries. The central decorative band, framed by two lateral borders characterised by half-palmette plant motifs tightly intertwined, consists of a sequence of opposed double pentagons linked by a pair of semi-circles filled with vegetal spirals, interposed with 16-sided stars. The geometric elements have a beaded edge and are filled with tightly carved intertwined half-palmettes. According to Scerrato (1979), this type of decoration appears to derive from the Samarra stuccoes (Iraq), and presents notable similarities with the wooden ceilings of the Ibn Tulun mosque in Cairo.","short_description":"These wooden remains were the jambs and lintel of a door from the Casa Maturano in Palermo. Their decoration is reminiscent of the decorative motifs used in the Samarra stuccoes (Iraq), as well as the decoration on the wooden ceilings in the Ibn Tulun Mosque in Cairo.","type":"Woodwork, door, wood","holder":"Regional Gallery of Sicilia, Abatellis Palace","dates":"12th century.","location":"Palermo","dimensions":"Height 457 cm, width 227 cm.","method_for_datation":"From stylistic similarities with Fatimid carpentry.","method_for_provenance":"From historical documents.","provenance":"House of Goffredo di Marturano, next to the Church of Santa Maria dell'Ammiraglio, Palermo.","obtention":"Deposit, previously in the Royal Museum of Palermo.","bibliography":"Delogu, R., *La Galleria Nazionale della Sicilia*, Rome, 1977, p.10.  \nScerrato, U., “Arte Islamica in Italia”, in *Gli Arabi in Italia*, (eds. F. Gabrieli and U. Scerrato), Milan, 1979, pp.523–4 and fig. 197.","linkcatalogs":"IAM_IT_EN_001","author":"Rita Bernini","copy_editor":"Pier Paolo Racioppi","translator":"Laurence Nunny","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["Arab-Norman","carpentry","Fatimid architecture","floral decoration","geometric decoration"],"materials":["Carved wood."]},"42831546-e0c3-549c-9fd9-f6b1d2f06488":{"name":"Door","short_description":"Islamic art is often thought to be devoid of figural representation, yet many works of art made in the Islamic world do depict figures. Their presence is particularly notable in applied arts, or objects made for daily life, such as these doors showing idealized scenes of leisure and court life in Iran. The activities of the courtiers – including relaxation, entertainment, and the hunt – as well as their appearance are derived from paintings made during the seventeenth century.","type":"Islamic, Indian & Southeast Asian works of art; woodwork","holder":"Shangri La, Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art","dates":"Hegira 13th century / AD 19th century","location":"Honolulu, Hawai'i","dimensions":"Overall: 195.3 x 124.5 cm","provenance":"Iran","keywords":["arabesque","courtly scene","Door","Iran","painted","Qajar","varnished","wood"],"materials":["varnished","with metal hardware","Wood: painted"]},"43014a3e-3f06-5cd3-953a-6674419c07b7":{"name":"Hand carding tool","description":"Tool used to card wool. Carding is the technique of separating the shorn wool fleece into individual long fibres to prepare them for spinning.","type":"Carding tool","holder":"The Jordan Museum","owner":"The Circassian Charity Association","dates":"AD 1860","location":"Amman","dimensions":"L:25cm, W: 10cm-15cm","method_for_datation":"The great-grandparents of the owners of this object brought it with them to Jordan when they immigrated in 1860.","provenance":"Caucasus","obtention":"Loan","author":"Najd Sweidan","copy_editor":"Lisa Kelman","materials":["Wood and iron"]},"4312ed57-80a5-53ca-a579-d77d2e79388d":{"name":"Hexagonal dinner stand.","alternate_name":"Dining pedestal.","description":"This piece assumes the shape of a hexagonal (six-sided) pedestal upon which dinner trays would be placed; it is therefore known as a dinner stand. Its top surface, which is also hexagonal in shape, has a central circular decoration comprising a radiating inscription in a plaited *kufic* script. The radiating form of the inscription increases its decorative impact as it appears to simulate the rays of the sun coming from a central medallion, in which the artist has inscribed the name of Sultan al-Nasir Hasan ibn al-Nasir Muhammad ibn Qalawun, for whom this table was probably made. Framing the surface of this piece, is an inscription in Mamluk *thuluth* script which includes the name of the sultan and a number of his titles, it reads: 'Glory to our lord the Sultan al-Malik al-Nasir al-'Alam, al-'Adil, al-Mujahid, al-Murabit, al-Muthaghir, al-Mu'ayyad, al-Mansur, the Sultan of Islam and the Muslims, the Destroyer of Apostates and Infidels, the Reviver of Justice to all, the Protector of the oppressed against the oppressors, the Protector of the Muslim community, the Protector of worldly and spiritual matters, ibn al-Sultan al-Malik al-Mansur Qalawun Al-Salihi'. And surrounding these inscriptions along the interior are a series of lobed semi-circles decorated with flying ducks that are distinguished by their vitality and movement.  \nEach of the six sides of the pedestal's surfaces is comprised of four decorated panels arranged vertically one on top of the other. In the centre of one of these panels is a small door with two arched leafs which open to reveal an internal shelf. The panels are ornamented with openwork arabesque designs, composed of intertwining vegetal leaves and stems, lotus blossoms, and epigraphic inscriptions in *thuluth* script, on a background of openwork decorative motifs. The table has six short 'supports', posts that rest on the legs. A series of inscriptions are recorded on them, which indicate the name of the craftsman and his titles the English translation of which reads: 'Made by the poor slave hopeful of his God's forgiveness, known as the son of the teacher professor Muhammad, son Sunqur al Baghdadi al-Sanqari, in the year AH 728 \\[1327\\] in the days of our lord al-Malik al-Nasir, glory to his triumph'.  \nSuch objects, although used extensively as stands for food trays, were also used to carry the Qur'an or torches at night in mosques or palaces, as well as to carry drinks, vases and incense burners. It is possible that this pedestal, which belonged to al-Nasir Muhammad, had been used to carry these types of items in his private palace or in his *madrasa* which was built on the street of the coppersmiths *(Shari' Nahhāsin)* in Cairo. This supposition is made more likely in view of the fact that the object was recovered from the Bimaristan (hospital) of al-Mansur Qalawun, which is adjacent to the Madrasa of al-Nasir Muhammad.  \nThe dinner stand is one of the most valuable acquisitions in the collections of the Museum of Islamic Art in Cairo for it demonstrates the prolific production of metalwork in the Mamluk period. The importance of this particular piece stems from its having been crafted specifically for Sultan al-Nasir Muhammad ibn Qalawun, not to mention the fact that it contains the name of the craftsman who made it along with the date of manufacture. Its exceptional quality is magnified when its splendour and size are considered.","short_description":"This type of table, made from metal or wood, was extensively produced during the Mamluk period in Cairo. It was used to hold food or items that need to be elevated from the floor. This table is made of brass inlaid with silver on which the name and titles of Sultan al-Nasir Muhammad and the maker's name were inscribed.","type":"Stand, hexagonal dinner, copper","holder":"Museum of Islamic Art","initial_owner":"Sultan al-Nasir Hasan ibn al-Nasir Muhammad ibn Qalawun who reigned three times: AH 693–4 / AD 1294–5; AH 698–708 / AD 1299–1309; AH 709–41 / AD 1309–40.","dates":"Hegira 728 / AD 1327.","location":"Cairo","dimensions":"Height 81 cm, diameter 40.5 cm.","method_for_datation":"This piece can be dated based on the inscription it carries, which includes the name of the craftsman who made it and the date it was manufactured. This is in addition to the inscriptions on the piece which specifically name Sultan al-Nasir Muhammad ibn Qalawun.","method_for_provenance":"It is highly probable that the piece was crafted in Cairo, especially in view of the fact that it is decorated with epigraphic inscriptions in Mamluk *thuluth* script, a style prevalent in Mamluk pieces attributed to Egypt. Additionally, the design technique used in its manufacture and the decoration, closely resemble those used in a number of other objects known to have been made in Egypt, including a box (for a Qur'an manuscript) made of copper and inlaid with gold and silver, currently housed in the library of al-Azhar Mosque, which bears the name of Sultan al-Nasir Muhammad ibn Qalawun and is dated 723 (1322). There is an almost identical box in the collections at the Museum of Islamic Art in Berlin, known to have been taken from a mosque in Cairo; this is inscribed with the name of the same craftsman as the pedestal under discussion here: Muhammad ibn Sunqur al-Baghdadi. There is also a silver inlaid candlestick currently in the collections of the Islamic Art Museum in Cairo (reg. no. 15080) which bears the name of Sultan al-Nasir ibn Muhammad ibn Qalawun.  \nFurthermore, in Cairo during the Mamluk period there was a *suq* dedicated to the manufacture and sale of inlaid metalwork. The author and historian al-Maqrizi refers to the market in his work *al-Khitat* (1853) as 'the *suq* of the inlay craftsmen' (Suq al-Koftiyin), which was located in a street that in present-day Cairo lies between al-Ghuriyya Street and al-Azhar Street. The market's documented presence further supports the supposition that this piece was crafted in Cairo.","provenance":"Cairo.","obtention":"This piece was transferred from the Bimaristan of Sultan al-Mansur Qalawun to the Museum of Islamic Art. It was one of the first pieces to enter the collections at the time of the inauguration of the Museum in 1903.","bibliography":"Al-Maqrizi, *Al-mawā'iz wa'l-i'tibār bi-dhikr al-khitat wa'l-āthār \\[Exhortations and Contemplation of the Recollection of Plans and Monuments\\],* 2 vols, Cairo, 1853.  \nAl-Pasha, H., et al, *Al-Qāhira,Tārikhuha, Fūnunuha, Āthāruha \\[Cairo: Its History, Arts and Monuments\\],* Cairo, 1970.  \nAllan, J., *Islamic Metalwork: The Nuhad Es-Said Collection,* London, 1982.  \nAtil, E., *Renaissance of Islam: Art of the Mamluks,* Washington D.C., 1987.  \nHamdi, A., et al, *Katalog Ma'rid al-fan al-islāmi fi misr \\[Catalogue of the Islamic Art Exhibition in Egypt\\],* Cairo, 1969.  \nStierlin, H. and Stierlin A., *Splendours of the Islamic World: Mamluk Art in Cairo (1250–1517),* London, New York, 1997.  \nWiet, G., “Les Objets en Cuivre”, in *Catalogue général du Musée arabe,* Cairo, 1932.","linkcatalogs":"IAM_EG_EN_001","author":"Salah Sayour","copy_editor":"Majd Musa","translator":"Amal Sachedina (from the Arabic).","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["copper.","decorative motif","furnishing","inlay","inscription","openwork","Thuluth","vegetal motif"],"materials":["copper","inlaid with silver and decorated in filigree and openwork."]},"453d31a1-ac06-52d0-a282-f160b88b5219":{"name":"Wooden screen in two parts.","description":"A wooden screen that represents a masterpiece of woodcarving and which illustrates the “pivotal position” held by Syria in the field of Islamic woodwork. The screen is in two parts. The top, smaller, section of the screen is a wooden rectangular partition with various frames that divide the surface into rectangular fields. One frame is decorated with carved stylised vegetal motifs, its central field carved with the “Basmala” (“in the name of God the Compassionate the Merciful”), executed in geometric *kufic* script and openwork carving. The upper part of this partition also includes a *kufic* inscription, carved within a field of leafy vegetal patterns, which may be translated as follows: “Abu Ja'far Muhammad bin al-Hasan bin al-Ali, sincere friend of the Commander of the faithful \\[the caliph\\], God accepts this work from him in the months of the year 497 \\[AD 1103\\].” The text also includes Qur'anic verses: \"Your (real) friends are (no less than) God, His messenger, and the believers, those who establish regular prayers and pay alms and bow down humbly (in worship). As to those who turn (for friendship) to God, His Messenger, and the believers, it is the party of God that must certainly triumph,\" (5:55-56). On the other side of this panel is the expression “… God is Islam” centrally oriented and executed in *kufic* script and openwork carving. It indicates the final words of the Qur'anic verses (3:18-19) that are inscribed around the frame. The middle panel is decorated with vegetal motifs that spring from a small carved vase.  \nThe bottom section of the screen is much larger in size than the top. Rectangular and divided into three horizontal sections: the lowest is a row of lathed double columns with rectangular bases and capitals; the middle is a row of lathed single columns with vase-like bases and capitals; the top, a carved screen that is divided into various decorative fields set in polygonal frames consisting of geometric patterns made of carved and pierced pieces of wood and bone inlay.","short_description":"Furnishings of mosques and holy places are often executed in a highly developed style of woodcarving. This *maqsura* screen from an AH 5th- / AD 11th-century royal tomb in Damascus, is a prime example of the important role Syria played in the woodcarving tradition.","type":"Woodwork, screen, wood","holder":"National Museum of Damascus","initial_owner":"According to the inscribed date, the screen probably originally belonged to the mausoleum of the Seljuq Sultan Duqaq (r. AH 488–97 / AD 1095–1104), located in the Maydan, southwest of old Damascus. During the Atabeg period, nearly 100 years later, it was reworked and moved to the nearby Musalla al-Idain Mosque, built by Amir Ja'far Muhammad bin al-Hasan bin al-Ali.","dates":"Hegira 497 / AD 1104.","location":"Damascus","dimensions":"Top: height 0.79 m, width 2.46 m, bottom: height 2.13 m, width 2.46 m.","method_for_datation":"The year Hegira 497 (AD 1104) it is inscribed on the object.","method_for_provenance":"The distinguished archaeologist Michael Meinecke argued that the original location of the screen was next to the mausoleum of the Seljuq Sultan Duqaq (r. 488–97 / 1095–1104), and that it was moved afterwards to the Musalla al-Idayn Mosque, because the mosque was constructed about a century after the date inscribed on the object.","provenance":"Maydan quarter in southern Damascus.","obtention":"The object was expropriated by the General Directorate of Antiquities in 1927.","bibliography":"Abu al-Faraj al-Ush, M., *A Concise Guide to the National Museum of Damascus,* Damascus, 1969, p.206.  \nEttinghausen, R., Grabar, O., and Jenkins-Madina, M., *Islamic Art and Architecture 650–1250*, New Haven, 2001, p.254.  \nKohlmeyer, K. (ed), *Land des Baal,* Mainz, 1982, pp.287–8, p.290.  \nMeinecke, M., *Patterns of Stylistic Change in Islamic Architecture: Local Traditions versus Migrating Artists,* Hagop Kevorkian Series on Near Eastern Art and Civilization, New York, 1996.","author":"Mona al-Moadin","translator":"Hilary Kalmbach (from the Arabic)","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["carving","inlay","Ja’far Muhammad","kufic","Mausoleum","Michael Meinecke","Mosque","Screen","Sultan Duqaq","wood"],"materials":["carved and inlaid with bone.","Poplar"]},"4708ea66-8ef0-527a-910d-4a3afc383d49":{"name":"Carved wooden panel","short_description":"This panel may originally have formed the side of a cenotaph. Its centre is decorated with square, rectangular and polygonal panels carved with vegetal roundels and arabesque scrolls and set into a geometric framework. *Naskhi* inscriptions giving verse 255 from *sura Al-Baqara* and scrolling friezes surround the central panel.","type":"Woodwork","holder":"Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilisation","dates":"Hegira early 7th century / AD early 13th century","location":"Sharjah","provenance":"Egypt or Syria","keywords":["calligraphy","carving","funerary object","inscription","naskhi","panel","wood"]},"486b00c2-21f3-53e2-a770-a7f64b267074":{"name":"Door (one of a pair)","short_description":"Tiny, geometric inlay patterns of hexagons and stars cover the surface of this large door. To create the intricate designs, long, narrow strips of green-painted bone, ivory, and wood were glued together in the form of hexagons or stars. The long strips were then cut in thin, widthwise segments, each sliver of which was adhered to the wood base of the object. The final step was to sand and seal the surface with a varnish.","type":"Islamic, Indian & Southeast Asian works of art; inlaid woodwork","holder":"Shangri La, Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art","dates":"Dated both hegira 1228 and AD 1813","location":"Honolulu, Hawai'i","dimensions":"Overall: 219.1 x 108.6 x 3.2 cm","provenance":"Iran, Tehran","keywords":["brass","calligraphy","Door","geometric motifs","inlay","inscription","Iran","ivory or bone","khatamkari","Qajar","wood"],"materials":["brass (?) (khatamkari technique)","inlaid with painted wood","ivory or bone","Wood"]},"49103ef0-90f2-547a-8043-173577467243":{"name":"Dates group","description":"As a sign of hospitality guests are given *fuala* (light refreshments). Coffee, dates, *betheetha* (a sweet made of dates and fired flour), *khabees* (a sweet made of saffron, ghee and fried flour), leavened bread, and *dibs* (date molasses) were served on a *saroud* (palm mat) and covered with a *mechabeh* (palm food cover) to protect the food from dirt and insects.  \nWhen guest finished eating they were offered a *ghasool* (a bowl of water) or a *maghsal al yad* (pitcher and vessel) to wash their hands. At the end of a visit, guests were perfumed with a *merash* (perfume sprinkler) filled with rose water and other fragrances. Guest were also perfumed with '*oud* incense'.","holder":"Sharjah Heritage Museum","initial_owner":"Sharjah Heritage Museum","dates":"Hegira mid 14th century/AD mid 20th century","location":"Sharjah, United Arab Emirates","obtention":"Purchased","author":"Amanda Snyder","copy_editor":"Judy Harter"},"4a08eb73-aef2-5e58-9066-f1c85dd23da4":{"name":"Bracket Clock","description":"The case, made of gilt wood, has rich Rococo decoration. Its outline is composed of elongated C-scrolls primarily. The clock has a brass chapter ring with incised Roman numerals for the hours and Arabic numerals for minutes (at five-minute intervals). Semi-precious stones are applied at the outer edge of the chapter ring, at the centre of which is a small movable disc with alarm-setting marks from 1 to 12, and above it an aperture showing the control pendulum. All gaps as well as the arch of the dial have applied ornaments – C-scrolls, *rocaille* and leaves – made of silvered brass.  \nThe movement between plates is spring-driven with a verge escapement and a short pendulum. The hours, half and quarter hours are struck on bells. It has a separate alarm movement with a verge escapement and short pendulum.  \nThis clock is unusual for having above its main movement another, smaller one also with a verge escapement and pendulum. This served to drive the alarm and connected to the centre of the lower movement with a lever. It is wound up through the opening in the arch of the dial.  \nThe clock was in use in the Maruševec Manor near Varaždin. At the beginning of the 18th century Count Krsto Vragović owned the manor, he died in 1717 in a battle against the Turks. After that, Maruševec belonged to the Paszthory and Patačić families. In the 19th century, its owners were count Artur Schlippenbach and Oskar Pongratz.  \nAfter the Second World War, the state confiscated the manor.","short_description":"A richly decorated bracket clock from Maruševec Manor near Varaždin the case, made of gilt wood, has Rococo decoration.","type":"Clock, timepiece","holder":"City Museum, Varaždin","initial_owner":"A noble family of Maruševec Manor","dates":"About 1750","location":"Varaždin, North-West Croatia","dimensions":"H: 60 cm; w: 33 cm; d: 16 cm","place_of_production":"South Germany (?)","method_for_datation":"By stylistic analysis and comparative material.","provenance":"From Maruševec Manor","obtention":"Originally, the clock was in Maruševec Manor near Varaždin. After the Second World War, the state confiscated the manor and the clock was moved to the Cultural History department of the City Museum in Varaždin Castle.","bibliography":"Kućni sat: *Stilski razvoj kroz vjekove.* *Beograd: Muzej primenjene umetnosti*, 1964, p. 79, cat. 23.  \nKlemm, M., *Stari satovi u muzejima sjeverozapadne Hrvatske, Varaždin: Muzejsko društvo sjeverozapadne Hrvatske*, 1990, p. 12, cat. 6.  \nLovrić Plantić, V., *Udomljeno vrijeme: Kućni satovi kontinentalne Hrvatske – nepoznata baština*, Zagreb, 2008, p. 166, cat. 15.","workshop":"Unknown","author":"Vesna Lovrić Plantić","translator":"Vesna Lovrić Plantić","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["cast brass","furnishing","gilding","glass","precious gems","timekeeping","wood carving"],"materials":["brass","carved and gilded","cast","engraved and silvered","glass","semi-precious jewels","Wood"]},"4a51e3f4-294d-54c9-a5ea-baa4868a2d16":{"name":"Sickle (*mijaz*)","description":"The sickle is a tool that has been employed worldwide for its utility: it is a manual agricultural tool that consists of a curved blade that is usually used for harvesting grain crops or cutting weeds used to feed livestock.","type":"Sickle (*mijaz*)","holder":"National Museum of Oman","owner":"National Museum of Oman","dates":"Hegira 14th century / AD 20th century","location":"Muscat","dimensions":"Height: 3.5cm, length: 49cm, width: 3.5cm","place_of_production":"Oman","provenance":"Local acquisition","obtention":"Local acquisition.","copy_editor":"Alvaro Miranda","materials":["Wood and iron"]},"4b719ab5-caa8-53d7-a185-809f12af918c":{"name":"Venetian mirror","description":"This magnificent wooden mirror, carved and decorated with gold leaf, is deeply moulded (14cm) and engraved with floral patterns. Two different tones of gold leaf, matte and gloss, were used. This Italian style carving was very fashionable with the 19th century nobility.","type":"Carving; ironwork; decorative item","holder":"Musée d’Histoire Moderne et Contemporaine de Kassar Saïd","dates":"19th century","location":"Le Bardo, Tunis","provenance":"Palais Kassar Saïd","author":"Saloua Zangar","translator":"Flaminia Baldwin"},"4c16a8ad-8dfc-54dd-bc70-ac76e6862585":{"name":"Decorative wooden panel.","description":"A cedarwood panel comprising wood imported mainly from Lebanon that was part of a wider scale procurement process which took place during the implementation of the grand Umayyad project to erect the Haram al-Sharif. The development of the Haram included the construction of the Dome of the Rock, al-Aqsa Mosque and other buildings. The panel presented here is one of a collection of pieces similar in size and carving technique, although different with regard to the decorative program. The Islamic Museum has acquired 16 of these panels, while the Palestinian Museum (Rockefeller Museum) holds some pieces from the collection. In addition to these decorative cedarwood panels, the Islamic Museum holds a large collection of undecorated pieces, including undecorated wooden beams, some of which extend to more than 10 m in length, and date back to the Umayyad period. These panels and beams were retrieved during restoration works at al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock, and form a basic resource for the study of woodworking techniques used in Umayyad constructions. Additionally, the Islamic Museum has acquired other collections of woodwork dating to the Abbasid, Fatimid, Ayyubid, Mamluk and Ottoman periods. The comprehensive woodwork collection at the Museum is considered to be a rare resource for the study of Islamic woodworking throughout the ages.  \nThis panel has been carved in low relief, which has led to a notable projection of the decoration. The decoration consists of whirling vegetal motifs and various geometric forms. The decorative style is not dissimilar to that of the Umayyad period, which combined several different styles including Byzantine, Sassanid, Coptic, and local Syrian.  \nThe piece under discussion is adorned with decoration. Central to the overall scheme is a vase in the form of a goblet out which emerges a whirling plant in the shape of three pairs of branching and intertwining leaves that lengthen along the extent of the panel. The decoration is contained within a rectangular frame that is contained on the outside by vegetal motifs; these aim towards connecting this panel with its neighbours, thereby facilitating the transfer from one decorative theme to the next.","short_description":"This piece of woodwork was used in the building of the Dome of the Rock. Its is thought to be the oldest Islamic woodwork still extant in its original location. The wood is decorated with very beautiful geometric and vegetal motifs and is a reflection of Umayyad decorative arts whose sources derived from different pre-Islamic arts.","type":"Woodwork, panel, wood","holder":"Islamic Museum, al-Aqsa Mosque / al-Haram al-Sharif.","initial_owner":"Caliph 'Abd al-Malik bin Marwan (r. AH 65–86 / AD 685–705) or Caliph al-Walid bin 'Abd al-Malik (r. AH 86–96 / AD 705–15).","dates":"Hegira 1st century / AD 8th century.","location":"Jerusalem","dimensions":"Height 193 cm, width 55 cm, depth: 8–10 cm.","method_for_datation":"The date for this panel has been established by comparison with other related pieces: for example, the decoration and technique used to carve this piece were compared with similar woodwork at Khirbat al-Mafjar (Hisham's Palace) in Jericho. Comparisons have also been drawn with other Umayyad pieces.","method_for_provenance":"Jerusalem was narrowed down as the place of production by means of documents pertaining to the restoration of al-Aqsa Mosque, which have been preserved by al-Aqsa Mosque Restoration Committee.","provenance":"Jerusalem.","obtention":"The piece was initially placed in the al-Aqsa Mosque following construction, by order of 'Abd al-Malik or his son al-Walid, and subsequently transferred from al-Aqsa Mosque to the Islamic Museum in 1938.","bibliography":"Abu Khalaf, M., *Islamic Art through the Ages: Masterpieces of the Islamic Museum of al-Haram al-Sharif,* Jerusalem, 1998.  \nHamilton, R. W., *The Structural History of al-Aqsa Mosque: A Record of Archaeological Cleaning from the Repairs of 1938–42,* London, 1949.  \nMarçais, G., “The Panels of Carved Wood in al-Aqsa Mosque at Jerusalem”, in Creswell, K. A. C., (ed), *Early Muslim Architecture* (Vol. 2), Oxford, 1940.","linkcatalogs":"IAM_JO_EN_001","author":"Nazmi Al-Ju'beh","copy_editor":"Majd Musa","translator":"Amal Sachedina (from the Arabic).","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["cedar","high relief","low relief","panel","vegetal decoration","woodwork"],"materials":["Cedarwood with decorative carving."]},"4c67ed2f-ee8b-5b76-827e-611ac07238ea":{"name":"Pearl Trader’s Scales Box","description":"This wooden box was designed to contain a sophisticated scales set, which incorporated both a large balance and bowls for weighing quantities of pearls and a smaller version, with several, graded weighing bowls for smaller quantities. The weighing systems for pearls was complex and highly sophisticated to allow for the accurate assessment of mixed batches of pearls of varying sizes and quality. The largest and most valuable pearls were separated and assessed individually. The other pearls would be passed through graded sieves and separated into three batches of specific size.  Apart from the very best items, pearls from these batches were sold by weight.","type":"Wooden box for scales","holder":"Sharjah Maritime Museum / Sharjah Museums Department","dates":"Hegira late 13th – early 14th century / AD late 19th – early 20th century","location":"Sharjah","provenance":"Sharjah Emirate","author":"Ulrike Al-Khamis"},"4c71acf9-d06b-5c50-b777-26a1cf2db6b5":{"name":"Door panel with carved decoration","short_description":"A single door panel with three identical inset decorative panels each carved with a combination of different vegetal motifs in the bevelled style. The carving is characteristic of the Samarra style as it was developed in the building of the homonymous city in the ninth century. Marble wall revetments from the caliph’s palace in the same city contain identical ornamentation.","type":"Woodwork, door panel, wood","holder":"Benaki Museum","dates":"Hegira 3rd century / AD 9th century","location":"Athens","dimensions":"H. 238 cm.","provenance":"Iraq","keywords":["Bevelled style","carving","Door panel","wood"],"materials":["carved","Wood"]},"4c9b3c73-f021-537b-b1bc-a5a3c53c31bf":{"name":"Frieze.","description":"The upper part of this long panel is decorated with a traditional Marinid ribbon of eight-petal rosettes between two fillets. The main section sits below this band and is divided into two decorative areas.  \nThe lower area consists of plant motifs in low relief: noduled foliage and smooth double palms.  \nThe upper area consists of alternating high-relief arcatures in two different sizes. They consist of two superposed arches separated by a groove: the upper arch is undulated and the lower arch consists of double-palm lobes and is rendered in *cavetto*.  \nThe large arcatures are crowned with fleurons that cut into the rosette band. They contain an inscription in twisted pseudo-*kufic* characters with floral upstrokes and bear a mirror image of the word '*yumn*' (prosperity), similar to the motifs used in Marinid architectural decoration.  \nThe smaller ones are stamped with a ribbed six-lobe palmette and crowned with plant decoration surrounded by two bound lobes and flanked by adventitious floral upstrokes that extend beyond the sides of the large arcatures.  \nThe movement of the floral motifs, which is harmoniously adapted to the shape of the epigraphic decoration, and the spacing of the spandrels of the arches, as well as their large and rigorous rendering, make this well-made Marinid piece particularly interesting.","short_description":"The decorative elements of this panel (rosette frame, arches, pseudo-epigraphic inscriptions, palmette and floral motifs) along with their layout and execution are reminiscent of the decorated friezes found at the top of gallery walls in Fez's Marinid *madrasas*.","type":"Woodwork, frieze, wood","holder":"Kasbah Museum.","owner":"Batha Museum, Fez.","dates":"Hegira 8th century / AD 14th century.","location":"Tangiers.","dimensions":"Height 31.5 cm, length 244.5 cm, depth 5 cm.","method_for_datation":"From comparative analysis. The decorative elements of this panel, rosette frame, arches, pseudo-epigraphic inscription, palmettes and floral motifs, as well as their layout and execution are reminiscent of the ornamentation found on friezes on top of the walls in the galleries of Marinid *madrasas* in Fez, in particular the Buinaniya.","method_for_provenance":"Salvaged in Fez.","provenance":"Fez.","obtention":"Salvaged.","bibliography":"Cambazard-Amahan, C., *Le décor sur bois dans l'architecture de Fès*, Paris, 1989.  \nMarçais, G., *L'architecture musulmane d'Occident*, Paris, 1954.  \nTerrasse, Ch., *Médersas du Maroc*, Paris, 1927.  \nTerrasse, H. and Hainaut, J., *Les arts décoratifs au Maroc*, Paris, 1925.","linkcatalogs":"IAM_MA_EN_001","author":"Naima El Khatib-Boujibar","copy_editor":"Margot Cortez","translator":"Laurence Nunny","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["epigraphic decoration","floral decoration","geometric decoration"],"materials":["Sculpted and vanished cedarwood."]},"4cdf29ad-f45a-562e-8ea4-fa190cc10ab3":{"name":"Wooden panel with epigraphic blazon.","description":"A wooden panel with a central field and narrow border. Within the central field a round tripartite, epigraphic blazon is set against an arabesque ground. The titles of Sultan Quaytbay (r. AH 872–901 /AD 1468–96) occupy the centre ground, his name is given above and his victory evoked below. The three inscriptions, rendered in *thuluth* script read: ‘al-sultan al-malik al-ashraf’ (centre) ‘Qaytbay’ (above) ‘izz nasrihi’ (below). The central field is surrounded by a stylised split-palmette scroll. Qai’tbay was a prolific patron of both the arts and architecture, he commissioned a large number of mosques, public fountains (*sabil)* religious schools (*madrasa*) and inns (*wikala*). It has been suggested that this panel originally came from the *Wikala* of Sultan Qa’itbay in Cairo, but without further details it is difficult to assign this piece with certainty to that particular complex.","short_description":"This wooden panel carries the composite blazon of the Mamluk sultan Qaytbay. Qaytbay was an outstanding patron of the arts and of architecture. He commissioned a large number of mosques, public fountains, religious schools and inns (*wikalas*). This panel is said to come from his *wikala* in Cairo.","type":"Woodwork, carved wood","holder":"National Museums of Scotland (NMS).","dates":"Hegira 872–901 / AD 1468–96.","location":"Edinburgh, Scotland","dimensions":"Height 59.69, width 39.37 cm.","method_for_datation":"The epigraphic blazon in the centre of the panel gives the titles and the name of the Mamluk Sultan Qaytbay (r. 872–901 / 1468–96).","method_for_provenance":"The epigraphic blazon in the centre of the panel gives the titles and name of the Mamluk Sultan Qaytbay; it is possible that this panel was commissioned for the *Wikala* of Sultan Qaytbay in Cairo.","provenance":"Possibly from the Wikala of Sultan Qaytbay in Cairo, Egypt.","obtention":"Purchased by the NMS from the Maurice Collection in 1884.","bibliography":"Atil, E., *Renaissance of Islam: Art of the Mamluks*, Washington D.C., 1981, pp.204–5, cat. no. 101 (for a similar panel).","linkcatalogs":"IAM_EG_EN_001","author":"Ulrike Al-Khamis","copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["blazon","calligraphy","coat of arms","Sultan Qaytbay","Thuluth","Wikala"],"materials":["Carved wood."]},"4e79bace-bc0e-55dc-9c99-de21e6fc0f6b":{"name":"*Kelek* raft","description":"The Iraqi word for raft is *kelek*, a name that can be traced from Sumerian (*ka-la*) via Akkadian (*kalakku*). Most *keleks* were made on banks of the Tigris in mountainous areas of what is now Iraqi Kurdistan and southern Turkey. *keleks* were traditionally constructed using a grid of long, straight poles made from tree saplings – an important export from the northern highlands to Mosul and Baghdad since ancient times, used in construction and for a wide range of purposes after the rafts had been dismantled.  \n  \nThe *kelek* differs from log rafts as its poles are supported on floats to increase buoyancy: traditionally these were made from inflated animal skins (more recent versions have been known to use tyre inner tubes). The poles and floats are tied together with cordage made from leather, goat-hair, or other materials sourced from further afield.  \n  \nSome *keleks* were used simply to transport the wooden poles that made up the raft; others carried additional heavy cargoes, including giant millstones and the raw stone used to build ancient Mesopotamian cities. *Keleks* from the northern highlands generally made only one downstream journey before being dismantled and used for their materials. *Keleks* were photographed on the Tigris in the early AH 14th / AD 20th century and were used by archaeologist A. H. Layard to transport statues from Nineveh downstream to Baghdad in the AH mid 13th / AD mid-19th century.  \n  \n*Keleks* are depicted on at least two Assyrian reliefs from the reign of Sennacherib (705-681 BC): in one scene the raft carries passengers and a fisherman, while another shows it carrying two large stone blocks. Both rafts are propelled by oarsmen seated at the front of the raft. One is guided by a swimmer on an animal skin float.  \n  \nThe *kelek* in the collection of the Open Museum for Water Culture is a reconstruction made in AH 1446/ AD 2024 by a craftsman from Sulaymaniyah, Iraqi Kurdistan.","type":"Watercraft","holder":"Open Museum Initiative for Water Cultures","owner":"Safina Projects CIC","initial_owner":"Safina Projects CIC","dates":"AH 1446/ AD 2024","location":"Basra","dimensions":"Length: 3m, height: 0.4m, width: 2.4m","method_for_datation":"Production was supervised by current owner.","method_for_provenance":"Production was supervised by current owner.","provenance":"Sulaymaniyah, Iraq","obtention":"Made in workshop organised by Safina Projects.","bibliography":"Agius, D. A.,*Classic Ships of Islam: from Mesopotamia to the Indian Ocean.*, Leiden: Brill, 2014.  \n  \nAl-Behadli, J., 'The Ark for Iraq Programme: the Experience of Safina Projects in the Study of Traditional Boats and their Revitalisation', *Al-Turath al-Sha’bi*, (2024), 325 \\[Published in Arabic\\].  \n  \nMcGrail, S., *Boats of the World: from the Stone Age to Medieval Times*, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001.  \n  \nRitter, H., 'Mesopotamische Studien', *Der Islam: Zeitschrift für Geschichte und Kultur des Islamischen Orients* (1919).","author":"Hannah Lewis","keywords":["boat","raft","Transport","Watercraft"],"materials":["carpentry","cordage","inflated goat skins","knotting.","Poplar wood"]},"507be032-d0a6-59ec-914d-6665a856598d":{"name":"Table","description":"This table bore witness to the signing of the so-called \"Treaty of Bardo\" the 12 May 1881 by Mohamed Sadok Bey and the General Bréart. This circular marble table has a diameter of around 120 cm and an ebony base, carved and embellished with gold leaf.","type":"Woodwork; furniture","holder":"Musée d’Histoire Moderne et Contemporaine de Kassar Saïd","dates":"19th century","location":"Le Bardo, Tunis","provenance":"Palais de Kassar Saïd","author":"Bechir Yazidi","translator":"Flaminia Baldwin"},"50c3aa93-d400-5d9f-824f-b394e33b63a6":{"name":"Beylical salon","description":"This beylical salon is furnished with carved wood from the beylik era, and consists of three large double-seater benches and four smaller benches with full armrests and topped with a pediment. The set is decorated with rectangular panels in the middle and square panels on the sides, all decorated with a mashrabiya. A wood carved table completes the set.","type":"Woodwork; furniture","holder":"Musée National du Bardo","dates":"19th century","location":"Le Bardo, Tunis","provenance":"Palais du Bardo","author":"Saloua Zangar","translator":"Flaminia Baldwin"},"51c01d82-0b4a-5399-8607-c519021252c0":{"name":"Switchboard (*Telefon Santrali*)","description":"In 1840, the Ministry of Post made an announcement describing the postal service, declaring it necessary in order to facilitate communication among people. The first regulations about the postal organisation were taken from French Law in 1840. Ottoman Postal Code included 44 specific headlines. In 1855 the first telegraph service and in 1909 the first telephone service were put into common use as a demonstration of modern communication. In order to improve the technology of the telegraph systems, Ottoman authorities imported well-known machines with trademarks such as Siemens & Halske and Western Electric. As a result of this technological improvement, Ottoman officials decided to establish a telegraph factory. Between 1869 and 1915 this factory produced many devices and accessories.","type":"Electronic","holder":"Istanbul Postal Museum","dates":"1895","location":"Istanbul","provenance":"Istanbul","copy_editor":"Daniel de la Vega"},"521d6cfc-68ec-53af-a60c-48b720b5bbf7":{"name":"Armchairs","short_description":"The armchairs are veneered with ivory, engraved with flowers and leaves as well as mythical beasts and birds. Featuring a central mirror framed with studded tortoiseshell above various openwork rails, the back embellished with metal jewel-like cartouches. The seat on flutes solid ivory front legs and swept forward back legs are supported by engraved gilt brass and gold peacocks with mechanical springs that make the wings flap when weight is applied to their backs. The association of peacocks with thrones, however, goes back to Shah Jahan's famous peacock throne, built in AD 1635.","type":"Wood","holder":"Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia","dates":"c. Hegira 1300 / c. AD 1900","location":"Kuala Lumpur","dimensions":"125 x  61 x 58cm","provenance":"India, Vizagapatam","obtention":"From a private collection in France","bibliography":"Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia, *IAMM Guide Book*, Kuala Lumpur: IAMM Publications, 2014: 37.","materials":["beads","brass","carving","chasing and bending","Engraving","glass","iron and ruby stones","ivory","joining","repoussé","revert and slotting","soldering","stone setting","Textile","tortoiseshell","Velvet","weaving","Wood"]},"530f0310-0111-5a9b-bcd8-d43868876a42":{"name":"Panel with abstract decoration","short_description":"This carved panel comes from Egypt, where wood, on account of its rarity and cost, was decorated with care and used in contexts generally reserved for luxury materials. Although it is impossible to say how this wood panel was used originally, it is possible to assign it to the late 3rd/late 9th century on the basis of its distinctive decoration. Decorated in the bevelled style, the panel depicts highly stylised leaves that have been transformed into abstract motifs. As is typical of this style, it is impossible to distinguish between background and foreground or between natural and abstract forms. The bevelled style may have first been developed at Samarra, in northern Iraq, which replaced Baghdad as the Abbasid capital, from Hegira 221–279 / AD 836 to 892. This style was quickly adopted in other parts of the Islamic empire including Egypt, as exemplified by the decoration in the Mosque of Ibn Tulun, Cairo.","type":"Architectural Elements","holder":"Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA)","dates":"Hegira late 3rd century / AD late 9th century","location":"Los Angeles","dimensions":"64.2 x 20.3cm","method_for_datation":"It is datable on the basis of its distinctive decoration in the so-called bevelled style as in the mosque of Ibn Tulun and can likewise be ascribed to Egypt.","method_for_provenance":"The style of the panel relates to the architectural decoration of the mosque of Ibn Tulun in Cairo, completed in Hegira 265 / AD 879.","provenance":"Egypt","obtention":"Collection of Nasli M. Heeramaneck (1902-1971), New York, until 1973 (sold to); LACMA, The Nasli M. Heeramaneck collection, gift of Joan Palevsky.","bibliography":"Komaroff, Linda, *Islamic Art at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art*, Rev. ed., Los Angeles: Museum Associates, 2005: 14, fig. 9.  \nKomaroff, Linda, *Lo Terrenal y lo divino: Arte islámico siglos VII al XIX Colección del Museo de Arte del Condado de Los Angeles*, Santiago, Chile: Centro Cultural La Moneda, 2015: 35, 207.  \nKomaroff, Linda, *Beauty and Identity: Islamic Art from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art*, Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 2016: 87.  \nPal, Pratapaditya (ed), *Islamic Art: The Nasli M. Heeramaneck Collection*, Los Angeles: Museum Associates, 1973: 176.","author":"LACMA Staff","keywords":["Abbasids","Bevelled style","carving","Samarra","Tulunid","vegetal decoration","woodwork"],"materials":["carved","Wood"]},"53178417-31fa-543d-866e-9ede2d175694":{"name":"Door Panel","short_description":"Ivory inlays were frequently combined with wood in the production of furniture and architectural fittings in late medieval Egypt. This elaborate method of fabrication, which used costly ivory and rare woods like ebony, required that individual elements, often of minute size, be cut, carved with intricate motifs, and then carefully constructed like a mosaic to form a larger unit of generally geometric design. Accuracy in cutting and assembling was essential since every piece affects the whole. It is difficult to say exactly how the present door functioned, but most likely it was one of a pair, perhaps for a cupboard set into a wall of either a religious or a secular building.","type":"Architectural Elements","holder":"Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA)","dates":"Hegira second half of 7th century / AD second half of the 13th century","location":"Los Angeles","dimensions":"91.4 x 27.3 x 3.8cm","method_for_datation":"The ornamentation and technique suggest a date in the early Mamluk period.","method_for_provenance":"The materials, techniques and design relate this panel to Mamluk Egypt.","provenance":"Egypt","obtention":"Collection of Habib Anavian (1915-1995), New York, until June 1981 (sold to); Collection of Maan Z. Madina (1926-2013), New York, until 2002 (sold to); LACMA, The Madina Collection of Islamic Art, gift of Camilla Chandler Frost.","bibliography":"Komaroff, Linda, *Beauty and Identity: Islamic Art from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art*, Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 2016: 140-141.  \nKomaroff, Linda, *Lo Terrenal y lo Divino: Arte Islámico siglos VII al XIX Colección del Museo de Arte del Condado de Los Ángeles*, Santiago: Centro Cultural La Moneda, 2015: 112-113.  \nKomaroff, Linda, *Islamic Art at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art*, Los Angeles: Museum Associates, 2005: 40.  \nKomaroff, Linda, *Collecting Islamic Art at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art: A Curatorial Perspective*, Los Angeles: Art Catalogues; LACMA, 2017: 28-29.","author":"LACMA Staff","keywords":["architectural element","carved decoration","carving","Door","ebony","geometric design","inlay","ivory","Mamluk","marquetry","panel","wood"],"materials":["Carved ivory","marquetry","Wood"]},"550798b2-2ff6-5c87-b3f5-df183a1a2b89":{"name":"Bridal cushions","description":"Bridal cushions from Ma’an, Jordan, traditionally prepared by a bride as part of her trousseau for her new home, are among the most distinctive examples of Jordanian domestic textiles. Their fabrics and techniques reflect connections with textile traditions from the Caucasus, Syria, Turkey, and Central Asia, shaped through centuries of travel, trade, pilgrimage, and cultural exchange. These influences reached Ma’an through its position as an important crossroads on regional routes, particularly as a key stop along the Hejaz Railway, built during the Ottoman period to facilitate travel between Damascus and the holy cities of Mecca and Medina. The background image is from the G. Eric and Edith Matson Photograph Collection at the Library of Congress, showing the Hejaz Railway, which connected communities across the Ottoman Empire and facilitated movement for travellers, pilgrims, and merchants between the Levant and the Hijaz.","type":"Furniture","holder":"Tiraz: Widad Kawar Home for Arab Dress","owner":"Tiraz","dates":"ca. 1935","location":"Amman","dimensions":"Height: 64-70 cm; width: 35-40 cm","place_of_production":"Ma'an, Jordan","provenance":"Purchased by the collector","author":"Laila Mushahwar","copy_editor":"Danielle Morcom","keywords":["ceremony","furniture","marriage","textile","wedding"],"materials":["cotton","silk"]},"55e346ff-6f0e-5e17-90fe-1d309d2d7056":{"name":"Painted chest","description":"The main façade of the chest is adorned with a composition of flowers, branches and fruits in curvilinear compartments, while the corners depict female figures flanked by columns. The interior of the lid shows a landscape with five male figures: a man with a European garment sitting on the ground observing another figure dressed in European clothes, two figures on horseback with Ottoman costumes and a European traveller. The panels in the style of rocailles that adorn both the main and the side views of the chest, the compositions of fruit and flowers and the soft colours refer to the prevailing influence of the rococo style that is dominant in the frescos of the mansions of Lesvos the late 18th century. Both the structure of the mansions and the decorative repertoire follow Ottoman aesthetic as these were by influenced by European art but blending baroque, rococo and neoclassical styles.","type":"Furniture","holder":"Benaki Museum","dates":"Late 18th century","location":"Athens","author":"Xenia Politou"},"56669d0c-f1dc-5ef6-92fc-a676c2150aa7":{"name":"Wooden shelving unit","description":"This shelf belonged to a traditional house in the town of Ksar Hellal. It would been hung from a wall as decoration, holding vases and perfume sprinklers, as well as weapons. It is characterized by its floral patterns with birds, flowers and leaves painted in stylised colours on a pale green background, all surrounding a multicolour fish.","type":"Woodwork","holder":"Dar Ayed – Ksar Hellal","dates":"19th century","author":"Saloua Zangar","translator":"Flaminia Baldwin"},"571c2e73-e0f1-5b98-b748-e41a5e7ff2b7":{"name":"Door carved on wood","description":"This door from the interior of the museum of the Palais du Bardo is made of carved and studded oak, with two panels on either side. The frames are studded along their horizontal axis, and the panels are richly decorated with flower vase motifs.","type":"Woodwork","holder":"Musée National du Bardo","dates":"19th century","location":"Le Bardo, Tunis","provenance":"Palais du Bardo","author":"Saloua Zangar","translator":"Flaminia Baldwin"},"58752dc4-a710-5e08-bb58-f1e52b715cb4":{"name":"Axe","description":"The traditional hand-forged axe is a simple but highly functional implement which dates back to antiquity in Oman. It is used to shape, chop and split wood, with its steel head serving as a wedge to force wood fibres apart and its wooden handle acting as a lever to increase force at the cutting edge.","type":"Axe","holder":"National Museum of Oman","owner":"National Museum of Oman","dates":"Hegira 14th century / AD 20th century","location":"Muscat","dimensions":"Height: 6cm, length: 63.3cm, width: 18.5cm","place_of_production":"Oman","provenance":"Local acquisition","obtention":"Local acquisition.","copy_editor":"Alvaro Miranda","materials":["Wood and iron"]},"58d8569e-9dce-5ab4-bed2-63c6b0b22bb0":{"name":"Cabinet on stand","alternate_name":"Escritorio","description":"The Neo-Mudéjar style gave new light to different workshops and techniques. As a consequence of this revival woodwork technique for furniture, such as the inlay in Granada style, was recreated in different pieces of furniture such as this cabinet. The decoration of stars and interlacing arabesques at the front of the cabinet shows the influence of the Mudéjar art.","type":"Furniture","holder":"National Museum of Decorative Arts","dates":"Early 20th century","location":"Madrid","provenance":"Granada","author":"Ana Cabrera","copy_editor":"Anne Dowell"},"5bd0b400-e2a7-5040-8e6d-9c15256ea7f9":{"name":"Wooden panel.","description":"This long decorative panel, carved in low relief and with slightly damaged ends, consists of five well-balanced sections arranged symmetrically along a longitudinal axis. These sections and the panel sides are framed with grooved and cabled borders.  \nThe lower section is delimited with a lobed arcature containing an arch supported on floral capitals and twisted columns rendered in relief on a dense floral background. This consists of bouquets of palmettes and finely veined single and double palms on either side of ascending stems reminiscent of the tree of life theme.  \nThe second section is decorated with circular foliage bearing, at regular intervals, veined nodules, single veined calyx palms, double digitate palms and concave coil palms.  \nThe third section is decorated with geometric ornamentation: an octagonal braid in relief embellished with pearls crowns a composition of mixtilinear knotwork that radiates from an eight-pointed star. A longitudinal groove cuts across this strip.  \nThe fourth section is similar to the second. The fifth consists of grooved knotwork combining squares and four-lobed curvilinear stars. These polygonal figures created by the knotwork lines are filled at different levels with floral motifs that soften the geometric composition: veined symmetrical calyx palms inserted between two asymmetrical palms with intertwined stems and six-petal rosettes.  \nAll of these well ordered and finely executed decorative themes, inspired by flora, geometry and architecture, are found in different Almoravid buildings and objects.","short_description":"This long ornate panel, carved in low relief, is decorated with finely executed and hierarchically arranged plant, geometric and architectural motifs, as found in different Almoravid buildings and objects known today.","type":"Woodwork, panel, wood","holder":"Batha Museum.","dates":"Hegira 6th / AD 12th century.","location":"Fez.","dimensions":"Height 95 cm, length 18.5 cm.","method_for_datation":"Through comparative study. Several of the motifs chosen to decorate this piece and their relief, ornamental composition and abundance are also found in other dated Almoravid pieces, such as the *minbar* of the Great Mosque of Algiers, the decoration on the domes of the Qarawiyyin and the Marrakesh *qubba*. This enables us to date this panel to the Almoravid period and specifically to the reign of 'Ali ibn Yusuf (500–37 / 1106–42).","method_for_provenance":"Salvaged in Fez.","provenance":"Fez.","obtention":"Salvaged along with other ancient wooden pieces.","bibliography":"Cambazard-Amahan, C., *Le décor sur bois dans l'architecture de Fès*, Paris, 1989.  \nMarçais, G., “La chaire de la Grande Mosquée d'Alger”, *Hespéris*, 1921, Vol. I, fasc. 4, pp.359–86.  \nMarçais, G., *L'architecture musulmane d'Occident*, Paris, 1959.  \nMeunié, J. et Terrasse, H., *Nouvelles recherches archéologiques à Marrakech*, Paris, 1957.  \nTerrasse, H., *L'art hispano-mauresque des origines au XIIIe siècle*, Paris, 1932.  \n*Andalusian Morocco: A Discovery in Living Art*, p.104.","linkcatalogs":"IAM_MA_EN_001","author":"Naima El Khatib-Boujibar","copy_editor":"Margot Cortez","translator":"Laurence Nunny","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["architectural decoration","geometric decoration","vegetal decoration"],"materials":["Sculpted cedarwood."]},"5e718b75-a6e3-5eae-9b65-a96062887c90":{"name":"*Dlu*","alternate_name":"Traditional leather well bucket","description":"The *dlu* is a traditional leather bucket used in Moroccan oases to draw water from deep wells. Typically crafted from thick goat leather treated with natural oils, it was strong enough to withstand constant immersion while remaining flexible. Attached to a rope and pulley system, the *dlu* was lowered into wells to collect water, then hoisted up for domestic, agricultural, and animal use. Its design reflects both simplicity and efficiency, adapted to arid environments where groundwater was the primary source of survival. In Tafilalet, where *khettaras* and wells structured daily life, the *dlu* was indispensable to communities before mechanised pumps. It represents the resilience of rural craftsmanship and the crucial role of traditional tools in sustaining livelihoods in desert societies.","type":"Water-drawing vessel","holder":"Mohammed VI Museum of Water Civilisation","owner":"Mohammed VI Museum of Water Civilisation","initial_owner":"Rural communities of Tafilalet","dates":"AD 14th / AD 20th century","location":"Marrakech","dimensions":"42cm × 25cm","place_of_production":"Tafilalet","method_for_datation":"Based on typology and ethnographic evidence.","method_for_provenance":"Museum records and oral accounts.","obtention":"Museum acquisition (details not available).","bibliography":"El Faïz, M., *L’eau et les hommes au Maghreb*, Rabat: L’Harmattan, 2002.","workshop":"Rural leathercraft workshops, Tafilalet","author":"MUSEUM Staff","copy_editor":"Judy Harter","keywords":["dlu","leather","leathercraft","Tafilalet","water extraction","well bucket"],"materials":["Goat leather","rope handle","stitched and waterproofed with natural oils"]},"5eacbf30-4e9e-5c27-a757-04efcf633b45":{"name":"Wooden frieze.","description":"An almost complete frieze that would undoubtedly have come from a religious monument. Its surface is decorated with a flowery and twisted *kufic* inscription repeating the end of Qur'anic verse 73 of Sura 22 ('Pilgrimage'). The *kufic* characters are embellished with vegetal elements in the form of tri-lobed demi-fleurons and five-lobed fleurons that prolong the angle of the bevel.  \nThe text is carved on a plant background consisting of a dense floral composition with absolutely no empty spaces. This decorative element uses pinecones and palms carried by foliage or decorating the involutions: asymmetric smooth palms with calyxes and branches stretching into loops and veined double palms with acanthus leaves whose offshoot, which separates the veins into twos, assumes an oval shape reminiscent of a pinecone scale.  \nThis frieze, with its low-relief decoration covering the entire surface and where a taste for abundance and ornamental opulence has supplanted Almohad rigour and simplicity, well illustrates the aesthetic choices of Marinid art, which adopts some elements of Almoravid art.","short_description":"This incomplete frieze would almost certainly have come from a religious monument. It is decorated with a Qur'anic inscription in flowery, twisted *kufic* characters on an unbroken background of plant decoration in low relief, a good illustration of aesthetic choices in Marinid art.","type":"Woodwork, frieze, wood","holder":"Batha Museum.","dates":"Hegira 7th century / AD 13th century.","location":"Fez.","dimensions":"Height 21.6 cm, length 107 cm, depth 3.5 cm.","method_for_datation":"From stylistic analysis. The rendering of the letters and the floral forms, which can also be seen in the decoration of the Bab Mrissa gateway in Salé dating from the second half of the 7th / 13th century, as well as its decoration suggests the style of the beginning of the Marinid era.","method_for_provenance":"Information taken from the inventory register.","provenance":"Fez.","obtention":"Salvaged.","bibliography":"Cambazard-Amahan, C., *Le décor sur bois dans l'architecture de Fès*, Paris, 1989.  \nMarçais, G., *L'architecture musulmane d'Occident*, Paris, 1959.  \nTerrasse, H., *L'art hispano-mauresque des origines au XIIIe siècle*, Paris, 1932.","linkcatalogs":"IAM_MA_EN_001","author":"Naima El Khatib-Boujibar","copy_editor":"Margot Cortez","translator":"Laurence Nunny","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["epigraphy","floral decoration","Religion","vegetal decoration"],"materials":["Raised and sculpted cedarwood."]},"63191935-a807-58a4-b11e-292c88a654f7":{"name":"Dawud Pasha’s living room","description":"This bedroom belonged to the first *mutasarrif* (ruler) of the Mount Lebanon *mutasarrifiyya*, Dawud Pasha, who governed from 1861–68). The room is furnished with four armchairs and one large sofa. The sofa has a high wooden back, covered with a mosaic of white, beige and brown ceramic and bone pieces, organised in floral and geometric patterns. The seat cushions are covered with navy and beige silk decorated with similar patterns. The sofa was reserved for guests, which Dawud Pasha would receive from his large armchair, a sign of power and authority. The room is lit by two glass lanterns painted with white and golden floral patterns, and a round copper table sits in the centre of the room.","type":"Furniture; woodwork","holder":"Lebanese Heritage Museum","dates":"1860s","location":"`Ayn Najm","provenance":"Turkey","author":"Marie Therese Moujabber","copy_editor":"Flaminia Baldwin"},"64ac8dbf-8dd2-5b1c-a223-2129d475ce2e":{"name":"Case for the crown of Stefan Bocskai","short_description":"This decagonal domed case is made of wood and covered with fabric. The clasp at the front and the hinges at the back are silver-gilt. The fabric of the cover is costly Persian silk and is decorated with a figural scene surrounded by flowers. Half sitting, half reclining, a lady is reading a book. Beside her kneels a servant with a wide, sweeping *turban*, offering her a bowl with his right hand and holding a bottle in his left. Between the two figures lies a bowl containing fruit. In the lady's open book can be read the signature of the artist Mu'min, in Arabic script. On the inside of the case, the fabric retains all the freshness of its original colours, and is typical of the refined taste of the court of Shah 'Abbas the Great (AD 1587–1628) at Isfahan. Technically, it can be described as a double-woven lampas of coloured silk. Glued to the floor of the case is an Italian fabric from the early 17th century. Its ground is warp satin in red silk; the pattern, which takes the form of pinnate leaves and blossoms, is yellow silk woven in twill and intervowen with silver.","type":"Textile; case","holder":"Kunsthistorisches Museum","dates":"Hegira c. 1014 / AD c. 1605","location":"Vienna","provenance":"Iran? Turkey?","keywords":["court life","figurative decoration","floral decoration","Italian textiles","lampas","Mu´min","Safawid","satin","Shah `Abbas the Great","textile","women","woodwork"],"materials":["gilt","silk","Silver","Textile","Wood"]},"64ec1971-c448-5f70-9a89-e93744796b79":{"name":"Screen.","description":"The screen consists of three wooden hinged panels filled with latticework. Each panel is structured in square and rectangular sections of different sizes that show a diversity of geometric designs. Vertical, horizontal and diagonal bars linked by balls with flattened surfaces form the small and large squares, hexagons and abstract flower-like motifs of the latticework. The combination of all these elements in varying density creates the vivid impression of the surfaces. In addition, small hinged apertures and a bay window are integrated in the pattern of the two external panels and the middle panel.","short_description":"Screen consisting of three panels filled with latticework. Each panel is structured in square and rectangular sections. They show geometric designs formed of vertical, horizontal and diagonal bars. Small hinged apertures and a bay window are also integrated in the pattern.","type":"Woodwork, architectural decoration","holder":"Museum of Mediterranean and Near Eastern Antiquities (Medelhavsmuseet).","dates":"Hegira 11th–13th centuries / AD 17th–19th centuries.","location":"Stockholm","dimensions":"Height 183, width 62.5 cm, 77 cm, 66 cm.","method_for_datation":"Screens with the same technique and similar designs are housed in the Louvre Museum, Paris, for which an Egyptian provenance from palaces and houses dating from the 11th–13th / 17th–19th centuries is proved.","method_for_provenance":"Screens with the same technique and similar designs are housed in the Louvre Museum, Paris, for which an Egyptian provenance from palaces and houses dating from the 11th–13th / 17th–19th centuries is proved.","provenance":"Egypt","obtention":"There is no information about acquisition.","bibliography":"Anglade, E., *Catalogue des Boiseries de la Section Islamique*, Paris, 1988.  \nBrisch, K. (ed.), *Islamische Kunst: Loseblattkatalog unpublizierter Werke aus deutschen Museen*, 2, Mainz, 1985, cat. no. 385.  \nLane-Pool, S., *The Art of the Saracens in Egypt*, London, 1886.","linkcatalogs":"IAM_TR_EN_001","author":"Friederike Voigt","copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["geometric design","Screen","woodwork"],"materials":["latticework.","Wood"]},"65a53b99-07d5-5553-b2ed-33b6de70f6c6":{"name":"Covered Vessel with Relief Design of Arabic Inscription in *Kufic* Script","short_description":"A circular steatite vessel with a thin, flat lid with a vertical, eared wing handle that has a mushroom-shaped cut-out in the center. Around the exterior of the lid is a band of cross-hatching, and another band of the same width crossing the diameter of the lid. This band is also cross-hatched on one half, up to where it intersects with the handle, then becomes \"transparent,\" filled only with the raised relief inscription beneath that covers the remaining surface of the lid.  \nThe vessel has straight sides with an upper and lower border of cross-hatching, enclosing a relief band of inscription. The stone is carved to form an Arabic inscription in relief, in an angular script style known as *Kufic*. The tops of the taller letters end in leaves and flowers, a popular calligraphic device in the 10th century. On opposing sides of the vessel are bar-like handles with deep gouges on their outer edges. The area where each handle attaches to the vessel is bordered by cross-hatching.","type":"Stone and Mineral","holder":"Saint Louis Art Museum","dates":"Hegira Late 2nd to late 4th / AD 10th century","location":"Saint Louis","dimensions":"Height with cover: 14.9cm; Diameter of cover: 21.9cm; Height of vessel without cover: 10.2cm; Diameter of mouth: 22.2cm; Width across handles: 24.8cm; Diameter of base: 22.2cm","method_for_datation":"The stone is carved to form an Arabic inscription in relief, in an angular style known as *kufic*. The tops of the taller letters end in leaves and flowers, a popular calligraphic device in the 10th century.","method_for_provenance":"Steatite vessels such as this one were used for cooking in the 9th–10th centuries in the northeastern Iranian city of Nishapur. Many small steatite objects have been excavated, but this is the largest complete vessel known.","provenance":"Nishapur, Khorasan, Iran, Asia","obtention":"Museum Purchase, 1949","keywords":["Asia","bowl","Covered","Iran","Khorasan","Mineral","Nishapur","Persian","steatite","stone"],"materials":["steatite"]},"66b6c62d-5658-5fa6-8f5b-88e0825b6ea8":{"name":"Bureau cabinet for the display of porcelain","description":"A tripartite-body bureau cabinet with varied veneering, it has a chest of drawers at the bottom with three wavy fronted drawers; a bureau with a fall-front in the middle, and a glazed top section with doors that shut onto an interior lined in green silk, with shaped, carved, gilded shelves and consoles to display porcelain.  \nWhile the design for this type of furniture is typical of Venetian production, its purpose reflects contemporary European enthusiasm for the Far East and its art, especially porcelain and lacquer. Although lacquer and porcelain objects were imported into Europe, craftsmen there attempted to master the techniques of lacquer production, and the first European porcelain factories were opened around this time. The popularity of these wares resulted in special porcelain and lacquer display halls in mansions and palaces and the use of bureau cabinets such as this one.","short_description":"A tripartite-body bureau cabinet with varied veneering, the top section consists of a carved gilded structure with consoles for displaying porcelain closed by a double glazed door. The bureau’s purpose reflects contemporary European enthusiasm for the Far East and its art, especially porcelain and lacquer, which resulted in special porcelain and lacquer display halls in mansions and palaces and the use of bureau cabinets such as this one.","type":"Furniture","holder":"Museum of Arts and Crafts","dates":"Second quarter of the 18th century","location":"Zagreb, North-West Croatia","dimensions":"H: 272 cm; w: 180 cm; d: 76 cm","place_of_production":"Venice","method_for_datation":"Comparison with similar furniture types and morphology (see bibliography below).","obtention":"Originally used in Opatija, the bureau was bought from a private collector in Zagreb in 1959.","bibliography":"*Muzej za umjetnost i obrt, 1880–1970.* *Katalog izabranih djela* (Museum of Arts and Crafts, 1880–1970: catalogue of selected works), Zagreb, 1970, p. 309.  \nMorazzoni, G., *Il mobile veneziano del' 700*, Milan-Rome-Florence, 1927, CLXXXII–CLXXXIII.","author":"Vanja Brdar Mustapić","translator":"Nikolina Jovanović","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["domestic vessels","exoticism","furnishing","gilding","glass","porcelain halls","wood carving"],"materials":["brass knob and mounts","carved and gilded wood","glass","Walnut veneer"]},"67c03df2-c806-5779-b549-c93b16f6fdb8":{"name":"Box","short_description":"From the fifteenth century onward, lacquer objects—including bookbindings, pen cases and boxes such as this one—gained popularity in Iran, peaking in the nineteenth century. Constructed of papier-mâché and sometimes wood, lacquer objects were decorated with small-scale paintings of popular motifs like floral patterns, birds, and royal scenes before a varnish was applied that protected the painting and added a pleasing amber glow. This box is decorated with beautifully painted animal scenes that hark back to earlier Persian manuscript illustrations and the lid depicts Sagittarius, the centaur archer, aiming a bow at his tail, which ends in a dragon head, a long-established image in Iran.","type":"Furnishings","holder":"Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA)","dates":"Hegira 13th century / AD 19th century","location":"Los Angeles","dimensions":"22.8 x 37.2 x 25cm","method_for_datation":"The lacquer medium and the style of painted decoration suggests this box was made in nineteenth-century Iran.","method_for_provenance":"Lacquer was a particularly popular and established medium in Qajar Iran and the painted decoration relates to an earlier tradition of Persian manuscript illustration.","provenance":"Iran","obtention":"Collection of Nasli M. Heeramaneck (1902-1971), New York, until 1973 (sold to); LACMA, The Nasli M. Heeramaneck collection, gift of Joan Palevsky.","bibliography":"Komaroff, Linda, *Lo Terrenal y lo Divino: Arte Islámico siglos VII al XIX Colección del Museo de Arte del Condado de Los Ángeles*, Santiago: Centro Cultural La Moneda, 2015: 201.  \nPal, Pratapaditya (ed), *Islamic Art: The Nasli M. Heeramaneck Collection*, Los Angeles: Museum Associates, 1973: 180, cat. no. 367.","author":"LACMA Staff","keywords":["animal decoration","Archer","centaur","dragon","Iran","lacquerwork","Qajar","wood"],"materials":["and lacquer","Papier maché","Wood"]},"685a2ad1-af1f-51a1-a4f2-d4dc7fc2a7f0":{"name":"Wooden Sideboard with Mother of Pearl Inlay","description":"This tall, intricately carved sideboard consists of two parts, the mirror section with intricately carved openwork and mashrabiya ornamentation enhanced with mother-of-pearl inlay, and the narrow table section decorated with similar elements and with its four front legs supporting an elaborate system of lobed arches. the sideboard is further enhanced by religious inscriptions, some of which seem to suggest a Christian context. Sideboards and other European-style furniture were unknown in the Middle East until the second half of the12th/ 18th century. By the 13th/ 19th century, the urban elites in Ottoman cities enthusiastically imported domestic furniture from Italy, France and England or bought locally-made hybrid pieces that combined European and traditional Islamic elements like the item shown here. Many European entrepreneurs like the Italian Furino Brothers, based in Cairo, set up shop in Ottoman cities and specialised in this so-called Arabesque style, especially fashionable for furniture.","type":"Furniture","holder":"Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilisation / Sharjah Museums Department","dates":"Hegira late 13th – early 14th century / AD late 19th – early 20th century","location":"Sharjah","provenance":"Syria or Egypt","author":"Ulrike Al-Khamis"},"68860d9a-5a4b-577c-8584-cef6ff62671a":{"name":"Pair of clogs","alternate_name":"ar. *qabqâb* or tr. *nalın*","description":"The high heeled clogs (ar. *qabqab*, tr. *nalın* are an emblematic item of the hamam reflecting the atmosphere of such public baths. They were worn when entering the bath complex to protect the wearer from the dirty water as well as from the hot marble floor. Wearing these shoes meant that the wearer was obliged to walk slowly to avoid falling. This slower pace was in tune with the temporality dictated by the rhythms of the hamam and its cleansing rituals.  \n  \nThis pair of clogs is attributed to Syria. They are made of wood inlaid with silver and multi-coloured triangular pieces of mother-of-pearl. The front and rear parts of the sole are incrusted with repoussé silver bands decorated with floral motifs encircled with two dotted lines. They are embellished with long silver chains ending in trinkets which must have created a gentle tinkling with each step highlighting the sound dimension of the hamam.  \n  \nThe strap holding the foot is made of various layers of leather for comfort. It is topped with a large silver band intricately designed and solidly nailed to the sole.  \n  \nThis pair of clogs is particularly high, suggesting that it might have been the property of the hamam owner who traditionally wore sophisticated clogs with heels higher than those of the clients. Often offered as part of the dowry of the bride in a toiletry trousseau providing her with all the hamam essentials, the clogs were a statement on the social status of their owner and could also bear many symbolic meanings through their decoration.  \n  \nAlthough strongly associated with femininity, hamam clogs, with lower heels and different ornamentation, were also worn by men in their own establishments.","type":"Shoes","holder":"Institute of the Arab World","dates":"AH c. 1267 / AD c. 1850","location":"Paris","dimensions":"Height: 35cm, length: 23cm","provenance":"Syria","obtention":"Purchased in a specialised gallery, Paris.","bibliography":"Bașkan, A., ‘A Research on the Temporal Transformation of Objects in Turkish Bath Culture’, in","author":"Dounia Handis","keywords":["Ablutions","clogs","Hammam","nalın","Ottomans","qabqab","water"],"materials":["Wood with silver and mother-of-pearl overlay"]},"690dbb87-8510-5df7-8b14-e1bf920ecdbc":{"name":"Turkish council seats","description":"Seats such as these were used to furnish Ottoman councils. They are made of thin mattresses (c. 5cm thick) covered in thick, dark coloured fabric, usually in navy, burgundy or beige.","type":"Furniture","holder":"Lebanese Heritage Museum","dates":"19th century","location":"`Ayn Najm","provenance":"Turkey","author":"Marie Therese Moujabber","copy_editor":"Flaminia Baldwin"},"6af5bf51-a5aa-558d-8578-3ac815792a90":{"name":"*Zaima* reed boat","description":"The *zaima* is a small reed canoe from the Marshlands of southern Iraq, made of reed bundles of narrow diameter sewn together to form a flat base and sides. Its internal bracing may be made from flexible stems such as cane, palm frond, date bunch stalk (forming the prow), or small branches of trees such as willow, acacia or *gherib*, and it is waterproofed with an outer coating of bitumen. Evidence of these boats' existence in recent decades is sparse, but reports from earlier centuries suggest they were once much more common. Travellers to Mesopotamia in the AH 12th / AD 18th and AH 13th / AD 19th centuries reported that the Marshes were full of canoes made from reeds and cane, tarred on the outside.  \n  \nDuring the AH 14th / AD 20th century, especially in the 1970s when the extent of the Marshes and the density of boat traffic reached a peak, the majority of canoes (*meshoufs*) were made of planked wood joined with nails. Images and accounts of reed or cane canoes in this period are exceptional. The only known photographs identified as a *zaima* were taken by the British explorer Wilfred Thesiger in the AH 1370s / AD 1950s. Rashad Salim, during his fieldwork in AH 1438-1441/ AD 2016-19, gathered a handful of oral accounts of reed and cane boats, some known as *zaimas* and some with other names. These were among the simplest and cheapest types of boat made locally by Marsh dwellers.  \n  \nThe boatbuilding community of Huwair, where Safina Projects’ Meshouf-building workshops were held, had no direct experience of constructing *zaimas*, but they agreed to attempt to reconstruct reed and cane canoes, drawing on their familiarity with these widely available local materials (also used in vernacular architecture). They also applied knowledge Rashad Salim had collected in the form of oral history interviews – recorded in both Huwair and Amara – and the photographs and writings of Thesiger. The *zaimas* in the collection of the Open Museum are the result of these experimental workshops.","type":"Boat","holder":"Open Museum Initiative for Water Cultures","owner":"Safina Projects CIC","initial_owner":"Safina Projects CIC","dates":"AH 1441/ AD 2019","location":"Basra","dimensions":"Length: 3m, height: 0,35m, width: 0,7m","method_for_datation":"Production was supervised by current owner.","method_for_provenance":"Production was supervised by current owner.","provenance":"Huwair, Basra Governorate, Iraq","obtention":"Made in workshop organised by Safina Projects.","bibliography":"Al-Behadli, J., 'The Ark for Iraq Programme: the Experience of Safina Projects in the Study of Traditional Boats and their Revitalisation', *Al-Turath al-Sha’bi*, (2024), 325 \\[Published in Arabic\\]  \n  \nMcGrail, S., *Boats of the World: from the Stone Age to Medieval Times*, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001.  \n  \nThesiger, W., *The Marsh Arabs*, London: Penguin, 1964.","workshop":"Huwair Traditional Boat Workshop","author":"Hannah Lewis","keywords":["basketry","boat","Transport","Watercraft"],"materials":["basketry","bracing","Reeds","tarring","Wood"]},"6b26c1cf-dd38-5093-abf7-2f93ccfd4db3":{"name":"Chair","short_description":"This carved wood chair has narrow, curved arms and an elaborate back support. It is extensively inalid with small pieces of ivory, ebony, and other woods. The pieces are predominantly of triangular shape, and have been inset in bands of interlocking hexagons and hexagrams on the exterior surfaces of the chair. The raised seat is upholstered in a William Morris-like print whereby rows of tri-tipped peach floral sprays alternate with white lily sprays, all on a yellow ground.","type":"Islamic, Indian & Southeast Asian works of art; Woodwork; furniture","holder":"Shangri La, Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art","dates":"Hegira early 13th century / AD early 19th century","location":"Honolulu, Hawai'i","dimensions":"Overall: 117.8 x 61.6 x 66.7 cm","provenance":"Iran","keywords":["brass","ebony","furnishing","geometric motifs","inlay","Iran","ivory","khatamkari","Qajar","textile","William Morris","wood"],"materials":["brass","ebony (khatamkari technique)","inlaid with wood","ivory","Wood"]},"6b6b4b3d-5bf3-5fad-ab1e-65d67c460f9d":{"name":"Dining room set with bench","description":"Displayed in the reception room of Yusuf Al-Sabai's former residence, now part of the FBQ Museum, is a striking dining set comprising a table, chairs, and a bench crafted in the Islamic arabesque style. Renowned for its intricate inlay craftsmanship, this set incorporates mother-of-pearl, ivory, and wood, utilising even the smallest wood chips and other available materials. This approach not only enhances aesthetic appeal but also minimises waste and encourages sustainable practices.  \nThe set features intricate geometric patterns and architectural elements such as arches and squinches influenced by the Coptic art of Egypt. This piece embodies the essence of Islamic decoration, characterised by unity and meticulous craftsmanship. Its rich ornamentation reflects the concept of *horror vacui* (fear of emptiness), and is evidence of the artist’s desire to fill any available space with intricate details.","type":"Furniture","holder":"Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim Al Thani Museum","owner":"His Excellency Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim Al Thani","dates":"Hegira first hald of 13th century / AD early 20th century  (Yusuf Al-Sabai's former residence: AH c. 1232/1398 / AD 1917–1978)","location":"Doha, Qatar","dimensions":"Height: 157cm, length: 183cm, width: 60cm","place_of_production":"Egypt","method_for_datation":"The date and origin were established in research-based comparison from an examination of material, techniques, style, inscription, analogies and the provenance or historical background of the items.","method_for_provenance":"The date and origin were established in research-based comparison from an examination of material, techniques, style, inscription, analogies and the historical background of the items.","provenance":"Egypt","obtention":"Purchased","author":"Mahmoud Saber","copy_editor":"Judy Harter","keywords":["Egypt","furniture","Mother-of-pearl","wood","Yusuf Al-Sabai"],"materials":["carving","inlay","ivory","mother-of-pearl","Wood"]},"6be8c6ea-dc17-5a88-b3da-1b18dceccd50":{"name":"*Namban* Folding Screen (*Namban Byobu*)","description":"The *Namban Byobu*, of which there are more than 70 extant, are some of the most impressive visual testimonies to the way Japanese painters perceived the first Europeans to arrive in Japan. The arrival of the Portuguese in 1543 and their expulsion almost a century later in 1639, gave rise to the so called *Namban Bijutsu* artwork, a result of the meeting of the Japanese and European cultures.  \nA pair of six-fold painted screens, they both follow the most current theme of the *Namban Byobu*, depicting the arrival of the Portuguese in Japan. On the left, the screen depicts a great ship from Macao, or *kurofune* (“the black ship”), and on the right a procession, or *Namban Gyoretsu*, passing a Japanese street observed by curious inhabitants. Waiting for them are the Jesuits, whose church is built in the Japanese style with interior rooms that largely follow local models, such as the use of *tatami* to cover the floor or of *shoji* to divide the inner space. The daily life of the Jesuit mission is depicted in these *byobu* (*biombo* in Portuguese). The works convey their approach to “accommodation”, according to which special attention was paid to the European priests' and brothers' integration into Japanese society.  \nThe procession is composed of a Captain-Major, standing underneath a state parasol surrounded by other officers, as well as sailors, African slaves, Indians and Malays. The ornaments worn by the aristocrats and rich merchants are visible and notable: gold chains, crucifixes and daggers. While the majority of the characters wear *bombacha* – large baggy trousers used in the East to protect them from mosquitoes, their doublets have buttons, which were unknown to the Japanese, who called them *botan* from the Portuguese *botão.* This in itself is an interesting example of linguistic appropriation as a result of newly acquired cultural habits.  \nThese exotic objects, of which much care was taken, included Chinese folding-chairs, lacquered boxes, porcelain, bundles and bales of silk, Persian horses and caged animals. Their different places of origin were the result of Portuguese trade. By the 16th and 17th centuries Portugal had established trade routes along the coastline of the Indian Ocean, the Southern Seas and the China Sea. Some of the traders were born in Asia and many of them were the result of the progressive hybridism that characterised the lives of the Europeans in Asia during the period.","short_description":"In around 1543, the Portuguese (or *Namban-jin*) arrived in Japan, and so began a period of rich cultural exchange. Similar to several other *Namban* objects, this pair of folding screens – made by artists from Nippon – is a unique visual document that relates to the Portuguese presence in Japan.","type":"Furnishing that can be included in the *Shoheiga* category, meaning a large painted architectural surface, including folding screens. In this case, it is more specifically *Byobu*, meaning a painted folding screen.","holder":"National Museum of Ancient Art","owner":"Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga","initial_owner":"Tadao Takamisawa, António da Costa Carneiro, Portuguese ambassador in Japan","dates":"c.1593–1600","location":"Lisbon, Lisbon","dimensions":"H: 172.8 cm; l: 380.8 cm; depth 2 cm","place_of_production":"Japan","method_for_datation":"Tadao Takamisawa attributed the paintings to Kano Domi based on stylistic grounds, and thematic and pictorial parallels with other folding screens and works executed by the Kano school of painting, including Kano Naizen's *Namban Byobu*, also in the Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga.","obtention":"Acquired in the 1930s by Tadao Takamisawa from a *daimyo*'s (Great Lord) castle near Osaka, and later purchased by the Portuguese ambassador –António da Costa Carneiro – in Tokyo. Having belonged to the Ministry of Finance since 1952 it has been on permanent loan to the Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga in Lisbon ever since.","bibliography":"Okamoto, Y., *The Namban Art of Japan*. New York–Tokyo, 1972.  \nSakamoto, M., “Namban Byobu (Southern Barbarian Screens)”, *Nihon no bijustsu*, No. 135, Tokyo, 1977.  \n*Arte Namban*, Lisbon, 1981.  \nPinto, M., Mendes, H., *Biombos Namban*, Lisbon, 1988.  \n*Arte Namban. Os Portugueses no Japão*, Lisbon, 1990.","workshop":"Kano School (Kanoha)","copyright":"Copyright images: Divisão de Documentação Fotográfica/ Instituto dos Museus e da Conservação,I.P.","author":"Alexandra Curvelo","translator":"Alexandra Curvelo","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Byobu","folding-screen","furnishing","genre painting","Kano","Namban","Shoheiga"],"materials":["Colour (tempera) on paper and gold leaf on silk","lacquered frame and metal"]},"6ce9b353-6fa5-545f-8dcd-8780df1109a4":{"name":"Weed cutter (*mahassha*)","description":"This scythe-like agricultural hand tool is traditionally used for cutting weeds in cultivated fields. It also finds use as a reaping tool for crops and animal fodder. The hand-forged steel blade of the cutter is angled for maximum efficiency and attached to a handle made of fig, jujube or lime wood.","type":"Weed cutter (*mahassha*)","holder":"National Museum of Oman","owner":"National Museum of Oman","dates":"Hegira 14th century / AD 20th century","location":"Muscat","dimensions":"Height: 7cm, length: 36cm, width: 9cm","place_of_production":"Oman","provenance":"Local acquisition","obtention":"Local acquisition.","copy_editor":"Alvaro Miranda","materials":["Wood and iron"]},"6d56bfde-b2d7-5b3d-b418-0b9d3e98d0e8":{"name":"Qur’an Cabinet","short_description":"This Qur’an cabinet from Istanbul would embellish rooms in private homes, mosques, *madrasas* (Islamic education centres), and mausoleums. Crafted in the Ottoman style, the box stands on four legs, mother-of-pearl inlaying, geometric patterns and calligraphy.  \n  \nThis rare type of Qur’an cabinet (called *sunduq* or *kursi*) attracts with an unusual form several compartments for religious items and scripts, and the dome-shaped cover. The calligraphy in *Diwani* style reads *Al Fatiha* (the opening chapter of the Qur’an) and *Al Zalzalah* (the 99th chapter).  \n  \nIn the 19th century, the mother-of-pearl style called Damascene became increasingly popular in Ottoman Turkey. Artisans arranged precious materials including mother-of-pearl, tortoiseshell, metals and ivory into interlocking asterisks, octagons and hexagons.","type":"Religious relics","holder":"FBQ Museum","owner":"Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim Al Thani","dates":"20th century","location":"Shahaniya","dimensions":"Length: 163cm, Width: 52cm, Height: 52cm","place_of_production":"Turkey, Istanbul","method_for_datation":"The date and origin were established in research-based comparison from an examination of material, calligraphy and style.","method_for_provenance":"The date and origin were established in research-based comparison from an examination of material, calligraphy and style.","provenance":"Turkey","obtention":"Purchase","bibliography":"Hattap, E. S., \"Geometric Patterns and the Art of Kundekari in Traditional Turkish Woodworking\", *Digital Wood Design*, (2019): 463–478.  \nJames, D., *Qur’ans of the Mamluks*, London: Thames and Hudson, 1988.","author":"Sarah Schroeder","copy_editor":"Janice Medina","keywords":["Istanbul","Ottoman","Quran Box","Quran Cabinet","Turkey"],"materials":["inlaying","mother of pearl","Wood"]},"6da7c160-94fa-5f96-a7c1-9c73200419b5":{"name":"Mihrab.","description":"A wooden *mihrab* with a rectangular section in the centre that is a curved niche. The facade of the *mihrab* is rectangular in form and at the centre it has a rectangular opening, crowned by a pointed arch. The facade is decorated with assembled hexagonal panels, which flank other panels, in the form of six-pointed stars. This design is considered to be the starting point for the use of the decorative component known as 'the star-shaped medallion', which became one of the most important decorative components in wooden objects during the Mamluk period. This *mihrab* is the earliest dated piece on which this decorative component appears. At the top of the facade, are two lines of inscription in floriated *kufic* script that reads: 'One of the things commissioned by the honourable, protected, and great personage, al-Amiriyya, whose service was undertaken by al-Qadi Abu al-Hasan Maknun and who is served now, by al-Amir al-Sadid 'Afif al-Dawla Abu al-Hasan Yumn al-Fa'izi al-Salihi, intended for the shrine of al-Sayyida Ruqayya, the daughter of the Commander of the Faithful, 'Ali'. From the inscription, it is understood that this *mihrab* was made by order of al-Sayyida 'Ulam al-Amiriyya (d. AH 535 / AD 1140), the wife of the caliph, al-Amir bi-Ahkam Allah (r. 495–524 / AD 1101–30), for the tomb of Sayyida Ruqayya. The tomb was built in AH 527 / AD 1133, probably in Cairo. Qur'anic texts written in floriated *kufic* script, from 'al-Baqara' (2: 247), surround the rectangular facade of the *mihrab* and its niche.  \nBoth sides of the *mihrab,* and the back, are decorated with panels carved with vegetal stems that emerge from vases, and three- and five-lobed vine leaves which surround large clusters of grapes. These decorations indicate the apex of beauty attained in the art of vegetal decoration at the end of the Fatimid period.","short_description":"Patronage of religious institutions and providing them with furniture were not confined to men. Many women shared in this practice. This *mihrab* was commissioned by the Caliph's wife for the shrine of Sayyida Ruqayya, the daughter of the Fourth Righteous Caliph, 'Ali ibn Abi Talib.","type":"Woodwork, mihrab, wood","holder":"Museum of Islamic Art","initial_owner":"‘Ulam al-Amiriyya, wife of the caliph, al-Amir bi-Ahkam Allah.","dates":"Hegira 6th century / AD 12th century.","location":"Cairo","dimensions":"Height 210 cm, width 111 cm, depth 45 cm.","method_for_datation":"The *mihrab* was dated based on the inscription present in the higher reaches of its façade which state clearly that the *mihrab* was built for the tomb of Sayyida Ruqayya in 527 / 1133","method_for_provenance":"The inscription on the *mihrab* states that it was made for the tomb of Sayyida Ruqayya, the patron, who was the wife of the Fatimid Caliph who ruled in Cairo; it is very likely, therefore, that it was commissioned and made in Cairo.","provenance":"Egypt.","obtention":"In 1297 / 1880, the Egyptian government began to collect together artefacts from the country's mosques and historic buildings and preserve them in al-Hakim Mosque. These later became the basis of the collection at the Museum of Islamic Art in Cairo. This *mihrab*, which was transferred from the Sayyida Ruqayya Shrine, is considered to be one of the most important of these early acquisitions.","bibliography":"Dimmand, M. S., *Al-Funun al-Islamiya \\[Islamic Arts\\], (trans.* A. Issa)*,* Cairo, 1958.  \nFikri, A., *Masajid al-Qahira wa Madarisuha \\[Mosques and Madrasas of Cairo\\],* Vol. I, Cairo, 1958.  \nHamdi, A., *et al, Katalog Ma'rid al-fan al-islāmi fi misr \\[Catalogue of the Islamic Art Exhibition in Egypt\\],* Cairo, 1969.  \nHassan, Z. M., *Funun al-Islam \\[Arts of Islam\\],* Cairo, 1948.  \nPauty, E., *Bois sculptés d'églises coptes (époque fatimide*), Cairo, 1930.","author":"Al-Sayyed Muhammad Khalifa Hammad","copy_editor":"Majd Musa","translator":"Amal Sachedina (from the Arabic).","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["floriated kufic script","high relief","mihrab","Mosque interior decoration","panel","patronage","religious objects","six-pointed star","star-shaped","vegetal decoration","wood"],"materials":["Assembled wood","decorated in high relief and pierced."]},"6de30ff8-0fff-5ed3-8984-48abb285b414":{"name":"Double door.","description":"Wooden doors, decorated with a braided pattern of stars, were common in Rum-Seljuq mosques, because such complex geometric forms, carved and designed by exceptionally talented wood craftsmen, were much loved. This double door’s decoration is rendered very impressive by the large central panels featuring a geometric design within which individual areas are decorated with arabesque tendrils consisting of individual floral motifs. The geometric design is based on a repeated pattern of small pentagons and hexagons, diamonds and triangles. It is not composed in the usual manner of placing single panels adjacently one after another; instead it consists of a single continuous pattern covering the panel’s entire surface. The wide frieze framing the panels on all sides is decorated with overlapping arabesque tendrils.  \nInscriptions written over a blue background in the upper part of the doors cite Sura 9 verse 18 from the Qur’an: ‘None should come to the mosque of God except those who believe in God and in the Judgement Day’. This inscription was once continued on the door of a neighbouring room to the south. This latter door can also be seen in the Museum of Islamic Art, Berlin. It declares ‘and prayer is said and the poor tax is paid’. Thus, the most important duties of a follower of the Islamic faith were mentioned: confession of faith, prayer and almsgiving. Unlike the double doors that belonged in the front hall and that are decorated over the lower part with plant motifs, these doors are completely covered with decorative geometric patterns. The door from the front hall can be seen today in the Museum in Konya (inventory no. 330).","short_description":"The inscription from the Qur’an (IX: 18) – ‘None should come to the mosque of God except those who believe in God and in the Judgement Day’ – is appropriate for this wooden door that once led into the Bey Hakim Mosque in Konya, Turkey. The geometric and arabesque patterns are typical of Seljuq art.","type":"Carved woodwork","holder":"Museum of Islamic Art at the Pergamon Museum","dates":"Hegira 7th century / AD 13th century.","location":"Berlin","dimensions":"Height 182 cm, width 116 cm.","method_for_datation":"This double door comes from the Bey Hakim mosque in Konya, dated to the mid 7th / 13th century. Stylistic comparison further demonstrates that this double door comes from this period.","method_for_provenance":"V. Enderlein (see Bibliography) established that this double door comes from the Bey Hakim mosque in Konya. He made this discovery from the inscriptions on both doors, which form a complete text.","provenance":"Bey Hakim Mosque, Konya, Turkey.","obtention":"Bought from a private owner in 1913.","bibliography":"Enderlein, V., “Der Mihrab der Bey Hakim Mosche in Konya: Ein Denkmal und Seine Geschichte”, in *Forschungen und Berichte* 17, 1976, pp.33–40, plate 2.  \nLöytved, J. H., *Konia – Inschriften der Seldschukischen Bauten*, Berlin, 1907, p.87.  \nRice, D. T., *Islamic Art*, London, 1965, 2nd edition, 1975, p.174, fig. 176. (door to the side-wing of the mosque).  \nSarre, F., *Seldschukische Kleinkunst, Erzeugnisse Islamischer Kleinkunst*, Part II, Leipzig, 1909, p.32, plate XII.","author":"Annette Hagedorn","translator":"Maria Vlotides","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["braided","carving","double doors","Mosque","Seljuq"],"materials":["carved woodwork","partly painted.","Walnut wood"]},"6ef65a75-a6f9-5d0d-8c90-492c934302b3":{"name":"Window frame.","description":"A twisted strip and a carved band decorated with a braid of eight-pointed stars runs around the outside of this quadrangular window frame. It consists of three sections: an upper frieze, a balustrade and the gemelled arcature of the opening. All of the wood is covered with a red base and painted in two shades of brown, yellow ochre, ivory white and some green.  \nThe frieze and the balustrade consist of *mashrabiyya* latticework arranged in a chequered or a diamond pattern. Above this latticework, grooved strips on the balustrade form a knotwork pattern consisting of eight-pointed stars and, on the upper frieze, poly-lobed arches and eight-pointed stars on each side frame a square central medallion bearing the votive inscription 'Mohammed's blessing' in rectangular *kufic* characters.  \nThe opening, surrounded by two frames, the first in turned wood and the second carved into eight-pointed star knotwork, consists of two gemeled horseshoe arches. These arches are supported on a small column and two small engaged demi-columns in turned wood that are fluted at the base and have simulated capitals. All of the components of this last section are decorated with polychrome plant motifs borrowed both from the Moroccan–Andalusian repertoire and the Ottoman repertoire: foliage, single and double palms, fleurons and carnations.  \nWith its harmonious polychromy, this external window frame, which looked over the courtyard of a wealthy residence of the 13th / 19th century is a good example of the careful work of the Meknès carpenters who gained renown in this art when their town became the capital of the 'Alawid kingdom under the reign of Mulay Isma'il (AH 1083–1140 / AD 1672–1727).","short_description":"The outer frame of a window overlooking the courtyard of an expensive house is an example of turned, painted wood from Meknès, an art form that flourished in the imperial city from the beginning of the 'Alawid era. The plant decoration is borrowed from Hispano-Maghrebic and Ottoman repertoires.","type":"Woodwork, frame, window, wood","holder":"Dar Jamai Museum.","dates":"Hegira 12th-13th centuries / AD 18th-19th centuries.","location":"Meknès.","dimensions":"Height 177 cm, length 112 cm.","method_for_datation":"From stylistic and comparative analysis. This type of carpentry, which gives pre-eminence to polychromy and can be found in other museum examples, was first seen in the late 11th / 17th century and became particularly widespread in the 13th / 19th century when middle-class residences, where this sort of work can still be seen, were built in increasing numbers.","method_for_provenance":"From the place it was purchased and its style, which is typical of Meknès.","provenance":"Meknès.","obtention":"Purchased in 1963.","bibliography":"Barrucand, M., *L'architecture de la qasba de Moulay Ismaïl à Meknès*, Casablanca, 1978.  \nMarçais, G., *L'Architecture musulmane d'Occident*, Paris, 1954.  \nPaccard, A., *Le Maroc et l'artisanat traditionnel islamique dans l'architecture*, Vol. 2, Paris, 1979.  \nTerrasse, H. and Hainaut, J., *Les arts décoratifs au Maroc*, Paris, 1925.","linkcatalogs":"IAM_MA_EN_001","author":"Naima El Khatib-Boujibar","copy_editor":"Margot Cortez","translator":"Laurence Nunny","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["civic architecture","epigraphic decoration","floral decoration","geometric decoration","religious epigraphy"],"materials":["decorated","Sculpted","turned and painted wood."]},"6f75d3d3-2fb1-5c23-869d-1f05845e0403":{"name":"Writing desk.","description":"Clerk's chest with a flat lid that fits into the top of the box, making a rectangular prism. It is decorated with different types of wood, mother-of-pearl and bone inlay. The centre of each side of the piece shows a combination of interlinked polygons and eight-pointed stars, while the spaces in between are taken up by four-pointed stars. The whole is framed by a narrow red border followed by other geometrical, smooth and crenellated bands of different widths. The same decorative scheme is repeated on the visible areas of the inside, and the remainder is simply painted.  \nThe writing desk has retained all of its bronze fixtures: two large hinges that join the lid to the back of the chest, a folded metal sheet riveted to each corner, a keyhole at the front, a handle on the top of the lid fitted with a grip and two handles on the sides for moving it. All of the fixtures are cast and decorated with engravings. The inside of the chest contains a number of compartments intended to store the writing materials.  \nThe Spanish word *taracea* (marquetry), which is derived from the Arabic word *tarsi* (to insert, inlay), describes a technique that consists of inlaying pieces of wood, bone or mother-of-pearl into a piece of hardwood, such as walnut. This technique of Eastern origin had been perfected in Córdoba in the AH 4th / AD 10th century at the time when al-Hakam II's *minbar* (pulpit), which has not survived,was built. Later, during the Nasrid period, the technique was simplified and the precisely cut pieces were stuck on to a base of paper or parchment, and this was then stuck on to the object.  \nThis type of desk could be considered to be a precursor of the Spanish *vargueno*.","short_description":"Possibly a writer’s chest that could be carried using the top or side handles. The inside is split into compartments in which writing implements were stored. Inlays of bone, mother-of-pearl and different woods decorated its outer surfaces.","type":"Woodwork, desk, wood","holder":"National Archaeological Museum.","dates":"Hegira 8th century / AD 14th century.","location":"Madrid","dimensions":"Height 20 cm, width 45 cm, depth 28 cm.","method_for_datation":"Parallels with similar pieces from the National  Archaeological Museum and elsewhere, such as the writing desk of Jaen Cathedral or the chest of the Hispanic Society of America, all dated to the 14th and 15th centuries.","method_for_provenance":"The type of marquetry and decorative design are characteristic of Granada. The insides of the doors of the Nasrid cupboard of the Palace of the Infantas in Granada, which is kept in the National Museum of Hispano-Muslim Art in that city, are decorated with the same stars inscribed in interlinked squares.","provenance":"Kingdom of Granada, Spain.","obtention":"The piece was purchased for the National Archaeological  Museum on 26 March 1973.","bibliography":"*Al-Andalus: Las Artes Islámicas en España*, Exhibition catalogue, Madrid, 1992, p.268. English edition: *Al-Andalus: The Art Of Islamic Spain* (ed. J. D. Dodds), New York, 1992.  \nHispanic Society of America, *A History of the Hispanic Society of America, Museum and Library, 1904–1954*, New York, 1954, p.118.  \nPavón Maldonado, B., “Jaén Medieval: Arte y Arqueología árabe y Mudéjar”, *Al-Qantara*, 5, 1984, pp.361–6.  \nZozaya, J., “Antigüedades Andalusíes de los Siglos VIII al XV”, in *Guía General del Museo Arqueológico Nacional*, Vol. II, Madrid, 1991, p.70.","author":"Margarita Sánchez Llorente","copy_editor":"Rosalía Aller","translator":"Laurence Nunny","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["bone","Box","furnishing","geometric decoration","Granada","incision","Inkwell","marquetry","Mother-of-pearl","Nasrids","polychrome decoration"],"materials":["Bone","Bronze","engraving.","marquetry","mother-of-pearl","polichromy","Wood"]},"6fdbe124-1e12-5bc3-a524-5bbe4a6ae42f":{"name":"Painted wooden board.","description":"This cedarwood board comes from the ceilings of the prayer hall of the Great Mosque of Kairouan, where the roof structure is composed of lintels resting on columns and on the walls, following the north–south direction of the nave. The tie-beams, perpendicular to these elements, are supported at each end by carved and painted corbels.  \nThe oldest part of the ceilings of the Great Mosque of Kairouan dates from the AH 3rd / AD 9th century. It is decorated with foliate scrolls and fleurons.  \nThe panel has a red background and is composed of four squares with concave sides. Painted green and blue in each of the squares are two intertwining stylised flowers with four petals. They form a sort of octagonal star enclosing a blue or green circle.  \nEach petal ends in a bud surrounded by two flared foliate scrolls. Straight out of the Middle Ages, the painted ceilings of the Great Mosque of Kairouan represent an unique collection in Muslim art, which renders any attempt at research into the origin of their decoration quite difficult. In fact, decorated ceilings covered the central nave of the Great Mosque at Córdoba, but the *ante quem* limit of their dating hardly goes back beyond the AH 4th / AD 10th century, and the magnificent ceilings of the Palatine Chapel at Palermo date from the AH 6th / AD 12th century.","short_description":"Originally part of the ceilings of the prayer room in the Great Mosque of Kairouan, this piece is beautifully decorated with foliage and fleurons on a red background. The painted ceilings of the Great Mosque of Kairouan constitute the only collection of its type in Islamic art.","type":"Woodwork, board, wood","holder":"Museum of Islamic Art.","dates":"Hegira 3rd century / AD 9th century.","location":"Raqqada., Kairouan.","dimensions":"Length 135 cm, width 27.5 cm.","method_for_datation":"The board's decorative motifs can be found in some of the panels of the carved *minbar* and in the painted wood half-dome of the *mihrab* niche of the Great Mosque of Kairouan, which date from the middle of the 3rd / 9th century. They are certified as being Syrian Umayyad art.  \nThese indications, as well as comparison with the different types and models of painted wood forming the ceilings collection from the Great Mosque of Kairouan, date this board from the end of the 3rd / 9th century, probably from the time of the restoration work on the doors and ceilings of the prayer hall ordered and funded by the Aghlabid prince, Ibrahim II (r. 261–89 / 875–902). The dating of this panel from the 5th / 11th century is refutable, since the models, boards and beams of this period are not comparable.","method_for_provenance":"These decorative motifs appear in some of the carved panels of the *minbar* and in the painted wood half-dome of the *mihrab* niche of the Great Mosque of Kairouan.","provenance":"Kairouan.","obtention":"After the restoration of the Great Mosque of Kairouan, between 1962 and 1972, some beams, boards and joists were taken out and completely replaced. This piece was placed along with thousands of other fragments in the storerooms of the National Institute of the Patrimony of Kairouan. It was selected for display when the Museum of Islamic Art at Raqqada was extended.","bibliography":"*De Carthage a Kairouan* (exhibition catalogue), Paris, 1982, p.207.  \n*Les Andalousies* (exhibition catalogue), Paris, 2000, pp.194–5.  \n*The Arts of Islam* (exhibition catalogue), London, 1976, p.284, cat. no. 440.  \n*30 ans au service du patrimoine* (exhibition catalogue), 1986, p.262.  \nMarçais G., *Coupoles et plafonds de la grande Mosquee de Kairouan*, Tunis and Paris, 1925.  \n*Ifriqiya: Thirteen Centuries of Art and Architecture in Tunisia*, pp.175–6.","author":"Mourad Rammah","copy_editor":"Margot Cortez","translator":"David Ash","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["floral decoration","geometric decoration"],"materials":["painted decoration.","Wood"]},"7045f484-1e6a-55ad-9fd3-497bdc3dd415":{"name":"*Meshouf* (canoe collection)","description":"The Open Museum for Water Cultures (Basra) holds in its collection 11 *meshoufs* of various types and sizes. *Meshouf* is a generic term for a flat-based canoe made in the region of Iraq's southern marshlands. *meshoufs* range from 3-11m in length and have a narrow form, often with a distinctive crescent-shaped prow.  \n  \nVariants range from small flat-prowed canoes like the *matour* (a one-man canoe used for hunting waterfowl), to larger types with a prominent curved prow such as the *chilaika*, the prestigious *tarada* (hunting and war canoe of the Marsh Sheikhs), and working vessels like the *barkash*, used for harvesting and transport.  \n  \n*Meshoufs* became almost extinct from the Iran-Iraq war (1980s) onwards. In Huwair, once a well-known centre for their making, modernised boatbuilding methods and carpentry remained common forms of livelihood. *Meshouf* production was revived with the support of the Safina Projects initiative from AH 1440 / AD 2018 onwards. In addition to the Open Museum’s collection, by AH 1447/ AD 2025 over 70 *meshoufs* were in use across the Iraqi Heritage Boat Clubs Network established by Safina.  \n  \nBoats of a comparable form have been recorded since the Sumerian period (from around 2500 BC), although in the modern-day *meshouf* the prow is typically much taller than the stern, whereas in the Sumerian version prow and stern are of equal height.  \n  \nRashad Salim’s research with Safina Projects has concluded that the AH 14th/ AD 20th century *meshouf* was strongly influenced by the availability of industrially manufactured nails and tools and imported wood. In the pre-industrial period, wood was scarcer, and many marsh dwellers made *meshoufs* from reeds.  \n  \nThe extended family who built the *meshoufs* in this collection are among the most renowned boatbuilders of Huwair. They are part of the Beni Asad tribe, who came to the marshes 300-400 years ago from Arabia, learned boatbuilding methods from the Mandaean-Sabean population, and gradually took over as the main practitioners of the craft.","type":"Boat","holder":"Open Museum Initiative for Water Cultures","owner":"Safina Projects CIC","initial_owner":"Safina Projects CIC","dates":"AH 1441/ AD 2019","location":"Basra","dimensions":"Length range: 4.5-11m, beam length range: 0.75-1.5m, minimum height range: 0.25-0.55 m, prow height range: 0.3-2m","method_for_datation":"Production was supervised by current owner.","method_for_provenance":"Production was supervised by current owner.","provenance":"Huwair, Basra Governorate, Iraq","obtention":"Made in workshop organised by Safina Projects.","bibliography":"Agius, D. A.,*Classic Ships of Islam: from Mesopotamia to the Indian Ocean.*, Leiden: Brill, 2014.  \n  \nAl-Behadli, J., “The Ark for Iraq Programme: the Experience of Safina Projects in the Study of Traditional Boats and their Revitalisation”, *Al-Turath al-Sha’bi*, (2024), 325 \\[Published in Arabic\\].  \n  \nPotts, D. T., *Mesopotamian Civilisation: the Material Foundations*, Ithaca and London: Cornell University Press, 1997.  \n  \nThesiger, W., *The Marsh Arabs*, London: Penguin, 1964.","workshop":"Huwair Traditional Boat Workshop","author":"Hannah Lewis","keywords":["boat","transport.","Watercraft","woodwork"],"materials":["carpentry","mulberry wood","Pine wood (Russian import)","sidr wood","tar","teak wood (Javanese import)","waterproofing."]},"707017b0-ac19-5968-8e9b-29b8a4f1aeab":{"name":"Weighing armchair","description":"Weighing armchairs were used for medical purposes. Early metabolism studies were made by weighing the test subjects before and after eating or any other activities. They were also used to weigh handicapped people and old patients who could not stand up. The chair is made of polished brown walnut wood. There are two rows of metal plates in front of the seating area. There is a decoration made by punched holes on the backside of the armchair. There is a wooden footrest attached with metal bars to the main body of the armchair. On the rear side there is a weighing mechanism.","type":"Medical material","holder":"Cerrahpaşa Medical History Museum","dates":"1890–1923","location":"Istanbul","provenance":"Istanbul","copy_editor":"Daniel de la Vega"},"70e81fc7-992c-56d9-a3b4-5af8b1052c23":{"name":"Prayer pulpit (*minbar*).","description":"This *minbar* features seven steps that are held up by two pentagonal sides, decorated with triangular, square and trapezium-shaped panels that have been joined through tenons and mortises. An interrupted horseshoe arch is positioned at the foot of the steps on two supports that are ornamented with vegetal decoration. This structure is linked at its sides by two lateral arches of the same height, which are likewise resting on two supports, their upper parts interlinked by a banister. The upper section of this entrance is adorned with candleholders.  \nThe panels are sculpted in bas-relief, embellished with floral or geometric decoration; the frontal arch features floral decoration, and, embracing the shape of the arch, a *kufic* inscription reads, rising from the right-hand side, 'In the name of Allah, the Merciful Benefactor. This pulpit was created'; sideways: 'The first of the month of Rajab; and rising from the left, 'of the year 490 \\[AD 1097\\]. The work of Muhammad'.","short_description":"This seven-stepped pulpit with side panels bears geometric and floral motifs, and a *kufic* inscription dating the object and naming its maker. The first step is covered by a pointed horseshoe arch.","type":"Woodwork, minbar, prayer pulpit, wood","holder":"National Museum of Antiquities and Islamic Arts","dates":"Hegira 490 / AD 1097.","location":"Algiers","dimensions":"Height 230 cm, length 264 cm, width 73 cm.","method_for_datation":"The inscription that features *kufic* characters on the arch preceding the steps of the *minbar* holds the date 490 (AD 1097.","method_for_provenance":"The *minbar* had been used in the Great Mosque of Algiers.","obtention":"Donation from the Religious Affairs Ministry; a ministerial decision taken in 1998 entrusted the *minbar* to the National Museum of Antiquities and Islamic Arts.","bibliography":"Bourouiba, R., *L'art religieux musulman en Algérie*, Algiers, 1973.  \nBourouiba, R., *Les inscriptions commémoratives des mosquées d'Algérie*, Algiers, 1984.  \nMarçais, G., *L'architecture musulmane d'Occident*, Paris, 1954.  \nMarçais, G., *Manuel d'art musulman,* Paris, 1927.  \nMarçais, G., “Note sur la chaire à prêcher de la Grande Mosquée d'Alger”, *Hespéris*, 1926, pp.419–22.","author":"Leila Merabet","copy_editor":"Margot Cortez","translator":"Maria Vlotides","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["Almoravids","Ascencion","calligraphy","engraving","floral and geometric adornments","floral decoration","geometric decoration","Great Mosque of Algiers","heaven","inscription","interior design","kufic","lettering","Minbar","Mosque","Mosque interior decoration","Muhammad","prophet","pulpit","religious objects","spiritual objects","stand","wood"],"materials":["bas-relief carving and marquetry.","Wood assembled through tenons and mortises"]},"711fba2c-8e7a-5558-8785-0e3951b191e0":{"name":"Table","description":"In Arab households symbols of hospitality and the embrace of visitors were deeply ingrained in the cultural fabric, taking on multiple forms. Chairs and tables in spaces like reception halls often bore inscriptions extending warm greetings to guests, occasionally integrating profound aphorisms and verses of poetry. These inscriptions served as decorative elements and cultural expression, and reflected philosophical ideals central to the household’s ethos.  \nThe FBQ museum holds a remarkable 19th-century Syrian wooden table adorned with meticulously carved inscriptions in *thuluth* script featuring mystical verses attributed to Ibn al-Farid. These poetic excerpts, drawn from his renowned poetry “If my position in love with you\", epitomise the fusion of artistic refinement and intellectual depth, enhancing the ambiance of hospitality within the domestic sphere. It says:  \nأُمْنِيّة ظفِرَتْ روحي بها زَمَناً واليومَ أحسَبُها أضغاثَ أحلام  \nولو علِمْتُ بأَنّ الحُبّ آخِرُهُ هذا الحِمَامُ (الموت ) لَمَا خالَفتُ لُوّامي.  \nA wish my soul held onto for a while,  \nToday I deem it mere illusions that beguile.  \nHad I known love’s end is but a final breath,  \nI'd not have shunned the counsel, evading death.  \nIbn al-Farid (1181–1234) was an acclaimed Arab poet born in Cairo to parents originating from Hama, Syria. Revered as the greatest mystic poet among Arabs, his literary compositions are reputed to have been penned during states of spiritual inspiration.  \nThe table is crafted from wood with intricately-carved inscriptions inlaid with mother-of-pearl. The carving process involves meticulous engraving with overlapping work. This fusion of techniques reflects the cultural sophistication and skilled craftsmanship of 19th-century Syrian artisans.","type":"Woodwork","holder":"Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim Al Thani Museum","owner":"His Excellency Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim Al Thani","dates":"Hegira 13th century / AD 19th century","location":"Doha, Qatar","dimensions":"Height: 75cm, length: 80cm, width: 55cm","place_of_production":"Syria","method_for_datation":"The date and origin were established in research-based comparison from an examination of material, techniques, style, inscription and analogies.","method_for_provenance":"The date and origin were established in research-based comparison from an examination of material, techniques, style, inscription and analogies.","provenance":"Syria","obtention":"Purchased","author":"Mahmoud Saber","copy_editor":"Judy Harter","keywords":["Cairo","Egypt","hama","Ibn al-Farid","Mother-of-pearl","Syria","Thuluth","wood"],"materials":["carving","inlay","mother-of-pearl","Wood"]},"72a2a91b-5a58-5ade-a2c7-b36c74afcc72":{"name":"Hand carder","description":"Carding is the preparation of raw, unordered or washed fibres to prepare them for spinning into long spirals. Carding can be used to create blends of different fibres or colours. Once carded, fibres can be used in a variety projects including spinning, weaving and felt making.","type":"Carding tool","holder":"Jordan River Foundation Bani Hamida Weaving Project","dates":"1916","location":"Mukawer","dimensions":"L: 20cm, W: 13cm","method_for_datation":"Owners","provenance":"Bani Hamida","obtention":"Bought","author":"Halima Al Qa'dan","copy_editor":"Lisa Kelman","materials":["Wood and iron"]},"73b0b112-a63b-5da2-be06-3f358b1dbd58":{"name":"Spindle","description":"Spindle made from a single bar or crossed bars with a metal hook. Goat hair and wool are teased by hand to prepare for spinning fibres.","type":"Spindle","holder":"Department of Antiquities","owner":"Department of Antiquities","dates":"Early 20th century","location":"Amman","dimensions":"L: 38cm, W: 5cm","method_for_datation":"Early 20th century treadle loom weavers from Syria and Palestine settled in Jordan. They produced rugs, saddle bags and more.","provenance":"Amman","obtention":"Purchased","bibliography":"Rashid, Abdallah, *Traditional life in Amman from 1878-1948*, Amman: Ministry of Culture and Youth, 1983.","author":"Samia Khouri","copy_editor":"Lisa Kelman","materials":["Wood"]},"7543bcd1-8c93-54f6-b8f4-189d3506360e":{"name":"Jewellery casket","short_description":"Tamanrasset, home of the Tuareg is a desert oasis surrounded by moonlike landscapes. Situated on the edge of the Ahaggar Mountains it is the last large town in Algeria before the border with Niger and Mali. A travelling smith fabricates a casket from the chipboards of a packing crate which has become useless. He comes from Mali, and is working temporarily in Tahaggart on the edge of the oasis. He decorates the box according to the traditional palette of colours and patterns: green, yellow and red, lozenges, circles, triangles, wavy lines. In addition, he ornaments it on all sides with studs. He signs his work: \"I, Bilan, son of Shakany, made this.\" The casket is intended for storing female jewellery. It can also be used for storing implements for tea. At least that's what it says in the inventory volume. In a shop in Tamanrasset, the female collector acquires industrially produced tea glasses and a bulgy teapot of blue enamel. Cheap imported wares, such as these are used by the Tuareg in daily life.","type":"Household item","holder":"Weltmuseum Wien","dates":"Before 1982","location":"Vienna","dimensions":"Casket: L: 33cm, W: 19cm, H: 24cm","method_for_datation":"Entry in the general inventory and archival documents.","method_for_provenance":"Entry in the general inventory book.","provenance":"Algeria, Tamanrasset; Tuareg","obtention":"Catalog entry: \"Purchased from Mrs Getraud Bogner, Vienna, 1982.\"","bibliography":"Steinmann, Axel, \"Waste\", in Christian Schicklgruber (ed), *Weltmuseum Wien, exhibition catalogue*, Vienna: Weltmuseum Wien, 2017: 18-21.","materials":["Chipboards","metal","pigment"]},"767d4db4-9712-508d-b378-dd184496be44":{"name":"Door.","description":"This single leaf of a door shows a geometric ornamentation based on stars and polygons in the main field. These elements are arranged in an all-over repeat pattern composed of a rosette in the middle and quarter sections of the central motif in the four corners. Strips marked with grooves form the strictly geometric structure of the tracery whose openings are filled with small bevelled panels. The strips and panels are connected by tongue and groove joints to achieve an unbroken surface.  \nOriginally, the door seems to have been of symmetrical composition with a section with two plain rectangular panels in the upper and lower part and a large ornamented area in the middle. Possibly for a different use, the door was lengthened below by the addition of a section of two plain rectangular panels.","short_description":"Single leaf of a door. The geometric ornament is formed of stars and polygons; the rosette in the middle is repeated in the four corners. The door, now lengthened, seems originally to have been of symmetrical composition with two plain rectangular panels above and below.","type":"Woodwork, door, wood","holder":"Museum of Mediterranean and Near Eastern Antiquities (Medelhavsmuseet).","dates":"Hegira late 9th–early 10th century / AD late 15th–early 16th century.","location":"Stockholm","dimensions":"Height 209.5 cm, width 97 cm.","method_for_datation":"A pattern based on the geometrical elements of a star and polygons is a characteristic decoration scheme of Mamluk doors. This door was assigned to the late 9th –early 10th / late 15th–early 16th centuries because of the unornamented polygons. A carved wooden panel from a building of Sultan Qaytbay at Jamaliyya dated 885 / 1481 in the Museum of Islamic Art in Cairo shows two small fields with the same geometric organisation.","method_for_provenance":"The geometrical pattern of a plain star and polygons was a characteristic decoration of Mamluk furniture.","provenance":"Egypt.","obtention":"There is no information about acquisition.","bibliography":"Anglade, E., *Catalogue des Boiseries de la Section Islamique*, Paris, 1988.  \nKühnel, E. “Der Mamlukische Kassettenstil”, *Kunst des Orients* I, 1950, pp.55–68.  \nLane-Pool, S., *The Art of the Saracens in Egypt*, London, 1886.","linkcatalogs":"IAM_EG_EN_001","author":"Friederike Voigt","copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["architectural decoration","geometric design","woodwork"],"materials":["strap-work.","Wood"]},"76f2b2fe-3a46-55c5-9ef0-fc7350403192":{"name":"Pair of Doors with Design of Ten-Pointed Stars and Geometric Motifs","short_description":"Double doors of hollow-core construction. Posterns are centered in the lower section of each door. Decorated overall with elaborate marquetry of small inlaid wood pieces (lazo-work). Each piece is decorated with an arabesque in white and black, painted on an overall red ground in a ten-pointed star motif with an infinite geometric design. The doors and each postern are secured with a iron throw-bolt lock. Each throw-bolt is made of three iron eyelets connected to a hanging lever. The main throw-bolt is large and elaborate, forged with a twisted spiral lever joined at a square panel with a carved crest on the surface. The postern bolts are smaller and plain. Studded iron rivets fasten wide iron strapwork that reinforces the doors horizontally. Some traces of gilding remain on the iron rivets.","type":"Architectural Element; Sculpture","holder":"Saint Louis Art Museum","dates":"Hegira Mid 9th to early 11th century / AD 15th–16th century","location":"Saint Louis","dimensions":"Height: 455cm x Width: 269.2cm","method_for_datation":"Scholarly review and/or comparison to similar objects from the period.","method_for_provenance":"Scholarly review and/or comparison to similar objects from the period.","provenance":"Toledo, Spain, Europe","obtention":"Museum Purchase, 1937","keywords":["architecture","Door","Europe","gilding","Mudéjar","Paint","sculpture","Spain","Toledo","wood"],"materials":["gilding","Iron","Painted wood"]},"79123b79-bd2b-5af1-8898-89d1cb8e5327":{"name":"Throne of Sultan Ahmed I.","description":"The throne of Sultan Ahmed I is one of the best examples of 11th / 17th century Ottoman woodwork. Made in the form of a baldachin, the throne has three low steps that lead up to the one-person seat. The baldachin itself is crowned with a dome.  \n  \nThe throne was made by the important 11th- / 17th-century architect Sedefkâr Mehmed Agha, the head architect of the Ottoman palace; it is dazzlingly beautiful with a mosaic of superb mother-of-pearl and tortoiseshell work side by side with countless precious gems.  \n  \nThe throne is made of walnut wood. Its entire surface is decorated with a mosaic of mother-of-pearl and tortoiseshell. The vegetal decoration includes tulips, carnations, roses and peonies connected to each other by scrolling tendrils and rising from a vase. The vegetal motifs are executed in a naturalistic style in mother-of-pearl, while the remaining area is covered with tortoiseshell.  \n  \nThe inner part of the seat of the throne is decorated with a composition of motifs in a lacquer technique known as *Edirnekari*. Floral motifs in yellow are painted against a red background in the naturalistic style.  \n  \nThe floral motifs which reflect the characteristic style of the Classical Ottoman period are arranged in a most successful composition. The vase and the flowers themselves are further enlivened by the addition of precious gems, including emeralds, jade, turquoise, and diamonds. The use of precious gems in various colours makes the throne even more attractive.  \n  \nThe throne is one of many objects which display the wealth of the Ottoman Palace. It is an important example of the high level of quality attained in vegetal decoration in 11th / 17th century Ottoman art.","short_description":"This magnificent throne with superb mother-of-pearl and tortoiseshell inlay work and numerous gems was made for Sultan Ahmed I. The floral motifs reflect the classical Ottoman period and are successfully rendered in very lively compositions.","type":"Woodwork, wood, lacquered, gems, mother of pearl, tortoise shell","holder":"Topkapı Palace Museum.","initial_owner":"Sultan Ahmed I.","dates":"During the reign of Sultan Ahmed I (Hegira 1011–26 / AD 1603–17).","location":"Sultanahmet, Istanbul.","dimensions":"Height 285 cm, width 102 cm, depth 66 cm.","method_for_datation":"The throne belongs to the Topkapı Palace; documents in the palace archive inform us that it belonged to Sultan Ahmed I and was made by Sedefkâr Mehmed Agha.","method_for_provenance":"The throne was made for Sultan Ahmed I by the head architect of the palace, Sedefkâr Mehmed Agha. Thus, it is highly likely that it was produced in the palace workshops.","provenance":"Topkapı Palace workshops, Istanbul, Turkey.","obtention":"The throne was probably made in the palace workshop and is still on display in the Treasury section of the Topkapı Palace Museum.","bibliography":"Barışta, ö., “Geleneksel Türk Sanatlarından Sedef Kakmacılık (Mother-of-Pearl Inlaying, A Traditional Turkish Art)”, *Türkiye'de Sanatın Bugünü ve Yarını (The Today and Tomorrow of Art in ),* Ankara, 1985, pp.393-400.  \nKerametli, C., “Osmanlı Devri Ağaç İşleri, Tahta Oyma, Sedef, Bağa ve Fildişi Kakmalar (Ottoman-Period Woodwork, Wood Carving, Mother-of-pearl, Tortoise Shell and Ivory Inlays)”, *Türk Etnografya Dergisi,* 4 (1961), pp.5–13.  \nTürkoğlu, S., “Woodwork”, *Traditional Turkish Arts* (ed. M özel), Istanbul, 1992, pp.42–73.","linkcatalogs":"IAM_TR_EN_001","author":"Sevinç Gök Gürhan","translator":"Barry Wood","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Edirnekari","lacquer","Mother-of-pearl","Sedefkâr Mehmed Agha","Sultan Ahmed I","throne","tortoiseshell","vegetal decoration","wood"],"materials":["and gems (emerald","and inlaid with mother-of-pearl","diamond","etc.).","jade","lacquered (Edirnekari technique)","tortoiseshell","turquoise","Wood"]},"7bf56987-b874-51e5-91e1-bf19f3afba07":{"name":"*Tabica* (small board).","description":"The splendid collar-beam framework of Teruel Cathedral, which has been erroneously described as a coffered ceiling, is one of the examples of Mudéjar carpentry most studied by art critics for several reasons, including its extraordinary iconographic and iconological complexity and its significance in the social context, and the interest generated by its style and dating, which has been helped by analysis of the wood. Among other items, the National Archaeological Museum holds two *tabicas* (small wooden boards) from the gables or planking, one of which shows a male figure and the other, the one examined here, a female figure.  \nThe woman is from the working class, a water bearer dressed in a long-sleeved, corded tunic or dress tied at the waist. The decorative horizontal lines give her a characteristic air. Her hair is short and her head appears to be uncovered, uncommon in figures on ceilings. She is carrying a two-handled jar. The flat colours are dominated by reds, whites and black outlines.  \nIt is possible to determine the *tabica*'s original position in the eighth section on the left, in the very place where a bomb fell during the war in 1936","short_description":"This *tabica* (small wooden board) decorated the planks in the roof of Teruel Cathedral, showing the different classes of Mediaeval society. The figure is a water bearer dressed in contemporary costume: a long-sleeved dress tied around the waist.","type":"Woodwork, board, tabica, wood","holder":"National Archaeological Museum.","dates":"Late 13th century.","location":"Madrid","dimensions":"Height 36 cm, width 23.8 cm, depth 1.7 cm.","method_for_datation":"From its style and from dendrochronological analysis of the wood.","method_for_provenance":"When giving this and three other pieces to the National Archaeological Museum, the donor, Pablo Gil y Gil, a professor at the University of Saragossa in 1869, reported that they came from the roof.","provenance":"Cathedral of Santa Maria de Mediavilla, Teruel, Spain.","obtention":"The piece was donated to the National Archaeological Museum on 19 August 1869.","bibliography":"Alquézar Yáñez, E., Arias Sánchez, I. and Franco Mata, A., “Carpintería y Elementos Arquitectónicos Mudéjares en el Museo Arqueológico Nacional Procedentes de Aragón”, in *Actas del VI Simposio Internacional de Mudejarismo, Teruel, 16–18 September 1993*, Teruel, 1996, p.874.  \nRabanaque, E., Novella, A., Sebastián, S. and Yarza, J*., El Artesonado de la Catedral de Teruel*, Saragossa, 1981.  \n*Mudéjar Art: Islamic Aesthetics in Christian Art*, pp.82 and 107–10.","linkcatalogs":"IAM_ES_EN_001","author":"Ángela Franco","copy_editor":"Rosalía Aller","translator":"Laurence Nunny","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["collar-beam roof","Mudéjar","polichromy","Tabica","Teruel","wood"],"materials":["polychromy.","Wood"]},"7e873aac-dc37-595c-aaf1-3d2a947dd436":{"name":"Hexagonal table","short_description":"Carbon-14 analyses show that the well-preserved table was made in the 11th-12th century. Along with the one in the al-Sabbah Collection, Kuwait, it is the oldest known table of a popular type in the Islamic world. The type was also made in other materials, such as ceramics and metal.  \nIts decorative details are elements, also found in slightly older Samanid ceramics.","type":"Woodwork, table, paper","holder":"The David Collection","dates":"Hegira 5th–6th century / AD 11th–12th century","location":"Copenhagen","provenance":"Afghanistan","keywords":["furnishing","Ghaznavid","Paper"],"materials":["and with incised decoration","Poplar","tabletop covered with paper and colored lacquer"]},"7f95a1e1-30bf-5b30-abfb-8955cb750a4b":{"name":"*Isbiya* or *Kaiya* barge (model)","description":"The *isbiya* (also known locally as the *kaiya*) is a cargo barge traditionally built in the town of Hit on the Western bank of the River Euphrates in Anbar province. It is documented in archival photographs and texts from the AH 13th / AD 19th and AH 14th / AD 20th centuries, and is believed to have existed in a similar form for several millennia, although its organic construction left no known physical remains.  \n  \nIt is built using a technique comparable to wattle-and-daub architecture, with no use of metal (tools or fixings) or planked wood. Like many traditional boats, the *isbiya* is a technology specific to its place of origin, made with locally sourced materials. It is a vertical-sided box, constructed using a framework of branches and sticks, including palm fronds (*isb*) from which it derives its name, mulberry wood and gharb wood. These are bound together with palm leaf cordage, and ringed with thick coils of halfa grass before being waterproofed with several layers of tar. The community are involved in a collective construction process known as *fezaa*.  \n  \nArchaeological evidence suggests that cargoes of stone, lime and bitumen used to build Ur (3800 – 500 BC) and other ancient cities in southern Mesopotamia were transported using *isbiyas* or similar boats. This trade continued into the AH 14th / AD 20th century to supply tar used to waterproof roofs, boats and as an adhesive. Each *isbiya* made a one-way journey, propelled by the river, and was broken up on arrival, with the materials sold mainly for use as fuel.  \n  \nProduction of the *isbiya* ceased in the late 1950s, when its function was replaced by metal barges, then by road cargo transport. In 2019 a full-sized *isbiya* and its smaller guide-boat, the *delil*, were reconstructed in a workshop organised by Safina Projects with community members in Hit, including elder Haji Noaman, who had assisted in building the last *isbiya* as an apprentice in the late AH 1370s / AD 1950s. In 2024 a scale model *isbiya* was produced for the collection of the Open Museum for Water Culture (Basra).","type":"Boat","holder":"Open Museum Initiative for Water Cultures","owner":"Safina Projects CIC","initial_owner":"Safina Projects CIC","dates":"AH 1446/ AD 2024","location":"Basra","dimensions":"Length: 140cm, height  60cm, width: 60cm","method_for_datation":"Production was supervised by current owner.","method_for_provenance":"Production was supervised by current owner.","provenance":"Hit, Anbar Governorate, Iraq","obtention":"Made in workshop organised by Safina Projects.","bibliography":"Al-Behadli, J., “The Ark for Iraq Programme: the Experience of Safina Projects in the Study of Traditional Boats and their Revitalisation”, *Al-Turath al-Sha’bi*, (2024), 325 \\[Published in Arabic\\].  \n  \nRitter, H., “Mesopotamische Studien”, *Der Islam: Zeitschrift für Geschichte und Kultur des Islamischen Orients*, (1919).","author":"Hannah Lewis","keywords":["basketry","boat","model","Transport","Watercraft"],"materials":["basketry","gharb wood","halfa grass","mulberry wood","palm fronds","tar","waterproofing."]},"800c391d-1714-509b-9718-f253f7cec93e":{"name":"*Jendoul* (reconstruction from illustration by al-Wasiti from the Maqamat al-Hariri)","description":"The Arabic term *jendoul* here refers to a boat class that exists across many cultures, the Venetian Gondola being the best-known example. Designed as passenger transport for canals, a *jendoul* features a seating area (usually cushioned and sometimes canopied or featuring a cabin) and is typically no longer than 11 metres in length, enabling it to manoeuvre around canal junctions (although similar craft for open waters may be larger). Whether rowing or poling, the boatman or crew usually stands at the back, overlooking the passenger area and steering the boat (sometimes with another crew member at the front).  \n  \nA *jendoul* typically includes ostentatious ornamentation, representing the status and affluence of its passengers. The materials used are of high quality, and an array of artisan crafts may be exhibited, such as decorative metalwork, wood carving, inlay, lacquerwork, textiles and upholstery, cordage, tassels, and glass lanterns.  \n  \nExamples of the *jendoul* boat class can be found in historical cultures including Ottoman Turkey, Fatimid Egypt, Kish, Phoenicia, and in South and South-East Asia. A Sumerian boat with the characteristics of a *jendoul* is depicted on a cylinder seal impression (4th millennium BC, Uruk 3 period) found in the wetlands of Uqair in Diyala, Iraq.  \n  \nA specific type of *jendoul* is depicted by Yahya al-Wasiti in one of his AH 7th / AD 13th century miniatures illustrating the “Maqamat” of al-Hariri: a richly ornamented boat, rowed by three men standing aft. Safina Projects’ work to reconstruct it from this single image was an unusual challenge. The study process included using artist’s impressions and technical drawings, scale modelling, and experimentation with rowing methods to understand how this *jendoul* worked and to calculate its proportions before the first full-sized prototype Abbasid *jendoul* reconstruction was built in AH 1446-7/ AD 2024-25.","type":"Boat (scale model)","holder":"Open Museum Initiative for Water Cultures","owner":"Safina Projects CIC","initial_owner":"Safina Projects CIC","dates":"AH 1446/ AD 2024","location":"Basra","dimensions":"Length: 11m, height: 0.55m, width: 1.5m","method_for_datation":"Production was supervised by current owner.","method_for_provenance":"Production was supervised by current owner.","provenance":"Basra, Iraq","obtention":"Made in workshop organised by Safina Projects.","bibliography":"Agius, D. A.,*Classic Ships of Islam: from Mesopotamia to the Indian Ocean.*, Leiden: Brill, 2014.  \n  \nal-Hariri, Les *Makamat* (AH 634 / AD 1236-1237), in BNF: https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b8422965p/f131.item.zoom# \\[last accessed 16/11/2025\\]","catalogue_holding_link":"https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b8422965p/f131.item.zoom#","author":"Hannah Lewis","keywords":["Abbasid","basketry","boat","model","Transport","Watercraft"],"materials":["carpentry","fibreglass","Pine wood (Russian import)","sidr wood","waterproofing."]},"803bdaca-8310-5038-ad10-5c3aca20a66a":{"name":"Estácio Pharmacy","description":"Estacio Pharmacy in Porto founded in 1883 starts to produce the first pills medication, within the scientific development of the 18th century end. The preparation of manipulated medicines in the apothecaries of the Catholic monasteries  and convents (Boticas de Convento) was  replaced by the production of medicines by Laboratorial Pharmacies.","type":"Pharmacy; medical equipment","holder":"Pharmacy Museum","dates":"c. 1890–1910","location":"Porto","provenance":"Porto","author":"Paula Basso"},"8226b2d6-80a1-5f02-b757-05f24715921e":{"name":"Fireplace mirror","description":"A type of console mirror for use above a fireplace, it has imitation legs in the form of flat scrolls. The mirror itself is octagonal, a richly carved frame of ornate C- and S-scrolls and pierced *rocaille* surround it.  \nTwo unidentified coats-of-arms, incorporated into the scrollwork, extend into candle stands from which two angels' heads peep out from the crest formed by shell ornaments.  \nThe mirror furnished the Hütterott family mansion on Crveni otok island, near Rovinj in Istria. A German family of merchants and industrialists from Trieste, their presence in Rovinj began in 1890 when Johann Georg Hütterott opened a climatic health resort there and bought nearby islets, the family playing a major role in the overall advancement of the Rovinj area.","short_description":"The carved gilded frame decorated in a characteristically mid-18th century style, with C- and S-scrolls and pierced *rocaille* belongs to a type of mirror for use above a fireplace. It came from the mansion of the Hütterott family on Crveni otok near Rovinj, which today is a hotel. The merchant and industrialist Hütterott family from Trieste bought several islets near Rovinj in 1890. They advanced the whole Rovinj area, and among other things laid out an exceptional park in Rovinj itself.","type":"Furniture","holder":"Museum of Arts and Crafts","dates":"Mid-18th century","location":"Zagreb, North-West Croatia","dimensions":"H: 205 cm; w: 132 cm","method_for_datation":"Analysis of style","provenance":"From the manor of the Hütterott family on Sv. Andrija island, which after 1945, was renamed Crveni otok island near Rovinj, Istria.","obtention":"Transferred by way of the Commission for the Collection and Preservation of Cultural Monuments, Antiquities and Libraries KOMZA, formed in 1946.","bibliography":"*Kružić Uchytil V. Barokni namještaj iz findusa MUO* (Baroque Furniture in the MUO Holdings), Zagreb, 1985.  \n*Obitelj Hütterott ostavština. Dio I*, Pazin-Rovinj, 2008.","author":"Nela Tarbuk","translator":"Nikolina Jovanović","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["furnishing","gilding","glass","Hütterott family","industry","pierce","polychrome decoration","trade","wood carving"],"materials":["Carved gilded partly polychrome wood"]},"82491e9f-24e6-5380-8457-1657289a939a":{"name":"Cabinet on stand","description":"A large cabinet of the aedicule type standing on the base that belongs to it. In the shape of a horizontally oriented rectangle, and given frontal emphasis by its architectural appearance, its decoration of paintings on glass are framed by veneers of expensive woods – black ebony and tortoiseshell – materials that are also employed to build up the architectural decoration. Rosewood veneer covers the sides.  \nThe central aedicule with twisted pillars and gilt bronze fittings bears a fragmented gable, surmounted with painted fields organised to make up a lunette, and, in the lower zone, the decorative painting conceals a drawer for valuables incorporated into the architectural elements. The remainder of the front maintains rhythm and mobility by the recession of the central surface and projection of the architectural elements.  \nThe decorative repertoire of the glass, painted in tempera on the reverse, consists of figures and mythological scenes with the “*amour* of the gods” prevailing. There are also scenic views treated in the antique manner. Forms and landscapes in fresh colours immersed in silver and blue create refined tints and subtle tonal shading. The painted scenes are in the manner of Luca Giordano and more or less precisely repeat the iconographic motifs of his repertoire.  \nThe base is of richly carved and gilded wood constructed from luxurious, symmetrically conceived, front-facing vegetation – fleshy acanthus leaves powerfully mobilised in S-curves, and floral festoons enhanced with a central motif of mascarons, and figures of *putti*. Lion's-paw feet support the base.","short_description":"A cabinet with the appearance of an architectural façade fitted with drawers for valuables. Richly decorated with painted glass panels framed with ebony and tortoiseshell, it stands on its own luxuriously carved and gilt base. The decorative repertoire of the glass compositions consist of figures, mythological scenes and views treated in the antique manner. The painted scenes are in the style of the Baroque painter, Luca Giordano.","type":"Furniture","holder":"Dubrovnik Cultural History Museum","dates":"c. 1670","location":"Dubrovnik, Dalmatia","dimensions":"H: 214 cm; w: 197 cm; d: 54 cm","place_of_production":"Naples","method_for_datation":"By stylistic analysis and comparative method.","obtention":"Donated in 1948 by the Ragusan nobleman, Ivo Saraka.","bibliography":"Vilać, P., “Kabinetski ormarić iz Kneževa dvora u Dubrovniku'', *Prilozi povijesti umjetnosti u Dalmaciji* 37, 1997–1998, pp. 269–290.","workshop":"Luca Giordano’s workshop","author":"Pavica Vilać","translator":"Graham McMaster","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["floral decoration","furnishing","gilded wood","gilding","glass","mythology","Naples","Neaplitan painters","painting","workshop"],"materials":["carved and gilded wood","ebonised wood","ebony","Fir carcass","gilt bronze","rosewood (veneer)","tempera on glass","tortoiseshell"]},"82c65c6f-a7c7-5e4d-90e9-d3af98dc437c":{"name":"Chest with painted scenes.","description":"The piece belongs to the genre of chests with a rectangular body and flat lid.  \nThe decoration, in watercolour black and gilding following the style of Muslim illuminators, covers the entire chest, showing the medley of Christian and Islamic art that can be seen in some well-known examples, including the caskets at Veroli Cathedral and the Bargello Museum in Florence.  \nThe top of the lid shows an image of Christ between two saints within a medallion, beside which are the images of two cheetahs, one pursuing a gazelle and the other a hare. On the bottom right there is a figure of a giraffe accompanied by two keepers spurring it on, while to the left there is an image of a richly harnessed elephant, which appears to be uprooting a small tree with its trunk.  \nThe main sides of the casket bear animal scenes characterised by hunters stalking their prey on foot, founding an iconographic type unique among caskets at that time.  \nThe sides are characterised by a small stylised tree, probably a tree of life around which a pair of peacocks and a pair of birds face each other. This image is also reproduced on the lower decorative bands of the two main sides, with minor variations in the bird species depicted by the tree.  \nThe motif of the dogs and cheetahs chasing gazelles is repeated rhythmically at the bottom of the four sides. Small birds and peacocks alternate along the top edge of the chest near to the lid.  \nIn terms of its decoration, the piece can be most readily compared to the mosaics in the Ruggero Hall and in the paintings on the wooden ceiling held by the Regional Gallery of Palermo.","short_description":"This chest is an example of the combination of Christian and Islamic art. The animal scenes and some of the birds come from Islamic art, while the images of saints and, in this case, Christ, clearly belong to Christian art.","type":"Woodwork, chest, ivory, wood","holder":"Palatine Chapel, Treasury","owner":"Ministry of Interior Affairs, General Directorate of Cultural Affairs","initial_owner":"The State.","dates":"13th century.","location":"Palermo","dimensions":"Height 18 cm, width 48.5 cm, depth 29.5 cm.","method_for_datation":"Although the stylistic analogies linking the chest to various well-known examples of Norman art in Sicily, including in particular the mosaics in the Ruggero Hall and the paintings on the wooden ceiling of the Palatine Chapel, seem to be universally accepted by scholars, there are a number of different theories as to the date of the piece. Di Marzo, followed by Scerrato and Pinder Wilson, suggests the 13th century, thus placing the work in the Federican period. Biagi, however, identifies the origins of the decorative type in the Persian miniature and suggests the 12th century. This hypothesis is supported by Cott and Ferrandis. (See Bibliography.)","method_for_provenance":"The presence of various examples comparable to this piece has led scholars to believe that there may have been a single centre of production, probably in Sicily or southern Italy, and Amalfi especially. With reference to this chest in particular, the hypothesis put forward by Pinder Wilson and Scerrato, linking the piece to the production of Islamic art in Sicily during the Federican period, seems the most comprehensive. (See Bibliography.)","provenance":"Sicily or Southern Italy.","obtention":"Unknown.","bibliography":"Andaloro, M. (ed.), *Federico e la Sicilia dalla Terra alla Corona, Arti Figurative e Suntuarie*, Exhibition catalogue, Palermo, 1995.  \nCott, P. B.*, Siculo-Arabic Ivories,* Princeton, 1939.  \nDi Marzo, G., *Di una Cassetta d’Avorio nella Real Cappella Palatina di Palermo,* Palermo, 1887.  \nGabrieli, F. and Scerrato U., *Gli Arabi in Italia*, Milan, 1979.  \nKunhel, E., “Avorio e Osso: L’Arte dell’Avorio nel Mondo Islamico’*, Enciclopedia Universale dell’Arte*, II, Florence, 1958.  \nPinder Wilson, R. H. and Brooke, C. N. L., “The Reliquary of St. Petroc and the Ivories of Norman Sicily”, *Arcaeologia*, 1973, p.104.  \n*Siculo-Norman Art: Islamic Culture in Medieval Sicily*, p.64.","linkcatalogs":"IAM_IT_EN_001","author":"Maria Ilaria Randazzo","copy_editor":"Pier Paolo Racioppi","translator":"Laurence Nunny","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["Chest","figurative decoration","floral decoration","Siculo-Norman art"],"materials":["Painted ivory on a wooden frame. Designs in black with water-based colour and gold leaf."]},"835a8c7a-4922-5e4a-890f-690762ae7663":{"name":"One side of a double door","short_description":"The door is covered with geometric patterns. The wooden sections on the front contain fine inlays using the *khatamkari* technique, which was probably developed in the 15th-16th century in the form shown here, and was often used to embellish Shiite shrines in Iran and Iraq. The perfection of the patterns has traditionally been a metaphor of the infinity of God.","type":"Woodwork, door, wood, metalwork","holder":"The David Collection","dates":"Hegira 11th century / AD 17th century","location":"Copenhagen","provenance":"Iran","keywords":["Door","Khatamkari technique","metalwork","wood"],"materials":["and wood","inlaid with brass","Several types of wood","various types of bone"]},"84dd3553-46ec-5600-8a2a-e99eb0f50285":{"name":"Three choir stalls.","description":"Three surviving seats from the choir stall. The arms, elaborately carved, mimic smooth timber columns with finely worked capital and base. The separators between the seats have been hollowed out and outlined to form mixtilinear arches with a strong Almohad influence. There are wheels in relief on the spandrels. There is now practically no colour left, with the exception of the persistent red and a few other traces from which a painted lion can be made out, already quite deteriorated when the piece was acquired. The dominant decorative elements are plant arabesques and the polychromy of the heraldic motifs relating to the kingdom of León.  \nThis piece is noteworthy not just for its intrinsic quality, but also because it demonstrates the importance of León in the emergence of Mudéjar carpentry. This low stall, along with the Astudillo stall also held at the National Archaeological Museum, is one of the most exceptional examples of this type of carpentry in this Mudéjar style.","short_description":"Mudéjar craftsmen were sometimes used to work on choir stalls in churches and monasteries, and they brought their own techniques and decorative motifs. These stalls from the Monastery of Santa María de Gradefes in León are particularly noteworthy for the excellence of the joinery and their rich decoration of plant arabesques.","type":"Woodwork, stall, pine","holder":"National Archaeological Museum.","dates":"1230–50.","location":"Madrid","dimensions":"Height 150 cm; width 70 cm.","method_for_datation":"From its typical characteristics. The earliest document on the monastery dates from 1140.","method_for_provenance":"From existing documentation. It remained in the monastery until its sale in 1874.","provenance":"Monastery of Santa María de Gradefes, León, Spain.","obtention":"The piece was purchased for the National Archaeological Museum from José Gil Dorregaray on 13 March 1874.","bibliography":"Calvo, A., *El Monasterio de Gradefes. Apuntes para su Historia y la de Algunos Otros Cenobios y Pueblos del Concejo*, León, 1936–45; facsimile edition, Leon, 1984.  \nFranco Mata, A., “Arte Medieval Cristiano Leonés en el Museo Arqueológico Nacional”, *Tierras de León*, 71, Leon, 1988, pp.54–5, no. 19.  \nGarcía Gutiérrez, A., *Noticia Histórico-Descriptiva del Museo Arqueológico Nacional*, Madrid, 1876, p.108.  \nTorres Balbás, L., *Arte Almohade, Arte Nazarí, Arte Mudéjar*, *Ars Hispaniae*, Vol. IV, Madrid, 1949, p.401.  \n  \n*Mudéjar Art: Islamic Aesthetics in Christian Art*, pp.66–8.","linkcatalogs":"IAM_ES_EN_001","author":"Ángela Franco","copy_editor":"Rosalía Aller","translator":"Laurence Nunny","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["carving","Choir stalls","Gradefes","Leon","Mudéjar","religious furnishing","wood"],"materials":["carving.","Pine"]},"854a0735-8c8e-5262-ae65-6ccff0a9b37b":{"name":"Pair of Doors","short_description":"Although the building to which this pair of carved wooden doors originally belonged is not precisely known, clues may lie in its Qur’anic inscriptions, carved in the *naskh* script and framing four panels of openwork designs of scrolling vines. Each text quoted from the Qur’an mentions the rewards of Paradise, and those on the right door (2:274) specifically state that wealthy persons who spend their money for pious purposes need not fear what awaits them in the afterlife. Together, this suite of inscriptions suggests that the doors may have once graced a Shi‘ite shrine or a Sufi tomb.","type":"Architectural Elements","holder":"Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA)","dates":"Hegira 9th-early 10th century / AD 15th-early 16th century","location":"Los Angeles","dimensions":"a: 170.2 x 41.3cm; b: 62.6 x 39.4cm","method_for_datation":"The doors are consonant in technique and style to pairs of doors dated to the 15th century from Timurid Iran, as well as other examples of carved wood such as cenotaphs, most of which are associated with the province of Mazandaran. The Qur’anic text of the inscriptions indicates the doors are from a religious edifice.","method_for_provenance":"The LACMA doors are similar in form, size, decorative layout and epigraphic style to other doors from Timurid Iran.","provenance":"Iran","obtention":"Collection of Nasli M. Heeramaneck (1902-1971), New York, until 1973 (sold to); LACMA, The Nasli M. Heeramaneck collection, gift of Joan Palevsky.","bibliography":"Gierlichs, Joachim, “Tabrizi Woodcarvings in Timurid Iran,” in Judith Pfeiffer (ed), *Politics, Patronage and the Transmission of Knowledge in 13th - 15th Century Tabriz*, Leiden: Brill, 2014: 361, fig. 3.  \nKomaroff, Linda, *Lo Terrenal y lo Divino: Arte Islámico siglos VII al XIX Colección del Museo de Arte del Condado de Los Ángeles*, Santiago: Centro Cultural La Moneda, 2015: 108.","author":"LACMA Staff","keywords":["architectural element","calligraphy","carved","Door","Iran","Paradise","Qur'anic inscriptions","Quranic inscriptions","Timurid","wood"],"materials":["carved","Wood"]},"85597a71-d670-530e-8302-7a8eb8d08410":{"name":"Horizontal ground loom","description":"This useful tool has been used since the Neolithic age. A horizontal ground loom is a simple arrangement of four pegs tied in place. The warp (vertical) threads are wound onto the sticks and tied in place. The loom has a heddle, batten, jacks, a warp beam and a shed rod. The weaver works the weft (horizontal) threads, by hand, through the stretched out warp. A shuttle is used to pass the wool.","type":"Loom","holder":"Jordan River Foundation Bani Hamida Weaving Project","dates":"AD 1916","location":"Mukawer","dimensions":"L: 40 -2200cm, W: 40-150cm","method_for_datation":"Owners","provenance":"Bani Hamida","obtention":"Bought","author":"Halima Al Qa'dan","copy_editor":"Lisa Kelman","materials":["Wood and iron"]},"857327b5-d36c-56a4-a959-8c0836d3b51c":{"name":"Spindle","description":"A spindle is a straight spike made from wood used for spinning and twisting wool fibres into yarn. It is weighted on one end, by a disc or spherical object called a whorl.","type":"Spindle","holder":"The Jordan Museum","owner":"The Circassian Charity Association","dates":"AD 1860","location":"Amman","dimensions":"L: 38cm, W: 5cm","method_for_datation":"The great grandparents of the owners of this object brought it with them to Jordan when they immigrated in 1860.","provenance":"Caucasus","obtention":"Loan","author":"Najd Sweidan","copy_editor":"Lisa Kelman","materials":["Wood"]},"85787dd4-f609-5fdf-ad19-38987eb94fa6":{"name":"Carved wood fragment.","description":"This fragment comes from the *minbar* (preacher's chair) of the Great Mosque of Kairouan, which was donated by Prince Abu Ibrahim Ahmad. This is the oldest dated preacher's chair in the Islamic world. Constructed of teak wood, it is made up of an assembly of over 300 carved pieces. Exceptionally rich in ornament, these panels show just how varied were the models from which Ifriqiyan carvers took their repertoire. This fragment was part of the riser forming the top edge of the staircase of the *minbar*.  \nThe rich floral decoration of the panel consists of alternately arranged foliated scrolls, each one containing a spread vine-leaf and a cluster of grapes. Stylised five-leaf or furled three-leaf vine motifs are the most favoured floral designs of Aghlabid decoration.  \nAll these Byzantine-influenced decorations have an affinity with those found on sculpted objects and monuments of the Umayyad period. The finesse of the floral decoration, the richness of the work and the high quality of the finish, as well as the nature of the woods used all show how mature Ifriqiyan art was at that time and how well it adopted, developed and took forward the Umayyad tradition.","short_description":"This fragment comes from the pulpit of the Great Mosque of Kairouan, which was donated by Prince Abu Ibrahim Ahmad and is the oldest dated pulpit in the Muslim world. Its extremely rich and varied decoration is evidence of the maturity of Ifriqiyan art at that time.","type":"Woodwork, wood","holder":"Museum of Islamic Art.","initial_owner":"The Aghlabid prince, Abu Ibrahim Ahmad (r. AH 242–9 / AD 856–63).","dates":"Hegira 242–9 / AD 856–63.","location":"Raqqada., Kairouan.","dimensions":"Length 64 cm, width 5.5 cm, thickness 3.5 cm.","method_for_datation":"Historical texts reveal that this *minbar* dates from the period of the fifth reigning Aghlabid prince, Abu Ibrahim Ahmad. This is corroborated by the fact that the decoration of the fragment belongs to the Aghlabid repertoire, and by the strong affinity with the carved motifs on the wooden lintels of the Mosque of the Three Doors, dating from the year 252 / 866.","method_for_provenance":"Some historical texts suggest that this *minbar* was made in Baghdad, but the information is unclear and not viable. If the teak wood can be shown to originate from the Indian sub-continent, then all the evidence would suggest this is in fact the work of Kairouanese wood-carvers.","provenance":"Kairouan.","obtention":"After the restoration of the *minbar* of the Great Mosque of Kairouan around 1920, some pieces were removed and kept with the mosque's relics. When the Great Mosque's museum was created in 1965, this fragment was taken from the relics and displayed at the museum. Since 1986 it has been kept at the Museum of Islamic Art at Raqqada, where it will be displayed in the second section, which is currently under refurbishment (2005).","bibliography":"*Tunez, Tierra de Culturas* (exhibition catalogue), Valencia, 2004, p.232.  \n*Ifriqiya: Thirteen Centuries of Art and Architecture in Tunisia*, pp.159–62, 182–3.","author":"Mourad Rammah","copy_editor":"Margot Cortez","translator":"David Ash","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["floral decoration","furnishing"],"materials":["Carved teak wood."]},"85acf1b7-5e53-59d4-aaea-ce86103574d8":{"name":"Painted wooden board.","description":"Painted on this board in *kufic* script is part of the eighteenth verse of *sura* 3. The vertical lines of the letters have a chamfered effect and some are finished off with a bi-lobed fleuron. The background is punched into a simple floral design.  \nThe angles of the letters *waw* and *mim* develop into scrolls which fill the empty space between them. The characters are carefully designed, precisely drawn, and finished with a chamfered effect. The yellow-ochre outside edging makes the letters stand out from the background. This technique, which substitutes for carving letters in relief, is known to have been used in the ceilings of the Great Mosque of Kairouan since the AH 3rd / AD 9th century.","short_description":"This board bears a *kufic* inscription consisting of part of a Qur'anic verse from the *sura* Al-Imran. The inscribed field is decorated with floral motifs. This technique replaced the inscriptions carved in wood in relief and can be seen in the ceilings of the Great Mosque of Kairouan.","type":"Woodwork, board, wood","holder":"Museum of Islamic Art.","initial_owner":"Ordered on behalf of the Zirid prince, al-Mu‘izz ibn Badis by his minister, Muhammad ibn Abi al-Arab.","dates":"Hegira 413–14 / AD 1022–3.","location":"Raqqada., Kairouan.","dimensions":"Length 141 cm, width 16 cm, thickness 4 cm.","method_for_datation":"A still intact section of the painted ceiling of the prayer hall of the Great Mosque of Kairouan with the same decorative and calligraphic characteristics as this board is part of the work ordered by the minister, al-Qasim ibn Muhammad ibn Ali al-Arab (period of office 413–14 / 1022–3) on behalf of the Zirid prince, al-Mu'izz ibn Badis. The lettering and the motifs used date this board from the end of the 4th to the beginning of the 5th century (10th–11th century).","method_for_provenance":"A still intact section of the painted ceiling of the prayer hall of the Great Mosque of Kairouan has the same decorative and calligraphic characteristics as this board.","provenance":"Kairouan.","obtention":"During the restoration of the Great Mosque of Kairouan in the 1960s some beams and boards from the ceiling of the prayer hall, considered to be too old, were removed and conserved in the storerooms of the National Institute of the Patrimony of Kairouan. When the second section of the Museum of Islamic Art at Raqqada was refurbished in 1999 this board was selected for display there.","bibliography":"*Tunisie: du Christianisme a l'Islam* (exhibition catalogue), Lattes, 2001, pp.191–2.  \n*Ifriqiya: Thirteen Centuries of Art and Architecture in Tunisia*, pp.159–62.","author":"Mourad Rammah","copy_editor":"Margot Cortez","translator":"David Ash","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["calligraphy","floral decoration","furnishing","painted wood"],"materials":["floral design.","Painted wood"]},"8609522c-18c6-5b1c-9149-7c3bb976c5b7":{"name":"Neo-Mamluk, metal-inlaid copper alloy Table","description":"In 13th/ 19th- century Egypt, the political, cultural and social climate increasingly encouraged a nationalistic reappraisal of indigenous heritage. The era of the Mamluks, who had ruled Egypt and Syria between the later 7th/13th and the early 10th/ 16th centuries, was particularly celebrated as a golden age in national history. As a result, artisans now turned their efforts to reviving the glories of Mamluk artefacts, and particularly their celebrated, silver- and gold-inlaid metalwork. This stand or table is an exquisite example of such revivalist work. It copies a famous Mamluk Qur’an stand in the Museum of Arab Art in Cairo, inscribed with the name of the Mamluk Sultan al-Nasir Muhammad ibn Qalawun (r. 1294-1340) and made by Muhammad ibn Sunqur al-Baghdadi.","type":"Copper-alloy, metal inlaid table","holder":"Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilisation / Sharjah Museums Department","dates":"Hegira late 13th – early 14th century / AD late 19th – early 20th century","location":"Sharjah","provenance":"Egypt, Cairo","author":"Ulrike Al-Khamis"},"88c2eecc-1ad6-5b2b-8f02-6efabc4b470c":{"name":"Pediment of a door.","description":"This pediment takes the form of a half-polygon of nine sides, consisting of four panels; the first is ornamented with vegetal decoration; the remaining three are decorated with a nine-line inscription, sculpted in relief and in cursive lettering, except for the last line, which is in quadrangular *kufic*. The final six lines of the inscription are centrally divided by floral and geometric decoration. This inscription features the following text: 'May God protect us from Satan the abuser / In houses that God allowed us to build / in which men invoke his Name and glorify Him, morning and night (Qur'an, XXI, 36–37) / raised house, full of invocations, erected for the worship of God. He will pardon those who find themselves there / and the one who founded and built it, Yahyia ibn Mahdjuba, who offered it to God / Forgive him his past! Protect him from the heat of hell! Enable him to enter paradise where he will experience well-being! / Grant him Your assurance and Your protection against the terrors of the day of resurrection! Offer him a place at the top of paradise! What success for those who are there! / In the year *chin*, *djim*, the construction was finished and completed with the help of God. Oh reader, make wishes in favour of he who built this / Through the forgiveness and indulgence of God, through the intercession of the best of men! Do it so that one can always read the tradition to the people.'  \nThis inscription is the only one in Algeria that features a date written in the form of a chronogram (in adding together the numeric values of each letter that it consists of, one obtains the date it conceals). This pediment was previously situated above the entrance to a *zawiya* known under the name of Zawiya Ibn Mahdjuba, adjacent to a cemetery. The building was demolished around 1865, during the widening/opening of the rue Nationale.  \nThe person mentioned is the sheik Abu-Zakariya Yahyia ibn Mahdjuba (d. AH 1017 / AD 1608), who was a *mufti* and who is mentioned in a manuscript contemporary to the era.","short_description":"This pediment stood above the entrance to a *zawiya* and consists of four panels. The first is decorated with plant motifs and the other three bear an inscription carved in cursive characters (*kufic* in the last line) that glorify God and the patron of the work. It is dated by a chronogram included in the inscription.","type":"Woodwork, wood carving","holder":"National Museum of Antiquities and Islamic Arts","dates":"Hegira 1003 / AD 1594.","location":"Algiers","dimensions":"Height 85 cm, length of base 127 cm, depth 5.5 cm.","method_for_datation":"Via the chronogram included within the inscription; the Arabic letters *djim* and *chin* correspond to numeric values set within the Maghrebi system: *djim* = 1,000, *chin* = 3; 1,000 + 3 = 1003 (AD 1594).","method_for_provenance":"Merit is due to E. Bigonet, who was able to track down the person responsible for the demolition of the Zawiya Ibn Mahdjuba. This person authorised him to look through all the heaps that remained of the demolished building. It was thus that he recovered this inscription, which he then offered to the National Museum of Antiquities.","provenance":"Zawiya Ibn Mahdjuba, Constantine, Algeria.","obtention":"Gift from E. Bigonet who, in 1878, undertook research in Constantine on the subject of this inscription, already published.","bibliography":"Bigonet, E., “Une inscription de Constantine”, *Revue africaine*, Vol. 47, 1903, pp. 305–11.  \nBourouiba, R., *Les inscriptions commémoratives des mosquées d'Algérie*, Algiers, 1984.  \nCherbonneau, A., “Inscriptions arabes de la province de Constantine”, in *RSAC,* 1856–7, pp. 88–90.  \nMarçais, G., *Le musée Stéphane Gsell, musée des antiquités et d'art musulman d'Alger*, Algiers, 1950.  \nMercier, G., *Corpus des inscriptions arabes et turques de l'Algérie*, II, *Département de Constantine*, Paris, 1902.","author":"Leila Merabet","copy_editor":"Margot Cortez","translator":"Maria Vlotides","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["cursive characters","epigraphy","floral decoration","geometric decoration","kufic","Ottoman","religious architecture","wood"],"materials":["carved in relief","Cedar Wood","marquetry."]},"893326f6-9a4d-57db-bdf6-56796de6ef99":{"name":"Fragment from a carved wooden piece.","description":"In the Raqqa region one can find fragments of wood that once decorated the formal halls of its Abbasid royal palaces. It is possible to classify these fragments into three types according to their techniques of decoration. The first group is adorned with relatively realistic coloured and gilded carved ornamentation that includes floral and calligraphic motifs. The second group is carved in a slanted manner so that the edges of the carved objects appear curved and not sharp. The examples of this group are influenced by the Abbasid Samarra motifs identified as \"Samarra Style C\". The third group, to which this piece belongs, has decorative motifs carved in a vertical manner so that the panel appears to have an upper surface and a lower background. The decorative carving is flat with sharp edges and the groove to the background is deep, as can be seen in the small deep holes indicating the circular part of the calligraphic letters. The piece is decorated with Arabic *kufic* script that reads “Commander of the Faithful.” It seems to have been partially burned in a fire.","short_description":"This calligraphic wooden panel with its sharp vertically carved angles and deep circular grooves is one example of the many carving styles that were developed in the Abbasid period and spread throughout the region.","type":"Woodwork, panel, wood","holder":"National Museum of Damascus","dates":"Around hegira 4th–5th century / AD 10th–11th century.","location":"Damascus","dimensions":"Length 43 cm, width 13 cm.","method_for_datation":"The carving technique used on this wood fragment is distinctly Abbasid-Islamic and was developed during the Abbasid period in Iraq and Syria.","method_for_provenance":"The wooden piece was discovered in the vicinity of the Abbasid palaces in the Raqqa region, and therefore it is assumed that it was made *in situ*.","provenance":"Raqqa region, Syria.","obtention":"The piece was accidentally discovered by a resident of the Raqqa region during the early 1950s. He presented it to the archaeological expedition working there at that time.","bibliography":"Abu al-Faraj al-Ush, M., *A Concise Guide to the National Museum of Damascus,* Damascus, 1969, p.158.  \nAndalucia, J., de- (ed), *El esplendor de los Omeyas cordobeses*, exhibition catalogue, Granada, 2001.  \nDaiber, V., and Becker A., *Raqqa III*, Mainz, 2004.","author":"Mona al-Moadin","translator":"Hilary Kalmbach (from the Arabic)","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["carved","kufic script","Raqqa","Samarra","wood"],"materials":["Carved wood."]},"8b0ffe7f-502c-57bf-afc8-2a2f22466bfe":{"name":"Console","description":"From a base with four round feet springs the console resembling two vine branches, intertwined with vine-leaves and grapes. The carving is powerful as the volumes are full and in the round. The wood is gilded with silver leaf. The table is painted to look like a dark green false marble, with pale green veins. Formerly thought to be a nineteenth-century remake from a Tuscan workshop, today this console is considered an original piece dating to the eighteenth-century. The original provenance is unknown, but it was likely made in Tuscany. The console is part of the furniture of the baroque apartment, on the first floor of the building which was made between 1736 and 1738 for the wedding of Francesco Tozzoni and Carlotta Beroaldi.","short_description":"This piece of furniture is very original; the base is made of vine-shoots and grapes realistically intertwined with a strongly naturalistic carving. We don’t know its original provenance. The console is housed in the red living room of the baroque apartment on the first floor of Palazzo Tozzoni, built between 1736 and 1738 for the marriage of Francesco Tozzoni and Carlotta Beroaldi.","type":"Woodwork","holder":"Palazzo Tozzoni","initial_owner":"Serristori Tozzoni family","dates":"First half of the eighteenth century","location":"Imola, Bologna, Emilia-Romagna","dimensions":"92 x 147 x 85 cm","place_of_production":"Tuscany (?)","provenance":"Imola","workshop":"Full Baroque","copyright":"Copyright image: Archivio fotografico Musei Civici di Imola.","author":"Oriana Orsi","translator":"Antonella Mampieri","translation_copy_editor":"Lisa Kelman","keywords":["Console","furnishing","grape design","vine tendris decoration","wood carving","woodwork","workpshop"],"materials":["painted as marble and covered with a silver leaf","Wood carved"]},"8b53557d-3049-52a4-936d-94e2aa610550":{"name":"Panel from a door or *minbar*","short_description":"This carved pine panel is composed of two boards flanking alternating square and rectangular panels. The vine scrolls, particularly those carved in high relief in the central panels, exhibit close affinities with their Late Antique prototypes. A nearly identical panel in the Benaki Museum in Athens suggests that together these may have formed a two-panelled door.","type":"Woodwork","holder":"The Metropolitan Museum of Art","dates":"Hegira 2nd–first half 3rd century / AD late 8th–first half 9th century","location":"New York","dimensions":"H: 179.7cm, W: 39.4cm; Mount: H: 191.8cm, W: 51.4cm, Diameter: 15.2cm, Wt: 35.8kg","provenance":"Iraq","obtention":"Rogers Fund, 1931  \nVendor: Hagop Kevorkian, New York  \nFormer owner \\[dealer\\]: \\[Hagop Kevorkian, New York, until 1931; sold to MMA\\]","bibliography":"Clark, Kenneth, *The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Masterpieces of Fifty Centuries*, New York: E. P. Dutton & Co., 1970: 156, no. 124, ill. (b/w).  \nDimand, Maurice S., \"An Arabic Woodcarving of the Eighth Century\", *Museum of Metropolitan Art Bulletin*, 26/11 (1931): 271-274.  \nDimand, Maurice S., \"Studies in Islamic Ornament: I. Some Aspects of Omaiyad and Early 'Abassid Ornament,\" *Ars Islamica*, IV (1937): 294-6, ill. figs. 1, 2, 3.  \nDimand, Maurice S., *A Handbook of Muhammadan Art. 2nd rev. and enl. ed.*, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1944: 109, ill. fig. 61 (b/w).  \nEttinghausen, Richard, and Grabar, Oleg, *The Art and Architecture of Islam: 650–1250*, Middlesex: Penguin Books, 1987: 107, ill. fig. 84 (b/w).  \nḤamīd, Isā Salmān, \"al-Tuhaf al-khashabiyya\", *Mawsū‘at madīnat Tikrīt*, 2 (1996): 204, ill. fig. 4.  \nLukens, Marie G., *The Metropolitan Museum of Art Guide to the Collections: Islamic Art. Vol. 9*, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1965: 3, ill. fig.1.","copyright":"The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Rogers Fund, 1931","keywords":["Abbasid","architectural decoration","architectural element","carpentry","carved decoration","carving","craftsmanship","Door","foliated","high relief","Iraq","low relief","plant decoration","vegetal decoration","vegetal motifs","wood","wood carving"],"materials":["carved","Wood (pine)"]},"8c5bd2b7-5767-58df-9aca-d0fdbe20c4ea":{"name":"Portable pharmacy","description":"The Arab world was a territory to discover but with a individual pharmacy travel case in order to face different diseases.","type":"Pharmacy; medical equipment","holder":"Pharmacy Museum","dates":"c. 1880–1900","location":"Lisbon","provenance":"Italy","author":"Paula Basso"},"8fa09327-47d4-5dce-9649-b4f26818817e":{"name":"Jar","description":"A hollow wooden jar with a rounded base and a large rhomboid-shaped body designed to store a greater quantity of water. It has a slightly protruding circular mouth, while on either side of the body are small recessed areas for fastening a rope to secure it to an animal. The jar is lightweight enough to be carried or transported over short distances. It was used for storing and transporting water in rural or Bedouin settings and was designed to facilitate drawing water from wells or troughs and preserving it for a period of time.","type":"Jar","holder":"Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim Al Thani Museum FBQ Museum","dates":"Late AH 13th century AH / AD 19th century","location":"Ash-Shahaniyah, Qatar","dimensions":"Jar diameter: 133cm,  Rim diameter: 40cm, Height: 40cm","provenance":"The Arabian Peninsula","copy_editor":"Zeina Al Amad","keywords":["Jar","water","wood"],"materials":["carving","Wood"]},"914eb4c5-9b5a-549c-b385-fee293bdb38a":{"name":"Cogged well wheel (*al-manjūr*)","description":"The central hub of a cogged well wheel (*al-manjūr*) is made from a single cross-cut section of local hardwood such as the Christ's thorn jujube (Zisiphus spina-christi, locally known as *sidr*). To form the cogs, a double row of hand-shaped wedges, also of hardwood, are fitted into the hub individually. The wheel is then lashed together with shark skin or goat leather.","type":"Well wheel","holder":"National Museum of Oman","owner":"National Museum of Oman","dates":"AH 14th / AD 20th century","location":"Muscat, Oman","dimensions":"Height: 92.5cm, length: 95cm, diameter: 40cm","place_of_production":"Northern Oman","provenance":"Local acquisition","obtention":"Local acquisition.","copy_editor":"Alvaro Miranda","keywords":["water","Well wheel."],"materials":["Wood"]},"9158959f-5857-53e2-91ec-f0d84c8343d7":{"name":"Rectangular chest with a truncated-pyramid lid.","description":"This wooden chest consists of a rectangular structure with a truncated-pyramid lid.  \nIt has gilded bronze clasps terminating with lance-shaped brackets around the outside and five straps, also lance-shaped, fixed vertically to reinforce the lid and body. Tri-lobed handles, also in gilded bronze, decorate the lid and the smaller sides.  \nThe edges of the individual faces of the lid are decorated with small painted crosses made up of groups of circles emanating from a central point and painted alternately in red and green ink. On the short sides of the chest, the circles are grouped into triangles with obvious symbolic meaning. There is a fabric lining on the inside that would have originally been red.  \nThere are a number of similar pieces that can be compared to this one. Specifically, with regard to the decoration, the most comprehensive comparisons are with the oval chest at York Minster in the UK and with two examples with truncated-pyramid lids in Palermo, also in the Palatine Chapel collection. Nonetheless, the most obvious comparisons can be drawn with the chest at the Walters Art Gallery in Baltimore, USA, in which there are similarities not only in the decoration but also in the form and the inclusion of bronze elements.","short_description":"Caskets similar to this one in shape and materials have been found in Sicily and southern Italy, where they would have been produced by Muslim craftsmen. The insides of these caskets were usually lined with fabric and they may have been used to keep jewellery.","type":"Woodwork, chest, ivory, wood","holder":"Palatine Chapel, Treasury","dates":"12th century.","location":"Palermo","dimensions":"Height 12.5 cm, width 20.5 cm, depth 14.5 cm.","method_for_datation":"Despite the lack of specific documentary references, reference may be made to Cott’s work, which mainly attributes carved ivory production to the 12th century. This dating is subsequently taken up by Pinder Wilson with specific reference to the first half of the century, in relation to the chest at York Minster, which he suggests is linked to the trip made by William Fitz Herbert in 1147–8 to Sicily and his cousin Ruggero (Roger) II. (See Bibliography.)","method_for_provenance":"The existence of various pieces comparable to this one has led scholars to believe that there may have been a single centre of production in Sicily or, according to Pinder Wilson (see Bibliography), southern Italy, specifically Amalfi.","provenance":"Sicily or southern Italy (Amalfi).","obtention":"Not available.","bibliography":"Andaloro, M. (ed.), *Federico e la Sicilia dalla Terra alla Corona, Arti Figurative e Suntuarie*, Exhibition catalogue, Palermo, 1995.  \nCott, P. B.*, Siculo- Arabic Ivories,* Princeton, 1939.  \nDi Marzo, G., *Note Illustrative degli Antichi Cofanetti della Real Cappella Palatina di Palermo*, Palermo, s.d.  \nFerrandis, J., *Marfiles Arabes de Occidente*, Vol. II, Madrid, 1935–40.  \nGabrieli, F. and Scerrato U.*, Gli Arabi in Italia*, Milan, 1979.  \nPinder Wilson, R. H. and Brooke, C. N. L., “The Reliquary of St. Petroc and the Ivories of Norman Sicily”, *Arcaeologia*, 1973, p.104.","workshop":"Islamicised workers from Sicily or southern Italy.","linkcatalogs":"IAM_IT_EN_001","author":"Maria Ilaria Randazzo","copy_editor":"Pier Paolo Racioppi","translator":"Laurence Nunny","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["Chest","Siculo-Norman art"],"materials":["Carved ivory on a wooden framework","gilded bronze."]},"920e1526-6e4c-5336-8f89-0cc695c54cff":{"name":"Ker Porter’s box","description":"In 1814 Ker Porter, British artist and travelller, visited Rich. Together they explored famous sites in Iraq. He mistook the ruins at Aqar Quf for the Tower of Babel. The box contains fragments of a Babylonian mudbrick and bitumen, matching the Biblical description of the Tower.","type":"Box","holder":"The British Museum","dates":"c. 1800","location":"London","provenance":"?"},"92830f7a-b5c3-5e7e-9a7f-a0686de50300":{"name":"*Peškun*","description":"This *Peškun* (Tr. *peşkun*) has a base of ten vertical sides that carry a protruding decagonal plate at the top. The sides are also divided horizontally into three zones, the highest of which has a central flower motif, the middle a honeycomb-like openwork ellipse, and the lowest an opening in the form of a pointed five-leafed arch, below which is a flower with leaves and a rounded three-leafed arch. On the upper panel, there is a star-shaped field with a flower in the center of it, while other floral motifs are in the spaces between the decagon and the arms of the star. All floral and geometric ornaments are made of mother-of-pearl and brass wire using the incrustation technique, while the edge of the decagonal top plate is ornamented with bone.  \n*Peškun* is the name of a traditional piece of Ottoman furniture in the shape of a table or stool. It was originally meant for sitting, although it had different purposes throughout history, especially as a decorative table in Balkan oriental interiors of the 19th and of the first half of the 20th century. Over time, the larger table (in the set of usually three pieces) began to be used as a coffee table, while the smaller ones were used as stools. *Peškun* were ordinarily made of walnut wood, ornamented with incrusted floral and geometric motifs made of mother-of-pearl and bone.","type":"Table","holder":"Museum of Applied Art","dates":"Hegira late 13th–early 14th century / AD late 19th century–early 20th century","location":"Belgrade","dimensions":"Height: 59.5cm, width: 46cm","place_of_production":"Austria-Hungary, possibly Sarajevo","method_for_datation":"By stylistic analysis, material, technique, and analogy with other similar examples.","obtention":"Purchased in 1951.","author":"Ana Samardžić","keywords":["incrustation","Ottoman Balkans","peškun","side table","stool"],"materials":["Bone","brass","incrustation","mother of pearl","Walnut"]},"92eac99d-e9e4-5c28-91d6-bd693774ecfb":{"name":"Pair of *minbar* doors","short_description":"A *minbar* consists of a podium that has doors at its base and is reached by stairs. This pair of doors probably comes from the *minbar* of the mosque of the amir Saif al-Din Qawsun in Cairo. Furnishings in Cairo's mosques, especially during the Mamluk period (1250–1517), were decorated with intricately constructed polygons. This pair of doors exhibits a great variety of patterns, most of which are also found in other media, such as stone carvings, marble mosaics, and stucco window grilles. The accurate cutting required to make these patterned objects is remarkable, as every piece affects the whole.","type":"Woodwork","holder":"The Metropolitan Museum of Art","dates":"Hegira c. 725–31 / AD c. 1325–30","location":"New York","dimensions":"H: 196.2cm, W: 88.9cm, D: 4.4cm; Weight of piece: ca. 80- 120lbs [Object encased in weighted freestanding mount]","provenance":"Cairo, Egypt","obtention":"Edward C. Moore Collection, Bequest of Edward C. Moore, 1891  \nFormer owner: Edward C. Moore, American, New York 1827–1891 New York, New York (until d. 1891; bequeathed to MMA)","bibliography":"Canby, Sheila R., \"The Islamic Galleries at The Met\", *Arts of Asia*, 42 (September/October 2012): 82, ill. fig. 3 (colour).  \nCampbell, Thomas P. (ed), *The Metropolitan Museum of Art. The Metropolitan Museum of Art Guide*, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2012: 134, ill. (colour).  \nClark, Kenneth (ed), *Masterpieces of Fifty Centuries: the Metropolitan Museum of Art*, New York: E. P. Dutton & Co., 1970: 158, no. 127, ill. (b/w).  \nDimand, Maurice S., *A Handbook of Mohammedan Decorative Arts*, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1930: 99–100, ill. fig. 44 (b/w).  \nDimand, Maurice S., *A Handbook of Muhammadan Art*, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1944: 127, ill. fig. 71 (b/w).  \nEkhtiar, Maryam, Canby, Shelia R., Haidar, Navina and Soucek, Priscilla P. (eds), *Masterpieces from the Department of Islamic Art in The Metropolitan Museum of Art*, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2011: 14, 139, 163–64, no. 113, ill. 164 (colour).  \nEttinghausen, Richard, \"Islamic Art\", *Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin*, 33/1 (Spring 1975): 26, ill. 26 (b/w).  \nJenkins-Madina, Marilyn, \"Collecting the \"Orient\" at the Met: Early Tastemakers in America\", *Ars Orientalis*, 30 (2000): 78.  \nde Montebello, Philippe and Howard, Kathleen (ed), *The Metropolitan Museum of Art Guide*, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1992: 318, ill. fig. 18 (colour).","copyright":"The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Edward C. Moore Collection, Bequest of Edward C. Moore, 1891","keywords":["architectural element","Cairo","Door","ebony","Egypt","furnishing","geometric design","geometric patterns","inlaid","inlay","ivory","Mamluk","marquetry","Minbar","Mosque","wood","wood carving"],"materials":["and other woods","carved","ebony","inlaid with carved ivory","Wood (rosewood and mulberry)"]},"95f0e5c9-0936-55b5-ae88-631dafd406d1":{"name":"*Minbar*.","description":"The *minbar*, a raised wooden pulpit used for delivering the weekly oration, or *khutba*, during Friday communal prayers, is one of the earliest types of Islamic liturgical furnishings, introduced in the time of the Prophet himself. When Nur al-Din (d. AH 569 / AD 1174) came to rule Syria and al-Jazira, he commissioned several important *minbars* as part of his propagation of piety and *jihad*. He assigned the execution of these wooden *minbars* to the renowned carpenters of Aleppo.  \nThis *minbar,* now located in the Museum of Hama, was commissioned by Nur al-Din as part of a new mosque he constructed in Hama in AH 558 / AD 1163. It consists of a narrow staircase attached to a raised chair with a covered top. Although it has lost its original stairs and flanking walls, the upper structure is entirely original. The raised chair is square with three arched openings and a back rest. A richly engraved and domed entablature crowns the top. Vegetal and geometric arabesques demonstrate a high level of wood carving. It also contains two historical inscriptions along the friezes on either side of the balustrades. The left inscription, which has been removed and hung above the mosque's entrance, speaks of Holy War and Justice. The right inscription, still *in situ*, emphasises Piety and Humility. The cornice also bears a Qur'anic inscription describing the wonder of God's Creation and the Heavens, while the back of the chair is inscribed with the *Shahada*, or declaration of faith, written in two lines of large *thuluth* script within a cartouche.  \nClearly, the *minbar* re-affirms Nur al-Din's political and religious position, a stance which is reiterated on the inscriptions of the mosque as well. The importance of the *minbar* lies in its symbolism of authority. The inscriptions carved upon it and the speeches delivered from its platform are visible and aural manifestations of the community's leadership and vision. In Nur al-Din's case, historical records show that he was meticulous in organising what was said on his behalf in the many mosques built in his name. The image he projected was one of piety as opposed to magnificence, humility as opposed to wealth, and always dedication to Holy War.  \nNur al-Din's dream of liberating Jerusalem is expressed by a similar but more richly ornamented *minbar* he commissioned for the Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, prior to its reconquest from the Franks by Saladin. Sadly, this *minbar* was destroyed by fire in recent history (1969).","short_description":"Nur al-Din's *minbar* of Hama is an important example of Syrian woodcarving. Nur al-Din is known to have employed the most talented Aleppine carpenters to create a number of *minbars* which he distributed throughout the mosques of Syria in order to preach Holy War when the Crusaders took Jerusalem.","type":"Woodwork, minbar, wood","holder":"Hama Museum","initial_owner":"Nur al-Din Mahmud bin al-Zangi (r. AH 541–69 / AD 1146–74).","dates":"Hegira 558 / AD 1163","location":"Hama","dimensions":"Height (at highest point) 430 cm, length 320 cm, width 85 cm.","method_for_datation":"The inscription on the back of the chair reads “559” (1164).","method_for_provenance":"The pulpit was originally in the Nur al-Din Mosque in Hama which was constructed by Nur al-Din Mahmud bin Zangi in 558 / 1164.","provenance":"Hama, Syria.","obtention":"Although it was originally located in the Nur al-Din Mosque in Hama, the *minbar* is now in the Hama Museum.","bibliography":"Ettinghausen, R., Grabar, O., and Jenkins-Madina, M., *Islamic Art and Architecture 650–1250*, New Haven, 2001.  \nMoaz, A. R., “The Minbar of the Aqsa Mosque, Woodwork in 12th-Century Syria-Palestine”, *Islamic Arts and Crafts*, Istanbul, (in print).  \nTabbaa, Y., \"Monuments with a Message: Propagation of Jihad under Nur al-Din (1146–1174)”, *The Meeting of Two Worlds: Cultural Exchange between East and West during the Period of the Crusades.* (ed. Vladimir P. Goss), Michigan, 1986, pp.223–40; figs. 24, 25.","author":"Waal Hafian","copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["carving","geometric decoration","geometric design","hama","inlay","jihad","Mosque","Mosque interior decoration","Nur al-Din Mahmud bin al-Zangi","wood","zangids"],"materials":["Carved and inlaid wood."]},"9647edd4-27e5-5ed4-a0ce-9b56a5dfc3ea":{"name":"Coffee mortar and pestle","description":"Coffee mortar and pestel from Egypt/Morocco.","type":"Woodwork","holder":"The British Museum","dates":"pre-1890","location":"London","provenance":"Egypt/Morocco"},"96854149-8a79-55f2-9035-739e18d2ab29":{"name":"Door","short_description":"Heavy carvings with remnants of paint accentuate this door which may have graced a mud-brick house to impress guests with rosette, date palm, and frankincense tree patterns symbolizing fertility, life, and wealth. Characteristic of traditional architecture of Oman, Omani doors, frames, and windows would serve as centrepieces to contrast the modest homes, expressing status and hospitality. As symmetry in Islamic art intends to achieve harmony, a mirrored inscription reads, “My success is only by Allah”.  \n  \nSince meticulous carvings also decorate doors in East Africa, Afghanistan, and Punjab, lands connected to Oman by trade routes, mutual influences question the doors’ origin.","type":"Furniture","holder":"FBQ Museum","owner":"Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim Al Thani","dates":"18th century","location":"Shahaniya","dimensions":"Length: 210cm, Width: 107cm","method_for_datation":"The date and origin were established in research-based comparison from an examination of material, calligraphy, engraving and pattern.","method_for_provenance":"The date and origin were established in research-based comparison from an examination of material, calligraphy, engraving and pattern.","provenance":"Oman","obtention":"Purchase","bibliography":"Hegazy, S. M., \"Conservation of Historical Buildings–The Omani–French Museum as a Case Study\", *HBRC Journal*, 11 : 2 (2015): 264-274.  \nMershen, B., \"Settlement Space and Architecture in South Arabian Oases - Ethnoarchaeological Investigations in Recently Abandoned Settlement Quarters in Inner Oman\", *Proceedings of the Seminar for Arabian Studies*, 28 (1998): 201–213.  \nNooter, N. I., \"Zanzibar Doors\", *African Arts*, 17 : 4 (1984): 34–96.","author":"Sarah Schroeder","copy_editor":"Valerie Pulsifer","keywords":["Door","Door Frames","Oman","Zanzibar"],"materials":["carving","Wood"]},"96df24b2-d14d-504f-84ae-d796597c98a1":{"name":"Travel case","description":"Travelling became a great cultural and social phenomenon with Romanticism. The “Grand Tour” through the countries of the known world, and particularly around the Mediterranean, became a means of developing cultural and social skills. Travel became refined and even a simple journey to the countryside required such accessories as this travel case for meals.","type":"Silverware","holder":"Ajuda National Palace","dates":"c. 1860","location":"Lisbon","author":"DGPC"},"97234026-b759-5b5b-ada5-8fc567b89260":{"name":"Four-poster bed","description":"This four-poster bed was made for a Muslim market in a pseudo-baroque style and shows evidence of European influences. The metalworkers who made this kind of furniture worked with both copper and iron, and were organised in their own guild, with their workshops located in the lower kasbah.","type":"Golden ironwork; furniture","holder":"Musée Public National des Arts et Traditions Populaires","dates":"19th century","location":"Algiers","translator":"Flaminia Baldwin"},"9a94a586-933d-570f-bdba-4376c9fd1357":{"name":"Chests of drawers","description":"Chests of drawers emerged in the early 18th century and displaced chests as storage furniture. Baroque examples were decorated with lavish inlays of differently coloured types of wood. Typical of the French influence are the curved form, the lavish partially gilt brass mountings, and the marble top panel. The art workshop of the Funk brothers in Berne was the most important production site for luxury furniture in the 18th century. The style of the workshop was so unique that the name Funk-Möbel (Funk furniture) became a byword for form and quality.","type":"Chest of drawers","holder":"Swiss National Museum","owner":"Swiss Confederation","dates":"around 1740","location":"Zurich","dimensions":"H: 87cm, W: 137cm, D: 70cm","method_for_datation":"Stylistic analysis","provenance":"Berne, Switzerland","obtention":"Donated in 1978","workshop":"Funk Brothers, Berne","keywords":["Berne","Chest of drawers","Funk","furniture","Switzerland"],"materials":["Coniferous wood (core)","Walnut and exotic wood (veneer)"]},"9a9b3c8a-31db-54d0-9f13-3dde2fa2ed32":{"name":"Water canteen","description":"An artefact originating from the Aegean region of the Ottoman Empire, reflecting the local craftsmanship style of the period.","type":"Canteen","holder":"İstanbul Su Müzesi / Istanbul Water Museum","dates":"Hegira late 13th century / AD late 19th century","location":"Istanbul","dimensions":"Height: 17cm, diameter: 14.5cm","place_of_production":"Aegean","method_for_datation":"Determined by the experts of the Istanbul Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts.","method_for_provenance":"It was determined by the experts of the Istanbul Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts.","obtention":"Purchased.","author":"Ercan Topçu","copy_editor":"Alvaro Miranda","materials":["Wood"]},"9b34f332-f8dc-57eb-8c05-7765d9622dbd":{"name":"Coffee Cooler","description":"This carved wooden coffee cooler is mostly circular and has short zigzagging linear patterns on top. The date AH 1303 (AD 1885) is visible on a side.","type":"Woodwork","holder":"Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts","dates":"13th-14th century/AD 19th century","location":"Istanbul","dimensions":"23cm x 15cm","materials":["Wood"]},"9beb3626-1910-5e59-a90a-ae27e1cb3c8d":{"name":"Door wings and a knocker.","description":"Both of the wooden wings belonging to the door of the Ulu Cami (Great Mosque) in Cizre were clad in sheets of bronze and then decorated with brass strips and plates attached with iron nails. The border band has a decoration of quatrefoils fitted using round-headed nails. Each wing has three medallions, each with a 12-pointed star in the centre. The areas in between are filled with half-medallions that make up two half- and two full-medallions along the join when the wings are shut. The spaces in between the medallions and the geometric motifs are filled with metal plates decorated with arabesque-palmette motifs in openwork. Traces of pigment suggest that the background of these motifs was originally painted in red and blue to make them stand out more boldly. The half- and quarter-medallions along the outer edges of the door wings imply that the composition extends to infinity. Near the centre of the door wings are two loops for mounting the knockers, one of which is now on display in Copenhagen. The cast bronze knocker still on the door is formed of two symmetrical dragons that are engraved and which join at the centre with a lion's head. The dragons, have pointed ears, almond eyes and wings; their scaly bodies loop around in a spiral to form knots, and their tails join and end in eagle's heads.  \n  \nOn the upper portion of the door wings is an inscription frieze with cast bronze letters. As some letters are missing, the inscription cannot be read in full. The legible part reads: 'May Allah give power to Abul Kasım Mahmud Sanjar Shah, our lord'. The person mentioned is the atabeg of Cizre, Mahmud Sanjar Shah, who ruled from AH 605–39 / AD 1208–41.","short_description":"Magnificent portals of monumental mosques symbolise the gates of Paradise. The naming of the sultan, geometric decoration symbolising infinity on the door-wings and the dragon and lion motifs on the doorknockers are an expression not only of the divine power of God but also of the power of the sultan.","type":"Woodwork, architectural decoration","holder":"Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts.","initial_owner":"Mahmud Sanjar Shah (AH 605–639 / AD 1208-1241), atabeg of Cizre, from the Artuqid dynasty.","dates":"Beginning hegira 7th century / AD 13th century.","location":"Sultanahmet, Istanbul","dimensions":"Door wings: each, height 300 cm, width 112 cm (224 cm in total); knocker: height 27.5 cm; width 24 cm, depth 3 cm.","method_for_datation":"The patron was the atabeg of Cizre, Mahmud Sanjar Shah, who ruled from 605–639 / 1208–41. It is likely that the knockers were produced together with the wings for the door of the Ulu Cami (Great Mosque) in Cizre, itself built in 550 / 1155.","method_for_provenance":"The door wings and knockers were specially prepared for the door of the Ulu Cami (Great Mosque) in Cizre. Thus, it is highly likely that they were produced in Cizre or in southeastern Anatolia.","provenance":"Southeastern Anatolia, probably Cizre, Turkey.","obtention":"The door wings and knocker were transferred to the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts from the Mardin Museum in 1976.","bibliography":"ölçer, N. *et al*, *Museum of Turkish and Islamic Art*, Istanbul, 2002, pp.95–7.  \n  \nRoxburgh, D. J. (ed), *Turks: A Journey of a Thousand Years, 600–1600*, London, 2005, pp.399–400.","author":"Alev Özay","translator":"Barry Wood","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["figurative decoration","geometric decoration","vegetal decoration"],"materials":["Door wings: wood (walnut and poplar)","knocker: cast and engraved bronze.","metal (bronze and brass)","openwork"]},"9c2ac3c9-ddf9-5578-9e26-fad8ec3a615c":{"name":"Dhow collection","description":"The National Museum of Qatar holds, in its collection, a fleet comprising of 14 dhows. The growing collection includes a variety of traditional dhows, with several models dating to the early 20th century, as well as more recent replicas of traditional vessels. Originating from Oman, Bahrayn, India and Qatar, among other places traditional dhows represented include *jalbut* (small to medium sized), *shuw\\`i* (medium sized, once used for fishing and coastal trade), *sanbuq* (largest type in the Arabian Gulf today) and *baglah* (traditional, deep-sea dhows once used for the long – haul transport of goods.)","type":"Transport","holder":"National Museum of Qatar","dates":"19th century","location":"Doha"},"9c5728c7-7dd7-5974-a086-b81efa8965fa":{"name":"Sunflowers frame","description":"From an inventory of the properties of Vincenzo Bargellini, these pendant frames made in 1750 were originally made for holding mirrors, today they hold pictures. They were shown at an exhibition in Bologna in 1935 on Bolognese eighteenth-century art. At that time the frame was still holding a mirror.  \nNo mention is made of these frames in Vincenzo Bargellini's letters to Venice to commission furniture. Therefore, it is believed they were made in Bologna by local craftsmen following Roman and Venetian models.  \nThe high quality of the work is evident in the rich and naturalistic decoration. The sunflowers are an allusion to a particular destination.  \nA frame similar to this pair is held in the Pinacoteca Nazionale di Bologna; the evolution of this same style can be recognised in the frames made for the pictures by Marcantonio Franceschini exhibited in this same museum, made especially for the paintings in 1710–1711.","short_description":"The extraordinary vivacity of this mirror frame testifies at a very early stage (1699) the great skill and the refined taste of Bolognese baroque carvers, who were looking at Rome and Venice for up to date ideas.  \nThe frame is dated and signed (JACINTO MONTEILTH FECIT1699). Unfortunately, there are no other occurrences of the carver’s name in objects or documents in Bologna. The style of the frame is similar to one in the Pinacoteca Nazionale of Bologna.","type":"Woodwork","holder":"Museo di Arte Industriale e Galleria Davia Bargellini","owner":"Opera Pia Davia Bargellini","initial_owner":"Bargellini family","dates":"1699 (scratched on the frame)","location":"Bologna, Emilia-Romagna","dimensions":"190 x 164 cm","place_of_production":"Bologna","method_for_datation":"The frame is dated and signed (JACINTO MONTEILTH FECIT1699). Unfortunately, there are no other occurrences of the carver’s name in objects of documents in Bologna. The style of the frame is similar to that of one in the Pinacoteca Nazionale of Bologna.","obtention":"This frame together with its pendant is mentioned in the 1750 inventory of Vincenzo Bargellini, at that time it was holding a mirror. It is exhibited in the museum since 1924, after the convention between the Municipality of Bologna and the Opera pia Davia Bargellini (owner of the picture gallery and of some of the family furniture).","bibliography":"Bandera, L. in *Museo Civico d'Arte Industriale e Galleria Davia Bargellini* (ed. R.Grandi ), Bologna, 1987, p. 162.  \nColle, E. in *La cornice italiana dal Rinascimento al Neoclassico* (ed. F. Sabatelli), Milan, 1992, pp. 228-229.  \nTumidei, S. “Intagli a Bologna, intagli per Bologna*”*, *Studi sul Settecento.* II. *Antologia di Belle Arti* :59-62, (2000), pp. 34-51, fig. 37.","workshop":"Bolognese carver (?)","author":"Silvia Battistini","translator":"Antonella Mampieri","translation_copy_editor":"Lisa Kelman","keywords":["Bolognese carver","carving","floral decoration","Frame","furnishing","Monteilth","Pendant","Sunflower","wood","woodwork"],"materials":["carved and gilt","Wood"]},"9cc9092e-917f-5963-aa95-2f593ab99290":{"name":"Wooden beam.","description":"A wooden beam taken from the Dome of the Rock during restoration works of the 1960s. The beam is made from cedarwood, likely to have been imported from Lebanon. It contains an epigraphic inscription written in Fatimid foliated *kufic* script. The inscription is placed inside a rectangular frame that begins and ends with a tapered niche, and which is adorned with decoration carved in relief. It includes the name of the craftsman who made it and participated in the restoration works in the Dome of the Rock during the Fatimid period in the reign of Caliph al-Zahir bi-Amrillah (r. AH 411–27 / AD 1021–36). It is likely that this craftsman undertook the decoration of other artefacts inside the Dome of the Rock. The inscription beginning with the *Basmala*, reads: “In the Name of God, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful. The Work of 'Abd al-Baqi bin al-Hasan bin Ismai'l al-Dimashqi. May God support him”. Despite our lack of knowledge about this craftsman, the fact that his name contains the title “al-Dimashqi” indicates that there was a continual flow of craftsmen from Damascus into Jerusalem during the Fatimid period. Damascus was (and is still) famous for its wood-carving, and Jerusalem was supplied with a steady stream of skilled Damascene craftsmen to work on the construction of the Dome of the Rock at the end of the AH 1st /AD 7th century.  \nThe beam does not contain any other decoration. It has fortuitously preserved its splendour without damage, which confirms the skill of its workmanship in the treatment of the wood before it was mounted at the Dome of the Rock.","short_description":"This beam from the Dome of the Rock was made from cedarwood that was probably imported from Lebanon. The beam bears an inscription in Fatimid foliated *kufic* script within a rectangular frame that begins and ends with a tapered recess. It is decorated and the text is carved in relief. The piece records the carver who made it in the time of Caliph al-Zahir.","type":"Woodwork, beam, wood","holder":"Islamic Museum, al-Aqsa Mosque / al-Haram al-Sharif.","initial_owner":"Dome of the Rock, Jerusalem.","dates":"About hegira 424 / AD 1033.","location":"Jerusalem","dimensions":"Length 183 cm, width 18.5 cm, depth 20 cm.","method_for_datation":"The beam was dated by way of reliable knowledge concerning the areas that underwent restoration in the Dome of the Rock during the Fatimid period. In addition, the Fatimid script used in the epigraphic inscription is a reliable distinguishing mark.","method_for_provenance":"It is not known whether this beam was crafted in Jerusalem or at another site. Usually, however, the piece would be carved and constructed on site. It is likely, therefore, that it was carved in Jerusalem, while the cedarwood was imported from Lebanon. The craftsman was probably from Damascus, as is evident from the inscription.","provenance":"Probably Jerusalem.","obtention":"According to the registers of the Islamic Museum, the piece was transferred from the Dome of the Rock to the Museum in 1960.","bibliography":"Hamilton, R. W., *The Structural History of al-Aqsa Mosque: A Record of Archaeological Cleaning from the Repairs of 1938–42,* London, 1949.","author":"Nazmi Al-Ju'beh","copy_editor":"Majd Musa","translator":"Amal Sachedina (from the Arabic).","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["carving","cedar","kufic script","wood","wooden beam"],"materials":["Carved and finished wood."]},"9e9bdaad-fced-506e-b618-ed3c5b61255c":{"name":"Base for a tray (*sinija*)","description":"The wooden base for the food tray – *sinija* (Tr. sini) – that was once placed on top, consists of three elements joined together in the middle by a turned vertical piece. Each element is in the shape of a letter H with two horizontal parts in the middle and two turned muxrabija-like ornaments in every corner. The elements can be folded as needed. The vertical side of each element is carved with floral and geometric motifs.","type":"Table","holder":"Museum of Applied Art","dates":"Hegira late 13th–early 14th century / AD late 19th–early 20th century","location":"Belgrade","dimensions":"Height: 35cm, width: 33.5cm","place_of_production":"Ottoman Empire","method_for_datation":"By stylistic analysis, material, technique, and analogy with other similar examples.","obtention":"Purchased in 1954.","author":"Ana Samardžić","keywords":["carving","floor dining table","Ottoman Balkans"],"materials":["carving","mother of pearl","turning","Walnut"]},"9ee175ff-6be6-5799-bfa1-a85506cb4cbd":{"name":"Door","short_description":"This Mamluk wooden door with its ivory-inlaid panels presents an outstanding example of Mamluk wood carvings of the first half of the 14th century. The door consists of a pair of folded panels, displaying geometric strap-work composition forming a twelve-pointed star with twelve lobes. The lobes are carved and inlaid with ivory. The door displays two calligraphic panels; one containing Qur’anic verses and the second is an aphorism. It is mounted to a 19th century frame representing an elegant Oriental mount. The frame is decorated with interwoven geometric composition and displays one epigraphic panel of knotted calligraphic composition within cartouche.","type":"Wood","holder":"Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia","dates":"c. Hegira 800-1300 / c. AD 1400-1900","location":"Kuala Lumpur","dimensions":"304.7 x 141.8 x 10.5cm (entire panel); 206.9 x 46.5 x 6.5cm (left door); 206.8 x 45.5 x 7cm (right door)","method_for_provenance":"\\- Ex-Collection Octave Borelli Bey (1849–1911);  \n  \n\\- Thence by descent.","provenance":"Egypt","bibliography":"Burgoyne, M.H., *Some Mameluke Doorways in the Old City of Jerusalem*, Jerusalem: Jerusalem British School of Archaeology, 1971.","materials":["carving","door lock","ebony","hinges","inlaying","ivory","jointing","metal","Wood"]},"9f83d7a3-3fef-5717-a3ed-b729ae98a77b":{"name":"Ship’s commode/oratory","alternate_name":"Cómoda Papeleira Oratório para navio","description":"Oratories commonly belonged within a domestic context but an oratory desk was used either as a portable piece of furniture for religious purposes or as a cabinet-on-a-stand for reading. This particular oratory was used on board a ship and is the result of a cumulative commercial exchange among merchants who travelled via existing Portuguese trade routes to overseas colonies and ports or to north or north-western Europe. This is why it is probable that the ship's commode would have been influenced by several artistic styles: from Coromandel (the south-eastern coast of the Indian Peninsula), Chinese folding screens (*Henan*), or English Japanned furniture.  \nDesigned by Gaspar Ferreira and Manuel Silva, the commode was built to enable sailors and passengers to practice their religious routines on board ship. Probably commissioned by King D. João V, it is composed of two parts: the inferior part consists of three drawers and a desk with an oblique lid; while the superior section is shaped like a cupboard with a gabled segmental arch topped by the royal coat of arms.  \nCarved and sculpted urns with flares decorate the top edges. Painted in bright red lacquer it has black decorative tablets and gilded iconographic motifs or *chinoiseries* – Chinese scenes. Both the design and ornamentation are characteristic of the so-called D. João V style. On the inside of the cupboard is an oratory with the following figures: St. Anthony of Lisbon on the right and St. Barbara on the left flanking Christ Crucified. The inside of the doors are painted with scenes of the Passion of Christ (Christ with the Cross; Lord of Cana Verde on the right; Christ tied to the Column and the Resurrection of Christ on the left).","short_description":"A large commode/oratory with a cupboard, for use on board ship. The black decorative tablets are decorated with vegetal elements, while Chinese scenery – known as *chinoiserie* – decorates the larger panels.","type":"Ship’s Furniture; religious furniture","holder":"Vista Alegre Historic Museum","owner":"Pinto Basto Family","initial_owner":"Pinto Basto Family","dates":"Second quarter of the 18th century","location":"Vista Alegre, Ílhavo, Aveiro","dimensions":"H: 268 cm; w: 72 cm; width: 44 cm","method_for_datation":"Stylistic analysis","provenance":"Vista Alegre Palace (Vista Alegre – Ílhavo)","obtention":"Deposited at the museum by the Pinto Basto Family, founder of the Vista Alegre factory in the 19th century","bibliography":"Sandão, A., *O Móvel pintado em Portugal*: Porto ,1973, pp. 117–119, figs. 62–63.  \nTeixeira, J. M., “Papeleira com alçado – oratório”, in *O Triunfo do Barroco*, *Europália*, 1991, pp. 175–177, figs. I–33.","workshop":"Chinoiserie","author":"Paulo Pereira","translator":"Lili Cavalheiro","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["chinoiserie","furnishing","japanned furniture","painted furniture"],"materials":["Lacquered and gilded oak"]},"a0b96346-7a9b-5721-87b4-3f39df5fb307":{"name":"Chest with sliding door","short_description":"This object belongs to a typology characterized by a rectangular case composed of several panels, some of which are sliding. Four corner posts resembling pillars, which also act as support feet topped with pinnacles, hold the structure together. The decorative relief is only present on the front panel and is composed of vegetable (palmettes, leafed spirals) and geometric (lozenges) designs. The front panel is topped with a series of carved blind arches.  \nThe chest is part of the collection of decorative wood from the Swat area in Pakistan, dating from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The collection is comprised of furniture (chairs and chests) and architectural elements (capitals and pillars).","type":"Chest","holder":"Museum of Civilisations/ Museum of Oriental Art","dates":"Hegira 13th-14th century / AD 19th -20th century","location":"Rome","dimensions":"Height: 73cm, Length: 78cm","method_for_datation":"Stylistic-formal analysis","provenance":"Pakistan","obtention":"Acquisition from the antique market","bibliography":"Manna, G., \"Legni\" in P. Torre, G. Di Flumeri Vatielli and M. Jung (eds), *Arte dell'Islam, catalogue Museo Nazionale d'Arte Orientale*, Rome: Artemide, 2010: 63-64, fig. 62  \nScerrato, I.E., *Wood Art from the Swat Valley, The Ethnographic activity of the ISIAO Italian Archaeological Mission in Pakistan*, Rome: Accademia naz. dei lincei, 2009: 113-116.","author":"Francesca M. Anzelmo","copy_editor":"Liz Cooper","materials":["Wood"]},"a16a6766-7c75-5cbd-9606-e910423fd3b2":{"name":"Spandrel.","description":"This spandrel fragment, curved on the bottom right-hand side, is framed on the top by a ribbon of small and four-leaf rosettes and the fillet in the form of a thick strip sculpted in relief, and in the bottom right by an arch segment strip.  \nIts surface is decorated with compact floral decoration distributed over two areas in low relief. The lower area consists of floral motifs attached to interlaced foliage: smooth, simple or double palms with round lobes and three-leaf fleurons reminiscent of *fleurs-de-lys*. The upper part is filled with floral arcatures made up of palms, one of which, doubled, contains pseudo-*kufic* characters tracing the mirror image of a eulogy, *al-Mulk* (power of God) and ends in a pointed summit that crowns a fleuron and encroaches on the rosette ribbon. The other, which contains a floral composition, is topped with a crown. This spandrel fragment, originally from a Sa'did building in Fez, was part of the wooden facing of a peristyle arch.","short_description":"This spandrel fragment was part of the wooden panelling on a gallery arch. It is decorated with compact floral sculptures and floral arcatures containing pseudo-*kufic* characters presenting a mirror image of the word '*al-Mulk*' (power of God).","type":"Woodwork, spandrel, wood","holder":"Batha Museum.","dates":"Hegira 10th-11th centuries / AD 16th-17th centuries.","location":"Fez.","dimensions":"Height 47.5 cm, length 64.5 cm, thickness 4.6 cm.","method_for_datation":"From stylistic analysis. The inventory register states that it belonged to a building from the Sa'did era, and this is confirmed by the choice of particular floral motifs and their composition, as well as the technique for carving in low relief.","method_for_provenance":"Salvaged *in situ*.","provenance":"A house in Fez.","obtention":"Salvaged by the Historical Monuments Department and deposited with the museum in 1930.","bibliography":"Cambazard-Amahan, C., *Le décor sur bois dans l'architecture de Fès*, Paris, 1989.  \nMarçais, G., *L'architecture musulmane d'Occident*, Paris, 1954.  \nTerrasse, H. et Hainaut, J., *Les arts décoratifs au Maroc*, Paris, 1925.","author":"Naima El Khatib-Boujibar","copy_editor":"Margot Cortez","translator":"Laurence Nunny","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["floral decoration","pseudo-inscription","vegetal decoration"],"materials":["Carved cedarwood."]},"a248d8b4-e492-5f6d-bdb7-ab94d668d922":{"name":"Aleppo Room.","description":"A prosperous broker and a Christian citizen of the town of Aleppo commissioned the painted panels of the walls of the entrance room in his house at the beginning of the 17th century. The paintings within the Aleppo room thus make up the oldest collection from a Syrian dwelling house from the Ottoman period. The Christian patron engaged craftsmen from the best workshops of the time in his desire for the entrance room, into which his guests would first arrive, to be painted in a variety of themes. These themes were based on contemporary Islamic book illustration, consisting of floral and geometric compositions, rendered in the best traditional Ottoman style. Christian themes from the Old and New Testaments, and the depiction of Mary with Child, sit alongside courtly scenes like those portrayed in Persian book illustration. The selection of encircling Psalms, Arabic proverbs and Persian principles further add to the impression of a peaceful community of different religious beliefs living together.  \nThe central panels are found in the back part of the main niche, to the left and right of a wall cupboard. Courtly themes are repeated on the left-side panel, including a ruler sitting on a throne, a hunt and a hunting party with a prince holding a falcon. In contrast, Christian themes are portrayed on the right-side panel, and include the Last Supper, Salome’s dance in front of King Herod and the sacrifice of Isaac. Other panels around the room have individual depictions from either courtly or Christian subject matters, such as the love story of Leila and Majnun of Nizami (1141–1202) from the Haft Paykar, or the Virgin Mary and Child or Saint George. Real and imaginary animals are depicted alongside. It is the variety of the themes of these paintings that make these earliest surviving wall panels such a comprehensive collection, a variety that could perhaps only have arisen in the Syrian trading town Aleppo.  \nThe name Halab Shah ibn Isa, one of the craftsmen, appears on the cornice.  \n  \nClick [here](https://youtu.be/4toX47mtAIE) to **watch a video presentation** of this artefact.","short_description":"The painted wooden panels belong to the audience room in a house of a Christian merchant in Aleppo, Syria, which is the only surviving example of a painted and dated room from the 17th century. Its ornamental and figural repertoire includes Christian themes as well as Arabic verses.","type":"Woodwork, painting, architectural decoration","holder":"Museum of Islamic Art at the Pergamon Museum","initial_owner":"Isa ibn Butrus (Jesus, son of Peter).","dates":"Hegira 1009 or 1012 / AD 1600–01 or 1603.","location":"Berlin","dimensions":"Height 260 cm, total length 35 metres.","method_for_datation":"Two dates are inscribed in different places in the Aleppo Room: 1009 (1600–01) and 1012 (1603).","method_for_provenance":"The Aleppo Room was obtained in 1912 by Friedrich Sarre in Aleppo. The deeds certify that the room was originally in House Wakil in Aleppo, where it was also photographed *in situ* prior to 1912.","provenance":"Aleppo, Syria.","obtention":"Acquired in Aleppo by Friedrich Sarre for the Museum of Islamic Art in 1912.","bibliography":"Duda, D., *Innenarchitektur Syrischer Stadthäuser des 16. bis 18. Jahrhunderts: Die Sammlung Henri Pharaon in Beiru*t, Beiruter Texte und Studien, 12, Wiesbaden, 1971.  \nGangler, A., *Ein Traditionelles Wohnviertel im Nordosten der Altstadt von Aleppo in Nordsyrien*, Tübingen, 1993.  \nGonella, J., *Ein Christlich-Orientalisches Wohnhaus des 17. Jahrhunderts aus Aleppo (Syrien)*,Mainz, 1996.  \nOtt, C., “Die Inschriften des Aleppozimmers im Berliner Pergamonmuseum”, *Le Muséon* 109(1–2), 1996, pp.185–226.  \nSarre, F., “Bemalte Wandverkleidung aus Aleppo”, *Berliner Museen, Berichte aus den Preußischen Kunstsammlungen* 41(4), 1919–20, pp.143–58.","linkcatalogs":"IAM_TR_EN_001","author":"Annette Hagedorn","translator":"Maria Vlotides","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["Ajami","Ajami room","Aleppo room","architectural decoration","ceiling","Damascus room","interior ornament","late Ottoman","painted wooden wall paneling","Syria","Syrian craft","wood","wood paneling"],"materials":["multi-layered painting using a variety of pigments and metal coatings.","Wood"]},"a25c5878-db0c-5a19-af52-c86b77db879b":{"name":"Pencase","short_description":"Like Muhammad Baqir (active Hegira 1160s-1204 / 1750s-1790), Muhammad Sadiq is one of the best-known Persian artists of the 18th century. He was also a pupil of Muhammad ʿAli Ashraf (active Hegira ca. 1134-1190 / AD ca. 1722-1777). The pen box is signed with his typical formula “*ya sadiq al-vaʿd*” that alludes to the painter’s namesake, the sixth Shiʿi Imam Jaʿfar al-Sadiq.  \n  \nThe lid and side wall of the pencase are painted with four figurative scenes starring three young women led by what appears to be a kind of princess. It is likely that the scenes tell a single story. It is not clear, however, whether they illustrate a literary work or whether they bear a philosophical meaning. It seems at least that the young women are on a kind of spiritual journey, leading from worldly pleasures to mystical fulfilment.  \n  \nSimilar to Muhammad Baqir, Muhammad Sadiq quotes here from works by Muhammad Zaman (active Hegira ca. 1072-1105 / AD ca. 1662-1694) and ʿAliquli Jabadar (active Hegira 1059-1086 / AD 1649-1675) as well as Zaman’s brother Haji Muhammad (active Hegira 1084-1124 / AD 1673-1712).","type":"Pencase","holder":"Museum Rietberg","initial_owner":"1990s-2019: Masoud Etemadi, UK; 2019","dates":"Hegira 1195 / AD 1781/82","location":"Zurich","dimensions":"Length: 23.7cm, Width: 3.7cm, Height: 3.5cm","method_for_datation":"The artist signed and dated his work.","method_for_provenance":"Information of previous owner was provided by Sotheby's where the object was bought in 2019.","provenance":"Iran","obtention":"Acquisition","bibliography":"Ivanov, Anatoly, “The Compiling and Decoration of the Album”, in Francesca von Habsburg and Elena Kostioukovitch (eds), *The St. Petersburg Muraqqaʿ: Album of Indian and Persian Miniatures from the 16th through the 18th Century and Specimens of Persian Calligraphy by ʿImad al-Hasani*, Lugano/Milan: ARCH Foundation and Leonardo Arte, 1996: 19-32.","author":"Axel Langer","copy_editor":"Jonathan Turnbull","materials":["lacquer","Opaque watercolour","Papier maché"]},"a3a7e6de-6cff-51a1-9392-ab310f7efdc7":{"name":"Decorated front panel of the viewing deck at the top of the driver's cab","short_description":"Just like the Billboard painting performed in Pakistan, the advent of photography and the massproduced picture – together with the availability of oil-based paints – assisted in the development of a popular art form in the second half of the twentieth century, the brightly painted large overland lorries of Afghanistan and Pakistan. The truck bodies were painted with calligraphy of poetic or religious verses, floral patterns, gardens of paradise, alpine landscapes, holy sites, and images of human heroes, trains, planes and rockets by street artists at truck stands all across northwest Pakistan.","type":"Transport; painting","holder":"Weltmuseum Wien","dates":"1990s","location":"Vienna","dimensions":"H: 100cm, L: 200cm, Depth: 18cm","method_for_datation":"Entry in the TMS digital collection database and archival documents.","method_for_provenance":"Entry in the general inventory book.","provenance":"Pakistan","obtention":"Purchased from Dr. Fritz Trupp, Attnang-Puchheim, 1994.","bibliography":"Steinmann, Axel, *Afghanistan, exhibition catalogue*, Vienna: Museum für Völkerkunde, 2003: 125.","materials":["Iron","plastic","Wood"]},"a6c524e9-ce3d-5461-9dd8-c2fb3bba06a7":{"name":"Pair of wooden doors","short_description":"The pair of doors bears a symmetrical geometric design with small star-shaped or polygonal plaques, each decorated with an arabesque. Two panels which carry Arabic inscriptions determine a Christian provenance from a church of Cairo as they are excerpts from the Bible (Luke 2:14 and Psalm 44:10). An analogous example is the doors of the *minbar* in the mosque al-Salih Tala’i‘ dated 1299 (AH 699).","type":"Woodwork, doors, wood","holder":"Benaki Museum","dates":"Hegira 8th century / AD 14th century","location":"Athens","dimensions":"Height 197 cm","provenance":"Egypt","keywords":["arabesque","Doors","wood"],"materials":["ivory","Wood"]},"a79cc9aa-7960-55a5-829e-04be3601f000":{"name":"Dowry Chest","short_description":"This chest adorned with sumptuous bronze-alloy decorations would accommodate the dowry presented to the Muslim bride and her family. Manufactured in India from structural timber like rosewood or teak, trunks such as these would be imported to countries where timber was scarce, like Iran and those in the Arabian Peninsula.  \n  \nRaised off the ground to prevent humidity from accumulating, the box features additional drawers and incised floral designs with the breadfruit motif on the lid. Elements of the Shirazi style from Iran and the Indian Surat and Malabar styles interplay in this chest.  \n  \nAkin to marriage chests in Italy known as '*cassoni*', these pieces of furniture would be considered a gifted heirloom. Dowry items tucked into these chests would include components of the bridal outfit, jewellery, precious metals, scents and luxurious items.  \n  \nToday, a limited number of the Indian boxes remain as a result of the declining dowry tradition in the 19th century along with the middle class migrating to smaller homes in urban centres rendering the large chests unfashionable. The export on dhows, however, has ensured an additional use as travel trunks for these objects in Oman, Yemen and Bahrain.","type":"Furniture","holder":"FBQ Museum","owner":"Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim Al Thani","dates":"18th century","location":"Shahaniya","dimensions":"Length: 110cm, Width: 51cm, Height: 48cm","method_for_datation":"The date and origin were established in research-based comparison from an examination of material, engraving and pattern.","method_for_provenance":"The date and origin were established in research-based comparison from an examination of material, engraving and pattern.","provenance":"India","obtention":"Purchase","bibliography":"Ojha, P. N., \"EARLY MARRIAGE, DOWRY AND DIVORCE IN NORTHERN INDIA UNDER THE GREAT MUGHULS (1556-1707)\", *Proceedings of the Indian History Congress*, 19 (1956): 263–271.  \nUnwin, S., \"Dhow trade chests\", *Kenya Past and Present*, 19: 1 (1987): 34-43.  \nUnwin, S., \"THE ORIGINS AND CATEGORIES OF “ARAB” CHESTS: with particular reference to Oman\", *Proceedings of the Seminar for Arabian Studies*, 18 (1988): 155–161.  \nWaheed, A., \"Dowry among Indian Muslims: Ideals and Practices\", *Indian Journal of Gender Studies*, 16: 1 (2009): 47–75.","author":"Sarah Schroeder","copy_editor":"Janice Medina","keywords":["Arabian Peninsula","Dowry chest","India","Iran","Marriage chest"],"materials":["Bronze","Wood"]},"a89685ed-d6b6-5d4f-ba6b-53f166d90f5d":{"name":"Fragment of lintel (*izar*).","description":"This lintel, which has been slightly damaged on the lower right-hand side, is sculpted with an inscription interrupted by a section in an architectural style filled with vegetal motifs.  \nThe inscription reproduces a Qur'anic text, the beginning of verse 47 of Sura 11 'the Messenger', which suggests that this lintel was originally used in a religious building. The upstrokes of the angular *kufic* characters end in concave bevels. Only the upstrokes of *nun* and *ha* finish with a simple movement, mimicking the elegant appearance of a swan's neck. The low letters, such as *dal* and *waw*, are crowned with decorative motifs formed of joined concave and bevelled upstrokes. All of the letters sculpted in the round are surrounded by a raised line that amplifies their edges.  \nThe vegetal background behind the script seems to play a secondary role to the letters themselves. The movement of the stem, the number of floral motifs and their silhouettes are all made to fit the height, spacing and shape of the up strokes. This large and sober decoration, sculpted in champlevé, uses the thick stem and single palm in all of their forms: curved at the base into a ring, with triangular calyxes, and fanned. Smooth symmetrical palms with lower lobes with pointed edges, similar to fleurons, are also used. The outer edges of all of the lobes of these different types of flowers are decorated with small festoons that appear to be a simplification of the digits of acanthus leaves.  \nThe sobriety and elegance of the *kufic* characters and the rigour and simplification of the vegetal forms used in the decoration of this lintel are characteristic of Almohad aesthetics, to which this piece appears to be linked.","short_description":"The sobriety and elegance of the *kufic* characters used in the Qur'anic inscription, and the rigour and stylisation of the plant forms that decorate this lintel, originally from a religious building, are characteristic of Almohad aesthetics.","type":"Woodwork, lintel, izar, wood","holder":"Batha Museum.","dates":"Hegira second half of the 6th century / AD second half of the 12th century.","location":"Fez.","dimensions":"Height 16 cm, length 106.5 cm, depth 7.5 cm.","method_for_datation":"The elegance of the calligraphy characters and the understated plant decoration belong to an artistic style identifiable on dated Almohad monuments.","method_for_provenance":"Salvaged in Fez.","provenance":"Fez.","obtention":"Salvaged.","bibliography":"Cambazard-Amahan, C., *Le décor sur bois dans l'architecture de Fès*, Paris, 1989.  \nMarçais, G., *L'architecture musulmane d'Occident*, Paris, 1959.  \nTerrasse, H., *L'art hispano-mauresque des origines au XIIIe siècle*, Paris, 1932","linkcatalogs":"IAM_MA_EN_001","author":"Naima El Khatib-Boujibar","copy_editor":"Margot Cortez","translator":"Laurence Nunny","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["architectural element","epigraphic decoration","floral decoration","Religion","vegetal decoration"],"materials":["Carved cedarwood."]},"a960600c-6d33-5a1f-b1b5-49c72e60ea00":{"name":"Ground loom","description":"Ground loom used for weaving strips for tent walls.","type":"Ground loom","holder":"Department of Antiquities","owner":"Department of Antiquities","dates":"Early 20th century","location":"Amman","dimensions":"L: 1.5m, W: 2m","method_for_datation":"Early 20th century treadle loom weavers from Syria and Palestine settled in Jordan. They produced rugs, saddle bags and more.","provenance":"Amman","obtention":"Purchased","bibliography":"Rashid, Abdallah, *Traditional life in Amman from 1878-1948*, Amman: Ministry of Culture and Youth, 1983.","author":"Samia Khouri","copy_editor":"Lisa Kelman","materials":["Wood"]},"a96d4c0a-5e74-5015-a893-8254aa4f6dbd":{"name":"Quranic school","description":"Pictured here is a school using traditional teaching methods - a Quranic school or a *kouttab*. The students are seated in a circle on mats on the floor of a sparsely decorated room around their teacher, the *moueddeb*. In the 19th century and early 20th centuries, the Quranic schools were a fundamental part of traditional education, where students would learn the Quran, Islamic thought and the basic rules of the Arabic language.","type":"Photograph","holder":"Musée de l’Education","dates":"20th century","location":"Tunis","author":"Saloua Zangar","translator":"Flaminia Baldwin"},"aa67ee01-78e4-5518-9d67-9f76947805b3":{"name":"al-Bab as-Saghir (*ad-Dirwazah*)","short_description":"The precise origins of this gate are unknown. However, it appears on De Resende’s drawing of Muscat in a Portuguese manuscript by António Bocarro entitled *Livro do Estado da India Oriental* (Hegira 1041–42 / AD1632). Literally meaning “the Small Gate”, it provided entry from the south and led directly into *Suq Muscat* (or market area) and featured a walkway over the moat. It is assumed that this gate was originally the main entrance into town before the expansion of Bab at-Tuyan – later renamed *al-Bab al-Kabir* – in Hegira 14th century / AD 20th century. This is attested by the *Plan of the Port of Muscat* by Louis-François-Grégoire de Lafitte de Brassier, a French lieutenant engineer and geographer, dated Hegira 1191–92 / AD 1778.","holder":"National Museum Oman","dates":"Hegira 13th century / AD 19th century","location":"Muscat","dimensions":"Height: 322cm, Length 120cm","copy_editor":"Liz Cooper","materials":["Teakwood and iron"]},"abcd7fbc-8fff-531e-a64f-faee1e92d4c7":{"name":"Wooden panel.","description":"A wooden panel decorated in high relief. Its decoration is composed of two thick branches that stem from a vase, one of which climbs towards the left and then bends towards the right, looping itself in a circular fashion downwards and terminating in a five-lobed vine leaf. Other stems spring from this branch, some of which culminate in leaves or grape-clusters. The second branch climbs towards the right and then deviates towards the left until it meets the first branch, forming a circle that tapers-off at the bottom. Stems and leaves emanate from this branch, one of which ends with a leaf and a grape-cluster. This wooden panel displays a number of characteristics of the Hellenic style, best seen in the compositional attention to nature and in the variation of the decorative levels and elements; the same characteristics, in fact, that distinguish the decoration of the Umayyad period. This piece recalls the mosaics at the Dome of the Rock and the decorations of the Umayyad desert palace, Qasr al-Mushatta.","short_description":"When the Arabs conquered Egypt and settled there, they did not introduce any new methods in woodworking and decoration, but rather continued in the Hellenistic style prevalent at the time.","type":"Woodwork, panel, wood","holder":"Museum of Islamic Art","dates":"Hegira 1st–2nd century / AD 7th–8th century.","location":"Cairo","dimensions":"Length 41.5 cm; width 21.5 cm.","method_for_datation":"Dating is based on the panel's decorative components and the style of relief work used in crafting which resemble the Umayyad decoration in the Qasr al-Mushatta and in the Dome of the Rock.","obtention":"This piece was bought in 1945 from the antiquities dealer, Fouquet.","bibliography":"Grabar, O., and Ettinghausen, R., *The Art and Architecture of Islam 650–1250,* New Haven and London, 1987.  \nHassan, Z. M., *Atlas al-Funun al-Zukrufiya wa al-Tasawir al-Islamiya \\[Atlas of Islamic Decorative Arts and Painting\\],* Beirut, 1980.  \nKhadr, M. Y., *Tarikh al-funun al-Islamiya \\[History of Islamic arts\\],* Abu Dhabi, 2003.  \nMustafa, M., *Dalil Mathaf al-fan al-Islami \\[Guide to the Islamic Art Museum\\],* Cairo, 1978.","linkcatalogs":"IAM_JO_EN_001","author":"Salah Sayour","copy_editor":"Majd Musa","translator":"Amal Sachedina (from the Arabic).","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["grape design","high relief","panel","vegetal decoration.","wood"],"materials":["Wood decorated in high relief."]},"ad6cb6f4-0daa-5f6d-bd45-c944f6041f69":{"name":"Panel with horse heads","short_description":"This panel, probably from a wooden door, is deeply carved with two symmetrical horse heads in relief. Beaded bands and bridles amid the arabesque design attest to careful attention to detail on the part of the craftsman. The piece was carved to different depths in order to produce a *chiaroscuro* effect, a technique mastered by Fatimid woodworkers. A companion piece, almost certainly from the same door, is in the Museum of Islamic Art, Cairo.","type":"Woodwork","holder":"The Metropolitan Museum of Art","dates":"Hegira late 4th–5th century / AD 11th century","location":"New York","dimensions":"H: 34.9cm, W: 22.7cm, D: 1.7cm;  Object with mount: L: 35.9cm, W: 23.2cm, D: 4.1cm","provenance":"Egypt","obtention":"Rogers Fund, 1911  \nVendor: Lucy Olcott Perkins, Florence  \nFormer owner \\[dealer\\]: \\[Lucy Olcott Perkins, Florence, until 1911; sold to MMA\\]","bibliography":"Aanavi, Don, \"Western Islamic Art\", *Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin*, 27/3 (November 1968): 197-203, ill. 198 (b/w).  \nAlexander, David, *Furusiyya: Catalogue. Vol. 2*, Riyadh: King Abdulaziz Public Library, 1996: 211, no. 176, ill. 211 (colour).  \nBarrucand, Marianne, *Trésors Fatimides du Caire. Exposition Présentée à l'Institut du Monde Arabe du 28 Avril au 30 Aout 1998*, Paris: Institut du Monde Arabe, 1998: no. 14, 95, ill. (colour).  \nCarboni, Stefano, \"The Arts of the Fatimid Period at the Metropolitan Museum of Art\", *The Ismaili*, (2008): 6, ill. fig. 6 (colour).  \nDimand, Maurice S., *A Handbook of Mohammedan Decorative Arts*, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1930: 88–89, ill. fig. 39 (b/w).  \nDimand, Maurice S., *A Handbook of Muhammadan Art*, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1944: 112, ill. fig. 63 (b/w).  \nEkhtiar, Maryam, Canby, Sheila R., Haidar, Navina and Soucek, Priscilla P. (eds), *Masterpieces from the Department of Islamic Art in The Metropolitan Museum of Art*, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2011: 136, 163, no. 112, ill. 163 (colour).  \nEttinghausen, Richard, \"Almost One Hundred Years Ago\", in Richard Ettinghausen Islamic Art (ed), *Metropolitan Museum of Art*, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1972.  \nEttinghausen, Richard, Grabar, Oleg and Jenkins-Madina, Marilyn, *Islamic Art and Architecture 650–1250*, New Haven/London: Yale University Press, 2001: 201, ill. fig. 314 (colour).  \nFehérvári, Géza and Hamid Safadi, Yasin, *1400 Years of Islamic Art. A Descriptive Catalogue*, London: Khalili Gallery, 1981.  \nO'Kane, Bernard, *The Treasures of Islamic Art in the Museums of Cairo*, Cairo/New York: American University in Cairo Press, 2006: 88.  \nSeipel, Wilfried, *Schatze der Kalifen. Islamische Kunst zur Fatimidenzeit*, Vienna: Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna, 1999: 83, no. 15, ill. 83 (colour).  \nWelch, Stuart Cary, *The Islamic World. Vol. 11*, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1987: 26, ill. fig. 14 (colour).","copyright":"The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Rogers Fund, 1911","keywords":["animal decoration","architectural element","carving","Egypt","Fatimid","Fatimid architecture","high relief","horse","teak"],"materials":["carved","Wood (teak)"]},"ae6c89dd-38fa-5357-b1bd-8536d9d0c3b9":{"name":"Fragment (from a wooden frieze) with an inscription in kufic script.","description":"A fragment of a wooden frieze inscribed with large *kufic* characters. When the NMS acquired this piece it was thought to have come from Tulunid Egypt and it was suggested at the time that the inscription read: ‘*baraka wa yumn wa sa’ada wa ghibt lisahibii’* (‘blessing and good fortune and happiness and joy to its owner’). However on closer inspection, the surviving lettering does not stand up to such a reading, and although the inscription has not yet been re-deciphered, it appears more likely that it originally formed part of a quotation from the Qur’an.","short_description":"The little that survives of Fatimid wood carving is characterised by its intricate high relief technique and the vibrancy of its epigraphic or figurative decoration. Occasionally the final panels, which were meant to grace contemporary interiors, were painted, varnished and treated to be fire retardant.","type":"Woodwork, carved wood","holder":"National Museums of Scotland (NMS).","dates":"Hegira, late 2nd–5th century / late AD 9th–11th century.","location":"Edinburgh, Scotland","dimensions":"Height 12 cm, length 117 cm.","method_for_datation":"At one time this fragment was thought to originate in Tulunid Egypt (3rd–4th / 9th–10th centuries), it is now believed to be a product of the Fatimid period (4th–6th / 10th–12, due to certain stylistic similarities with a wooden panel excavated in Raqqa, Syria.","method_for_provenance":"Although it was assumed at one time that the object was produced in Egypt, a Syrian provenance may now also be feasible, given certain stylistic similarities between this fragment and a panel excavated at Raqqa in Syria dating to the Fatimid period.","provenance":"Possibly Syria or Egypt.","obtention":"Purchased by the NMS from Lisbet Holmes Textiles, London, in 1984.","author":"Ulrike Al-Khamis","copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["epigraphy","kufic script","wood"],"materials":["Carved wood."]},"b3e19f9a-bfd7-5d5a-8b43-22b75e5e93c8":{"name":"Section of a piece of furniture","short_description":"The section was probably part of a *sarir*, a large chair or throne. It bears a benedictory *kufic* inscription: “blessing and good fortune and happiness and felicity to its owner”. The decorative band is carved in the bevelled style, typical of the ninth century, with a symmetrical composition of a central stylized lotus and fan-shaped palmettes. A number of comparable wood sections in museum collections share similar compositions and inscriptions.","type":"Woodwork, furniture, wood","holder":"Benaki Museum","dates":"Hegira 3rd century / AD late 9th century","location":"Athens","dimensions":"97 cm X 50 cm","provenance":"Egypt","keywords":["furnishing","kufic","wood","wood carving"],"materials":["carved and incised","Wood"]},"b55d65e0-7851-5d7f-94f3-89e36361d38d":{"name":"Door wings of al-Hakim bi-Amrillah.","description":"The door from the Congregational Mosque of al-Azhar is made up of two leafs, each of which contains seven rectangular panels, some of which are vertical and others, horizontal. The two top panels are decorated by a two-line inscription in floriated *kufic* script. It should be noted that the position of these two door panels were switched around when they were remounted. In order to read the text in the appropriate way, one must read in reverse order and begin by reading the top line of the panel on the left-hand side and then continue with the top line from the panel on the right-hand side, in the following manner: “Our Lord, the Commander of the Faithful / the Imam, al-Hakim bi-Amrillah / May the Blessings of God be upon him and upon / his ancestors, al-Tahireen, and his descendants”.  \nAl-Hakim bi-Amrillah was the specific title assumed by the Fatimid Caliph, al-Mansur. His agnomen was *Abu Ali* (Father of Ali). The inscription ends with a prayer on behalf of the Fatimid caliph, and is a well-known Fatimid supplication that ascribes the attribute, *al-Tahireen*, to the ancestors of the Fatimid caliphs. This is a term that alludes to those who are considered as being far beyond reproach, stain, or sin and it was an attribute applied to those who belonged to the family of the Prophet Muhammad and those who were related to this family, such as the Fatimid caliphs. The 12 remaining panels are ornamented with carved vegetal motifs in low relief. These decorations clearly reveal the particularities of the early Fatimid style of wood carving, a style of slanted, bevelled engraving, and one which is distinctive of the Tulunid style. It may be observed that the decorative elements assume the form of vegetal stems, marked by their length, and the use of decoration in the form of bi-segmented palm fronds. It should also be noted that the decorative vocabulary includes a new design motif, in the form of a kidney-shaped blossom developed from the winged leaf. Thus the door of al-Hakim sheds light on the development of Islamic woodcarving and assists in the dating of some other wooden objects of the period.","short_description":"An example of the flourishing woodcarving industry in Fatimid Cairo, this door, donated by Caliph al-Hakim bi-Amrillah to al-Azhar Mosque, stands proof of the patronage of Fatimid caliphs of religious institutions and their maintenance and reconstruction.","type":"Woodwork, door wings, wood","holder":"Museum of Islamic Art","dates":"Hegira 386–411 / AD 996–1021.","location":"Cairo","dimensions":"Height 325 cm, width 200 cm.","method_for_datation":"The object was dated by the name of the Caliph al-Hakim bi-Amrillah which appears on it. Furthermore, dating is based on the known interest that al-Hakim took in the building and maintenance of the al-Azhar Congregational Mosque, for he enlarged the mosque by adding two colonnaded arcades (*riwaqs)* in the courtyard. Historians also allude to the *waqf* (endowment) in the name of al-Hakim that dates to 400 / 1009 and the fact that revenues from the endowment are reverted to al-Azhar Mosque to be spent on the salaries of the *Khatib* (orator), *a'imma* (*imams*, prayer leaders), *mu'addiniin* (muezzins), servants, furnishing, other implements and for lighting and lighting accessories.","method_for_provenance":"The inscription on the door alludes specifically to Al-Hakim bi-Amrillah which was the title assumed by the Fatimid Caliph, al-Mansur. It is known that the caliph took an active interest in the building and maintenance of the al-Azhar Congregational Mosque and that the *waqf* in the name of al-Hakim directs revenues from the endowment to al-Azhar Mosque. The door was transferred from the mosque to the Museum of Islamic Art in the early 20th century.","provenance":"Cairo, Egypt.","obtention":"This door was transferred from the Congregational Mosque of al-Azhar and preserved in the Museum of Islamic Art; as one of the museum's first acquisitions in around 1903 it formed the basis of the collection.","bibliography":"Al-Pasha, H., et al, *al-Qāhira, ārikhuha, fūnunuha, Āthāruha \\[Cairo, its History, Arts and Monuments\\],* Cairo, 1970.  \nEttinghausen, R., and Grabar, O., *The Art and Architecture of Islam 650–1250,* New Haven and London, 1987.  \nHassan, Z. M., *Atlas al-Funun al-Zukhrufiya wa al-Tasawir al-Islamiya \\[Atlas of Islamic Decorative Arts and Pictorial Representations\\], Beirut, 1981.*  \n\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_, *Kunuz al-Fatimiyin \\[Treasures of the Fatimids\\],* Cairo, 1937.  \nPauty, E., *Catalogue du *musée arabe* du Caire,* Cairo, 1931.","author":"Salah Sayour","copy_editor":"Majd Musa","translator":"Amal Sachedina (from the Arabic).","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Bevelled style","carving","Door","epigraphic decoration","high relief","kufic script","patronage","vegetal decoration","wood"],"materials":["Carving on wood."]},"b5a220ba-715c-5b3c-87dd-4d32b38cbcb1":{"name":"*Kwar* (Brazier)","description":"*Kwar*; a low, circular wooden brazier that stands on four legs. The *kwar* is filled with sand to protect it from the hot charcoal that is used to roast coffee beans, prepare bread, heat milk, or to add the smell of incense or *oud* to the room.","type":"Brazier","holder":"Bait Shaikh Saeed bin Hamad Al Qasimi Museum","owner":"Sharjah Museums Authority","initial_owner":"Arabian Peninsula","dates":"Hegira mid 14th century/AD mid 20th century","location":"Sharjah, United Arab Emirates","dimensions":"Height: 280mm, diameter: 780mm","method_for_datation":"Stylistic analysis","method_for_provenance":"Stylistic analysis","obtention":"Purchased","catalogue_holding_link":"brazier; kwar","author":"Hazelle Page","copy_editor":"Judy Harter","materials":["Iron","Wood"]},"b69b45bc-18ac-5427-86ca-9f760fc47793":{"name":"Qur'an box","description":"A rectangular Quran box on four feet with inlaid decoration which consist of inscriptions on a background with vegetal scrolls.","type":"Metalwork","holder":"Benaki Museum","dates":"19th century","location":"Athens","author":"Mina Moraitou"},"b8c40522-1727-5d7d-b72d-d30eb8d6a67e":{"name":"Four choir stalls.","description":"Monumental choir stalls from the convent of Santa Clara. The four stalls held by the National Archaeological Museum are part of a set originally made up of 50, with the 46 remaining stalls now at the San Diego Mission in the United States.  \nThe wooden structure and the painted decoration are particularly noteworthy. The construction is made in such a way as to reduce the use of nailed elements to a minimum. The usual range of colours has been used, with a predominance of pinks, dark red, green-black, white and yellow-green applied on a strong base of white primer, producing a visually astounding result.  \nThe architectonic aspect of the work, with its octagonal columns, curved lobed arches and a roof with corbels and *tabicas* (small boards), give it a grandiose character. It is the oldest example of tall choir stalls in Spain having been made around 1353, the same year that María de Padilla, the lover of King Peter I of Castile, founded the monastery, as proclaimed by the shields with rampant lions and fire shovels, Maria de Padilla's emblem.","short_description":"These four stalls give an idea of the original monumentality of the complete set of 50 stalls from the Convent of Santa Clara de Astudillo in Palencia. It has an architectural structure and its parts are simply assembled. The decoration is dominated by brightly coloured plant arabesques.","type":"Woodwork, stall, pine","holder":"National Archaeological Museum.","dates":"1353–7.","location":"Madrid","dimensions":"Height 290 cm, width 285 cm, depth 100 cm.","method_for_datation":"Surviving historical documentation dates it between 1353 and 1357.","method_for_provenance":"The stalls were in their original location until 1932.","provenance":"Convent of Santa Clara de Astudillo, Palencia, Spain.","obtention":"The stalls were donated to the National Archaeological Museum on 1 August 1932 by Apolinar Sánchez Villalba in order to obtain permission to export the 46 remaining stalls to the United States.","bibliography":"Camps Cazorla, E., “Sillas del Coro de Santa Clara de Astudillo”, *Museo Arqueológico Nacional. Adquisiciones de 1931*, Madrid, 1932, pp.1–8.  \nFranco Mata, A., “El Actual Paradero de la Sillería de Coro del Convento de Santa Clara de Astudillo”, in *Homenaje al Profesor Martín González*, Valladolid, 1995, pp.335–8.  \nFranco Mata, A., “Antigüedades Cristianas de los Siglos VIII al XV”, *Museo Arqueológico Nacional. Guía General*, Vol. II, Madrid, 1992, pp.96–7.  \nTorres Balbás, L., “Sillerías de Coro Mudéjares”, *Al-Andalus*, Madrid, Granada, 1954, p.19, no. 214.  \n  \n*Mudéjar Art: Islamic Aesthetics in Christian Art*, pp.66–8.","linkcatalogs":"IAM_ES_EN_001","author":"Ángela Franco","copy_editor":"Rosalía Aller","translator":"Laurence Nunny","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["Astudillo","carving","Choir stalls","Mudéjar","Peter I","polichromy","religious furnishing","wood"],"materials":["carving","Pine","polychromy."]},"b966135b-aa13-5813-b98e-6dab1d391e68":{"name":"Shelf","alternate_name":"Marfaa","description":"The back on this shelf is decorated with a perforated pattern, whereas the rack is decorated with a floral pattern (daisies) and small hooks. The section directly beneath the shelf is also decorated with a floral motif.","type":"Walnut wood","holder":"Musée Public National des Arts et Traditions Populaires","dates":"Late 19th century","location":"Algiers","translator":"Flaminia Baldwin"},"bb8218af-c329-56aa-9fd9-9570b638e2b2":{"name":"Sickle (*mikhlab*)","description":"The sickle is a tool that has been employed worldwide for its utility: it is a manual agricultural tool that consists of a curved blade that is usually used for harvesting grain crops or cutting weeds used to feed livestock.","type":"Sickle (*mikhlab*)","holder":"National Museum of Oman","owner":"National Museum of Oman","dates":"Hegira 14th century / AD 20th century","location":"Muscat","dimensions":"Height: 3.5cm, length: 52cm, width: 3.5cm","place_of_production":"Oman","provenance":"Local acquisition","obtention":"Local acquisition.","copy_editor":"Alvaro Miranda","materials":["Wood and iron"]},"bcf9b146-5f0b-5860-b18c-54be05ab62f7":{"name":"Decorative panel.","description":"It is thought that this panel is part of the decorative woodwork of the Amri Mosque in Qus, and also that it formed part of the covering of the *minbar*’s pulpit. The *minbar* was first mentioned in the 1870s by A. Prisse d’Avennes. Two large forked leaves, with carefully inscribed carvings, are positioned at the centre of the panel. They enclose a central palmette blossom. The tips of both leaves become an almost geometrical pattern of flat stylised tendrils. The main body of both leaves is framed by a ten-pointed star, which connects at the top and the bottom to the panel’s outer frame. Their upper and lower points overlap each other in the form of spiralling tendrils. Vine leaves and small grapes can be seen growing from the tendrils, which are also covered with small hooks and forked leaves. A delicate tendril pattern also covers the surface of the main central forked leaves. The decorative woodwork on panels from the AH 5th / AD 11th century al-Hakim Mosque is similarly well designed, although they are not as finely carved as this piece.  \nThe town of Qus had developed into one of Egypt’s principal trading towns when the central mosque of Salih Tala’i was built in AH 555 / AD 1160. The famous *minbar* of Qus had been built only a little earlier. Goods traded with central Africa were reloaded at the town of Qus; Qus traded with Yemen and stored merchandise for trading with India. Writing in AH 579 / AD 1183, Ibn Djubair related the town’s rise to the crusades. The town was also a meeting place for pilgrims from Egypt and the Maghreb. Scholars used the *nisba* ‘al-Kusi’ (from Qus), testifying to the town’s significance. In the 19th century, the town was Egypt’s second most important Arabic trading town.","short_description":"Islamic art excels in the ornamental designs often called arabesques. This is a superb example of a composition from Fatimid Egypt. It shows a geometrical star pattern surrounding stylised palmette leaves in the centre enclosed by symmetrical undulating vine scrolls ending in grapes or vine leaves.","type":"Woodwork, panel, wood","holder":"Museum of Islamic Art at the Pergamon Museum","initial_owner":"Herz Bey Collection, Cairo.","dates":"Hegira 6th century / AD 12th century, perhaps around AH 550 / AD 1155.","location":"Berlin","dimensions":"Height 25 cm, width 46.3 cm.","method_for_datation":"The mosque from which this decorative panel came was built in 550 / 1155, so this panel could be dated to around that time.","method_for_provenance":"The stylistic components of this decorative panel suggest that it could have formed part of a larger wooden decorative piece found in the Amri mosque in Qus in Upper Egypt.","provenance":"Amri Mosque, Qus, Upper Egypt.","obtention":"Bought by B. Moritz in Cairo, 1906.","bibliography":"Ettinghausen, R., “Ägyptische Holzschnitzereien aus Islamischer Zeit, Berliner Museen”, *Berichte aus den Preussischen Kunstsammlungen* 54, 1933, pp.17–20. Kühnel, E., “Der Mamlukische Kassettenstil”, *Kunst des Orients* 1, 1950, pp.55–68. “Kus”, in *Enzyklopädie des Islam,* Vol. 2, Leiden; Leipzig, 1927, p.1241. *Meyers Konversationslexikon*, Leipzig; Vienna, 1905, Vol. 11, p.877. *Museum für Islamische Kunst Berlin*, Catalogue, Mainz, 2001, p.31.","author":"Annette Hagedorn","translator":"Maria Vlotides","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["carving","forked leaves","Mosque interior decoration","wood"],"materials":["Wood."]},"bd9ac0b4-17dd-5d2a-86a5-baadbae9f621":{"name":"Jeweller’s tools box","description":"Jeweller’s wooden box to keep tools such as hand drills, punctures and screws, and soldering iron clumps. This tool box belonged to an Armenian jeweller whose family left their country during the First World War and settled in Jerusalem. The jeweller then moved to Amman and settled there in 1948. The Armenians were well known as skilled craftsmen and jewellers. The owner of this box worked as a jeweller since the 1950's, using his tool box until his death. The tool box demonstrates the relationship between different waves of migration and the variegated demographic composition of the Jordanians.","type":"Tool kits; metalwork; woodwork","holder":"Jordan Folklore Museum, Department of Antiquities","dates":"Early 20th century","location":"Amman","provenance":"Palestine, Jerusalem","author":"Huda Kilani","copy_editor":"Daniel de la Vega"},"bdae3379-6d92-508e-9471-03fb9980c87e":{"name":"Ceiling fragment.","description":"This trapezoidal side fragment of a ceiling consists of a series of small wooden planks and strips arranged in a pre-set geometric pattern to make a three-dimensional mosaic and cover the joists and beams of the ceiling. Its repetitive geometric composition follows a theme based on an eight-pointed star developing into rectilinear knotwork that forms various different shapes: hexagons, seven-pointed stars and cruciform nodes. The interstices formed by the knotwork are either filled by pieces with chamfered edges that protrude slightly above the knotwork lines, or left empty.  \nThe lines of the knotwork have a central groove and are painted with a red line next to a white braid on the inside and a green transparent fillet on the outside. The bottoms of the hollow shapes are covered with a coat of red paint on top of a white base coat. The surfaces of the pieces in relief that are not covered with a base coat are surrounded by chamfers consisting of a red background and a white coat marked with small alternating blue and red zigzags.  \nThe very balanced compositions, alternating filled and empty spaces, and the decoration based on contrasting colours make this fragment of a ceiling from al-Misbahiya Madrasa in Fez particularly interesting. Known as trough or *jefna* in Morocco and *artesonado* in Spain, this type of ceiling was already used in Almohad times. It was very popular in Marinid times for covering prayer rooms.","short_description":"The well-balanced composition of wooden planks and battens arranged in a geometric design with alternating filled and empty spaces, as well as areas of decoration based on colour contrasts, make this fragment of ceiling, known as *jefna*, particularly interesting.","type":"Woodwork, ceiling, wood","holder":"Batha Museum.","dates":"Hegira 747 / AD 1346–7.","location":"Fez.","dimensions":"Length 285 cm, width 125.5 cm, depth 7.7 cm.","method_for_datation":"Same date as the *madrasa* it came from.","method_for_provenance":"Fragment salvaged from a ceiling of the monument.","provenance":"Al-Misbahiya Madrasa, Fez.","obtention":"Salvaged following the restoration of the *madrasa*.","bibliography":"Cambazard-Amahan, C., *6000 d'art au Maroc*, catalogue, Paris, 1990.  \nGallotti, J., *Le jardin et la maison arabes au Maroc*, Vol. I, Paris, 1926.  \nTerrasse, Ch., *Médersas du Maroc*, Paris, 1927.  \n*Andalusian Morocco: A Discovery in Living Art*, pp.104–6.","linkcatalogs":"IAM_MA_EN_001","author":"Naima El Khatib-Boujibar","copy_editor":"Margot Cortez","translator":"Laurence Nunny","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["ceiling","geometric decoration","religious building"],"materials":["carved and painted cedarwood.","Joined"]},"bde1bb31-4ed9-500e-8ed0-c80c51d8d0cd":{"name":"*Minbar*.","description":"This *minbar* is a mobile pulpit with eight steps supported by vertical walls ending with lateral arcatures linked by a ramp. Both the internal and external sides are decorated. The entire Andalusian decorative repertoire – vegetal, floral, geometric and epigraphic – has been employed. The sides and the back are framed with *kufic* inscriptions (Qur'anic text, pious formulas and three foundation texts). The characters are embossed, sculpted or inlaid. Marquetry and bone and ivory inlay have been used on the sides for chequered geometrical knotwork and the floral designs, in the shape of trees of life, crowned by arcatures that decorate the back and the risers. The variously shaped small polygonal wooden panels that fill the interstices of the geometrical knotwork are sculpted and carved with floral and vegetal motifs with an outstanding level of delicacy and precision that is reminiscent of and even surpasses the work on Umayyad ivory boxes. In addition to the sculptures and carving, the palette of colours and shades of the valuable woods make this liturgical object a masterpiece of the genre. One of the inscriptions says that 'Ali ibn Yusuf commissioned it from a workshop in Córdoba in AH 532 / AD 1137 for the Great Mosque of Marrakesh. The Almohad 'Abd al-Mu'min spared the *minbar* when he razed 'Ali's mosque in AH 542 / AD 1147. He put it in his mosque, the original Kutubiya and then transferred it to his second, current Kutubiya, where it was used until the 1950s.","short_description":"Made in Córdoba for the Great Mosque of 'Ali ibn Yusuf in Marrakesh, it was spared by the Abbasid 'Abd al-Mu'min and placed in his mosque, the Kutubiya. The meticulous, precise and subtle crafting of this item make it the only *minbar* to have survived to our times, a masterpiece of its type.","type":"Woodwork, minbar, wood","holder":"Badi Palace.","owner":"Kutubiya Mosque (*habus* or *waqf* – endowment).","initial_owner":"The Almoravid monarch ‘Ali ibn Yusuf commissioned it for his Great Mosque of Marrakesh.","dates":"Hegira 532 / AD 1137 (commenced).","location":"Marrakesh.","dimensions":"Height 386 cm, length 346 cm, width 87 cm.","method_for_datation":"The inscription engraved on the last upright on the left side reads: 'This *minbar* was made in Córdoba, God protect it, for the Great Mosque of the city of Marrakesh, God protect it, and its construction began with God's help on the first day of the month of Muharram in the year 532 (AD 1137), may God glorify the reward of its commissioner'. The inscription on the back arcature reads: 'May God help the prince \\[of the faithful, 'Ali ibn Yusuf\\] ibn Tashufin and his heir'.","method_for_provenance":"The place where it was made, (Córdoba) and its original location ('Ali ibn Yusuf's mosque) are mentioned in the inscription engraved on the back arcature: 'This *minbar* was made in the city of Córdoba, God protect it, for this great venerated mosque, may God help it to endure with the word of Islam. It was finished …' The name 'Aziz' engraved on the structure, discovered during restoration, could be that of a craftsman or foreman.","provenance":"Kutubiya Mosque.","obtention":"Removed from the Kutubiya Mosque for preservation in 1962 and restored. Since 2005 kept in a room in the Badi Palace.","bibliography":"Basset, H. et Terrasse, H., “Sanctuaires et forteresses almohades. V. La chaire de la Kotobîya”, *Hespéris* 6, Rabat, 1926, pp.168–207.  \nBloom, J. M., Toufiq, A., Carboni, S., Soultanian, J., Wilmering, A. M., Minor, M. D., Zawacki, A., Hbibi, M., *Le Minbar de la* *Mosquée Kutubiiyya*, Madrid, 1998.  \nDeverdun, G., *Marrakech des origines à 1912*, Rabat, 1959.  \nSauvaget,J., “'Sur le minbar de la Koutoubia de Marrackech”, *Hésperis* 36, Rabat, 1949.  \nTerrasse,H., “Minbars anciens dur Maroc”, *Mélanges d'histoire et d'archéologie de l'Occident musuman* 2 Algiers, 1957.","author":"Naima El Khatib-Boujibar","copy_editor":"Margot Cortez","translator":"Laurence Nunny","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["epigraphic decoration","floral decoration","geometric decoration","liturgical object","Mosque interior decoration"],"materials":["acacia","assembled","box","carved","Different woods (cedar","inlaid and gilded).","ivory (sculpted","jujube)","natural bone painted green","openwork"]},"be8c9494-f659-53be-b44a-b763609d1e3d":{"name":"Dawud Pasha’s bedroom","description":"This bedroom belonged to the first *mutasarrif* (ruler) of the Mount Lebanon *mutasarrifiyya*, Dawud Pasha, who governed from 1861–68). The room is furnished with one double bed, one baldachin bed, two curtains, one rug, two embroidery panels, two bedside tables and a coffer. A thin off-white mattress covered in silk and embroidered in gold thread rests on each bed, and both frames are covered with light blue silk draperies. Three small, rectangular off-white silk pillows rest against the baldachin bed's adjustable headboard. Two square pillows rest on the double bed. The blue silk drapery on the bed frames was also used for the identical silk curtains. The curtains served a purely decorative function and could not be closed, as they were sewn to the valances, which are made with off-white silk and gold embroidery. The curtains are held back with golden tiebacks hooked on golden metal knobs. The embroidery panels on the walls are also made with the same off-white silk, and feature a variety of floral designs. The two dark, wooden bedside tables resemble classical columns and the coffer is made with a lighter wood and decorated with floral bas-reliefs.","type":"Furniture","holder":"Lebanese Heritage Museum","dates":"1860s","location":"`Ayn Najm","provenance":"Turkey","author":"Marie Therese Moujabber","copy_editor":"Flaminia Baldwin"},"bf0840a4-cd98-55b6-a59b-9fb15a8371a3":{"name":"Wooden panel.","description":"The Museum of Islamic Art in Cairo holds two identical wooden panels, one of which is this piece, decorated with two stylised doves that confront each other and which are intertwined with vegetal decorative motifs. Some of the detail on the doves is coloured in red, blue and white. The neck of each dove is decorated with a band containing a row of fine grains set adjacent to each other. Furthermore, the panel contains vegetal motifs in the form of lotus blossoms and winged foliage, which appears to have strong ties with similar pieces in plaster and wood made in the City of Samarra in Iraq.  \nThe Tulunid period in Egypt (AH 254–92 / AD 868–905) was distinguished by the dominant influences of Samarra seen in many of the applied arts. Wood craftsmanship is considered to be one of the most important areas to be influenced by the styles and decoration of the Samarra style 'C' (known as the third Samarra style) in stucco, to the extent that some of the Egyptian Tulunid examples executed in wood appear almost completely identical to some of the wooden objects uncovered in the city of Samarra, many of which date to the AH 3rd / AD 9th century, and are distinctive for their bevelled stylistic carving.","short_description":"This wooden panel is engraved in the decorative style brought to Egypt by artisans from Iraq who followed in the footsteps of Ahmad Ibn Tulun, founder of the Tulunid state. It is called the third Samarra style.","type":"Woodwork, panel, wood","holder":"Museum of Islamic Art","dates":"Hegira 3rd century / AD 9th century.","location":"Cairo","dimensions":"Length 80 cm, width 20.5 cm.","method_for_datation":"This object was dated based on the spread of this particular decorative style in Samarra during the 3rd / 9th century. It was a period of Tulunid rule in Egypt, and a time of migration for many artisans who, following in the footsteps of Ahmed ibn Tulun, the founder of the Tulinid state, left Samarra to settle in Egypt. It was this period that witnessed the production of precious applied-art objects, produced according to Samarran decorative styles.","method_for_provenance":"Egypt has been narrowed down as the place of production for this panel, an assumption based on the identical style of carving used on this piece compared to those used on other wood and plaster objects during this period in Egypt.","provenance":"Egypt.","obtention":"The panel was bought by the Museum in 1938 from a dealer of antiquities, Maurice Nahman.","bibliography":"Bloom, J., and Blair, S., *Islamic Arts,* London, 1997.  \nBrend, B., *Islamic Art,* London, 1991.  \nEttinghausen, R., and Grabar, O., *The Art and Architecture of Islam 650–1250,* New Haven and London, 1987.  \nShafa'i, F., “Mumayyizat al-Akhshab al-Muzakhrafa fi al-Tiraz al-Abbasi wa al-Fatimi \\[Distinguishing Features of Decorated Wood in the Fatimid and Abbasid Styles\\]”,in *Majalat Kulliyat al-Adab \\[Journal of the Faculty of Arts\\],* Vol. 16, No.1, 1954.  \nWilson, E., *Islamic Designs,* London, 1988.  \nYasin, Abd al-Nassir, *Al-Funun al-Zukhrufiya al-Islamiyya fi Masr mundhu al-Fath al-Islami hatta al-'Asr al-Fatimi \\[The Islamic Decorative Arts in Egypt From the Time of the Islamic Conquest to the Fatimid Period\\],* Volume 1, Alexandria, 2002.","author":"Salah Sayour","copy_editor":"Majd Musa","translator":"Amal Sachedina (from the Arabic).","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["animal decoration","Bevelled style","bird","engraving","figurative decoration","panel","relief","vegetal decoration","wood","wood carving"],"materials":["Wood decorated with bevelled carving."]},"bf34096f-295d-5f0d-931b-71a243d32a5b":{"name":"Sofa of Krste Petkov Misirkov","alternate_name":"Sofa na Misirkov","description":"Krste Petkov Misirkov (1874–1926) is among the most prominent personages of the recent Macedonian history. He was highly educated philologist, historian, ethnographer and publicist, having also been engaged in translation. He lived and worked in St. Petersburg, Russia. Besides his most important work \"On Macedonian Matters\", he had around thirty articles published in different newspapers.","type":"Furniture","holder":"Museum of Macedonia","dates":"Early 20th century","location":"Skopje","author":"Nada Andonovska (author)","copy_editor":"Daniel de la Vega"},"bf743b8c-3b55-5eca-9558-3f933909bf96":{"name":"Document chest","description":"Chests are some of the oldest types of furniture and, depending on their size and construction, were used for storing or transporting documents, linen or food. The chest with its four locks from the St. Urban monastery in Canton Lucerne was used to store important documents and valuable books. The distinctive iron fittings served as protection and decoration. Chests were used in rural areas until the 19th century. Over time they were replaced by more convenient cupboards and chests of drawers.","type":"Chest","holder":"Swiss National Museum","owner":"Swiss Confederation","dates":"14th Century","location":"Zurich","dimensions":"H: 76cm, W: 135cm, D: 42cm","method_for_datation":"Documents","provenance":"Cloister St. Urban, Canton of Lucerne, Switzerland","obtention":"Bought in 1892 at an auction","keywords":["Canton of Lucerne","Chest","Cloister St. Urban","Document Chest","Oak-wood","Switzerland"],"materials":["Oak-wood with iron fittings"]},"c056551b-78c9-51e2-b6d3-15f2e76249ce":{"name":"Knife grinding machine","short_description":"Happy is he who is fortunate but human fortune is fragile. Humans, in contrast to gods, are mortal, finite, and frail. External circumstances determine human fortune and success. You have to preserve it. Just as the knife grinder does in Giza near Cairo: he has created a striking installation on the front right stand of his machine, consisting of a combination of an amulet to protect fortune, and objects of daily life – a finely turned *mashrabiya* lattice, a small basket, the fragment of a red synthetic wrapper with the depiction of a mosque printed in gold, a doll's foot, the burned-out flashcube from a pocket camera, and other things. As an effective protection against any possible evil, the habitual name of God (Allah) sways over the ensemble, stamped in red plastic. In the museum inventory, the following comment of the collector can still be read: \"Heavily used, old piece (ca. 1920). Was rented out by the old, sick owner to a young man.\"","type":"Production tool; religion","holder":"Weltmuseum Wien","dates":"Ca. 1920","location":"Vienna","dimensions":"H: 159cm, W: 98cm, Diameter: 50.5cm; Diameter (wheel): 95cm","method_for_datation":"Entry in the general inventory and archival documents.","method_for_provenance":"Entry in the general inventory book.","provenance":"Egypt, Kerdasa","obtention":"Catalog entry: \"Purchased from Dr. Peter W. Schienerl, Kairo, 1977.\"","bibliography":"Steinmann, Axel, \"Die Unschuld des Blicks oder Von der Beredtheit der Dinge\", in Christoph Steinbrener, *Unternehmen Capricorn. Eine Expedition durch Museen, exhibition catalogue*, Vienna: Triton, 2001: 90-95.  \nSteinmann, Axel, \"The Knife Grinder\", in Christian Schicklgruber (ed), *Weltmuseum Wien, exhibition catalogue*, Vienna: Weltmuseum Wien, 2017: 188-189.  \nSteinmann, Axel, \"At the Threshold of the Orient\", in Claudia Augustat and Reinhard Blumauer (eds), *In a Nutshell, exhibition catalogue*, Vienna: Weltmuseum Wien, 2017: 90-95.","materials":["leather","metal","pigment","plastic","Textile","Wood"]},"c072d700-9ae2-5214-ad10-69e3cb6824fa":{"name":"Film camera of the Manaki brothers","alternate_name":"Film camera of Charls Trade Company, serial no. 300","description":"Janaki (1878–1945) and Milton (1880–1964) Manaki were born in Bitola and went on to become pioneers of Macedonian film and the first filmmakers in the Balkans. The Manaki brothers shot their first film merely 10 years after the Lumiere brothers. In 1905, they shot their grandmother Despina spinning wool with women from the neighbourhood. Their first film of ethnographic value was shot soon after. It documents celebration of the feast of St. Cyril and Methodius in front of the Church in Bitola devoted to these saints. In their films, the Manaki brothers strived to document visually events from everyday life and to frame them as real works of art. In 1921, they projected the first film in the open-air arena at the Shirok Sokak Street in Bitola.","type":"Camera; part of filming equipment","holder":"The Archive of the City of Bitola","dates":"1905","location":"Bitola","author":"Aco Kimovski (Archive of the City of Bitola)","copy_editor":"Daniel de la Vega"},"c0d03656-54de-5836-824e-12905a80c7a5":{"name":"Coffee grinder","alternate_name":"Mehbash","description":"Manual coffee grinder carved out of a hard wood, usually oak. The grinder consists of two parts: the mortar and the pestle. The mortar is highly decorated with floral and geometric designs. After roasting the coffee beans, the local Bedouins use these to grind the beans. The sound of grinding functions as an invitation to others to come and chat while enjoying freshly prepared coffee.","type":"Kitchen utilities; woodwork","holder":"Jordan Folklore Museum, Departmant of Antiquities","dates":"Late 19th century – early 20th century","location":"Amman","provenance":"Jordan","author":"Huda Kilani","copy_editor":"Daniel de la Vega"},"c4648474-e922-5da3-817d-b501e5d61af0":{"name":"Three pieces of a wall decoration","short_description":"Three architectural wooden fragments are part of an interior wall decoration, acquired in the Armenian town of New Julfa near Isfahan. They are painted in lacquer and plaster in the *ablaq* technique.","type":"Architecture fragment","holder":"MKG Museum for Applied Arts","dates":"Hegira 13th century / AD 19th century","location":"Hamburg","dimensions":"Diameter: 16cm / 17cm / 8.5cm","method_for_datation":"Acquired in the Armenian town of Daelulfa near Isfahan.","method_for_provenance":"Gift from Reg Baumeister-Breslauer, Berlin.","provenance":"Iran","obtention":"Endowment.","copy_editor":"Caitlin Link","keywords":["Iran","Wall decoration"],"materials":["lacquer","Wood"]},"c71d590c-4617-5140-bfe0-2cb0925bedda":{"name":"Writing box.","description":"The object was prepared by painting with lacquer on wood, a technique known as *Edirnekari* . The whole outer surface of the box is decorated with bouquets of flowers on a red ground. The floral designs within the garland in the centre of the rounded cover, as well as in its corners and on the sides of the box, all reflect the Turkish Baroque-Rococo style. Within a small medallion on the bottom of the decorated lid is the name of the craftsman who made the box: 'es-Seyyid ömer er-Recai' (al-Sayyid ‘Umar al-Rija'i). On the inside of the lid is the *tuğra* of Sultan Abdülmecid I (r. AH 1255–78 / AD 1839–61) on a blue background.  \n  \nWithin the box is storage space for a reed pen, ink, and a sand-sprinkler, as well as a compartment for paper. Writing boxes were produced in response to calligraphers' desire to store their paper, reed pens, inkwells, pen-cutting slabs, knives and scissors in one place.  \n  \nWriting boxes were functional rather than decorative objects. They were decorated according to the taste of the period, usually with mother-of-pearl, ivory, and tortoiseshell inlaid into wood. Sometimes, as with this example, they were made using the *Edirnekari* technique, which was common in the AH 13th / AD 19th century.  \n  \nCalligraphy is one of the greatest fields in which Islamic art has expressed itself. The Ottoman sultans in particular took lessons in calligraphy and created their own examples. Among the sultans proficient in the art of calligraphy might be counted Ahmed III, Mustafa II, Mahmud II and Abdülmecid I, and this writing box was made for and personally used by Abdülmecid I.","short_description":"Writing boxes were made to store the tools of calligraphers and scribes. They were decorated according to the taste of the period, in this case in a lacquer technique known as *Edirnekari*. Its owner was Sultan Abdülmecid I, who was himself a calligrapher.","type":"Calligraphy, lacquered on wood","holder":"Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts.","initial_owner":"Sultan Abdülmecid I.","dates":"Reign of Sultan Abdülmecid I (r. Hegira 1255–78 / AD 1839–61).","location":"Sultanahmet, Istanbul.","dimensions":"Height 8.5 cm, depth 21 cm, length 40 cm.","method_for_datation":"The *tughra* of Sultan Abdülmecid found on the inside of the lid shows that the box was made during his reign (1255–78 / 1839–61) and was made especially for him, as he was himself a calligrapher.","method_for_provenance":"A provenance of Istanbul is likely due to the high quality of the work, indicating that it was certainly made for the sultan, and the fact that the greatest patron of the art of calligraphy was the Ottoman court itself based in Istanbul.","provenance":"Istanbul, Turkey.","obtention":"Preserved in the Tiled Pavilion (Çinili Köşk) in Istanbul; transferred to the Museum in 1941.","bibliography":"Ölçer, N. *et al, In Pursuit of Excellence: The Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts*, Istanbul, 1993, p.70.  \n  \nÖlçer, N. *et al, Museum of Turkish and Islamic Art*, Istanbul, 2002, p.318.","linkcatalogs":"IAM_TR_EN_001","author":"Şule Aksoy","translator":"Barry Wood","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["calligraphy","Edirnekari technique","lacquer","Sultan Abdülmecid I","tugra."],"materials":["Lacquered (Edirnekari) technique on wood."]},"c9f89cf2-fecb-5af5-b2fb-ec2f961e5a4e":{"name":"Pair of doors","short_description":"The pair of doors was found dismantled as parts of a sarcophagus in Iraq. The main decorative theme is a tree motif combined with geometrical and architectural motifs surrounded by vine scrolls and foliage. The collection of these elements and the rich carved ornamentation is traceable in the architectural decoration of late Umayyad art as presented in the desert palaces of Mshatta and Qasr Tuba.","type":"Woodwork, doors, wood, Umayyad","holder":"Benaki Museum","dates":"Hegira 2nd century / AD 8th century","location":"Athens","dimensions":"255 cm X 123 cm","provenance":"Iraq","keywords":["Doors","tree motifs","Umayyad","vegetal decoration","wood"],"materials":["carved","Wood"]},"cb0e2e69-43f9-5404-9ff2-563cd4a64103":{"name":"Namban Folding screen","alternate_name":"*Namban byobu*","description":"The *byobu* was used in Japan to create a more intimate space in large areas or to frame or define a ritual space. Generally made in pairs, *byobu* offer a splendid surface for decoration. In 1543 the Portuguese *namban* (meaning “foreigners”) arrived in Japan; the impact of their encounter would last almost a century. As a visual record the screens stand out.  \nThe arrival of the Portuguese black ship (*kurofune*), with its exotic cargo, people, treasures and novelties, was depicted in masterly detail by the Kano school painters, as shown by screens marked with the seal of the painter, Kano Naizen.  \nThe screen follows a specific model: in the first panel is the big ship that left Portugal carrying goods from Goa, Malacca and Macau. Here it is preparing to leave Goa – the capital of the Portuguese settlement in India – a suggestion underlined by the foreign architecture and two elephants. The busy port is expressed in great detail and bright colours. Golden clouds separate the different moments of the composition. The theme continues in the second screen, where it is probable that we are shown the arrival of the boat in the port of Nagasaki. The artist had enhanced the excellence of the ship's crew by painting acrobats performing in the masts.  \nAshore, a group surveys the unloading of the precious cargo (exotic animals included).The core business would have been the trading of Chinese silk for Japanese silver; sold in China for fabulous profits. Nearby is a heterogeneous procession led by the ship's captain under an umbrella and including rich Portuguese gentleman and merchants, Arabians, Indians, Africans and Malays. Significantly the artist depicts their clothes in detail. On the right, missionaries wait in front of a church; it is important to note that the Jesuit missionaries organised the Portuguese presence in Japan as their religious work was based at the cultural level. These screens document an encounter which for the first time connected two different and distant cultures.","short_description":"The arrival of the Portuguese (*namban jin*) in Japan in 1543 began a period of rich exchange. Screens such as this one detail the Portuguese presence in Japan in gold and bright colours. The portrayal of strange people and precious goods arriving in Japan in Portuguese black ships (*kurofune*) amount to some of the most impressive *namban* products.","type":"Decorative arts / genre painting","holder":"National Museum of Ancient Art","owner":"Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga","dates":"1593–1603","location":"Lisbon, Lisbon","dimensions":"H: 178 cm; l: 366 cm width: 2 cm","place_of_production":"Japan","method_for_datation":"The object has the artist’s seal","method_for_provenance":"By Tadao Takamizawa and Oyshitomo Okamoto in *Namban Byobu*, 1970. *See below*","provenance":"Acquisition 1954","obtention":"Acquisition","bibliography":"Boxer, C. R., *The great ship from Amacon*, Lisbon, 1959.  \nTakamizawa, T., Okamoto, O., *Namban Byobu*, Tokyo, 1970.  \nPinto, M. H. Mendes, *Biombos* *Namban***,** Lisbon, 1988.  \nSousa, C. Borges de, *Portugiesen* *in Japan-Die Namban Kunst, Die Grossen sammlungen VIII*, Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga, Lisbon, Kunst und Ausstellungshalle der Bundesrepublik, Germany, 1999.  \nBiombo: *Japanese Heritage as a Legend of* *Gold,* Suntory Museum of Art/Osaka Municipal Museum of Art, 2007.","workshop":"Kano School","copyright":"Copyright images: Divisão de Documentação Fotográfica/ Instituto dos Museus e da Conservação,I.P.","author":"Conceição Borges de Sousa","translator":"Conceição Borges de Sousa","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Byobu","furnishing","Kano","Nagasaki","Namban","silver"],"materials":["gold leaf","metal","silk and lacquered","tempera","Wooden frame covered with paper"]},"cb48c75d-bd2a-5fb9-9430-da529ee7f01a":{"name":"Bedstead","description":"This closed bedstead is made of a wooden panel, carved and painted with in an arc. This kind of furniture was a part of the architecture of traditional homes. The bed is made of a wooden plank attached to the wall and sitting in an alcove, sealed by the bedstead. This bedstead is decorated with small flowers and foliage, painted in green on a paler background.","type":"Woodwork","holder":"Dar Ayed – Ksar Hellal","dates":"19th century","author":"Saloua Zangar","translator":"Flaminia Baldwin"},"cbc34421-cbf1-565d-b4bd-d91bdc792930":{"name":"Rosette shaped part of the *minbar* of the Mosque of Ibn Tulun","description":"The mosque of Ibn Tulun was built in Cairo in the 9th century AD, and was restored and renovated during the reign of the Mamluk Sultan Hosam al-Din Lajin in 1296. One of the most important items of the equipment of a mosque is the *minbar* – originally a raised seat – used as a pulpit, but having also a symbolic meaning as the \"Throne of Muhammad\". The *minbar* was decorated with stone or wood inlays.  \n  \nThe *minbar* of the mosque of Ibn Tulun was one of the most precious. Its wooden decoration was exhibited at the World Trade Exhibition of 1867 in Paris as one of Egypt’s most significant craft works. After that, important pieces of the *minbar* reached numerous European collections.","type":"Woodwork","holder":"MAK – Austrian Museum of Applied Arts / Contemporary Art","dates":"1296; exhibited at Paris World Trade Exhibition in 1867","location":"Vienna","provenance":"Egypt, Cairo","copy_editor":"Daniel de la Vega"},"cbca02ba-ec59-566e-8f11-04e13bc39fa0":{"name":"Box","short_description":"Depictions from the life of Fath Ali Shah (1797-1834).  \nA throne scene – Fath Ali Shah surrounded by courtiers on the cover, hunting scenes on the side and inside.","type":"Lacquerwork","holder":"MAK – Museum of Applied Arts","dates":"AD first half of the 19th century","location":"Vienna","dimensions":"Height: 20.5cm, Width: 29.5cm, Diameter: 42.5cm","provenance":"Iran","obtention":"Purchase","bibliography":"Wilson, Sir Arnold Talbot, *Persian Art: an illustrated souvenir of the exhibition of Persian art at Burlington house*, London: Hudson & Kearns, 1931.","catalogue_holding_link":"https://sammlung.mak.at/sammlung_online?id=collect-46211","author":"Mio Wakita-Elis","keywords":["Box","court life","Fath Ali Shah","figurative decoration","human representation","hunting","Iran","lacquerwork"],"materials":["opaque colour under a lacquer varnish","Wood"]},"ccc80591-561a-5013-ba76-666b084adb51":{"name":"Storage chest","short_description":"Almost no furniture has survived from the Islamic Middle Ages, and it is unclear whether this unique chest was made for a mosque or a private home. Remnants of yellow pigment and gold leaf indicate that the flat sections of the decoration on the front were originally surrounded by a golden color.","type":"Storage chest, woodwork","holder":"The David Collection","dates":"Hegira c. 640 / AD c. 1240","location":"Copenhagen","provenance":"Iraq, Mosul","keywords":["furnishing","Islamic Middle Ages","Storage chest","woodwork"],"materials":["carved and inlaid with ebony and bone. Modern lid and inlays partly modern","Wood"]},"cce3a0c8-0096-5ec4-8323-9daea09d8912":{"name":"Two wooden columns.","description":"Two wooden columns with square-prism bodies, each with two sides decorated with deep carving. The sides are divided into a series of rectangular panels. Within the panels a text of 16 lines has been carved in floriated *kufic* script, eight lines per side.  \n  \nThe column with inventory number 145 features the text from Qur'an *sura* 19, verses 96–8. The verses begin on one side of the column and are read downward, continuing on the other side.  \n  \nThe column with inventory number 146 features text from the Qur'an *sura* 2, verse 285. Different from the other column, after the first lines on each side finish, they continue from the second panel on the first side, to the other side, and so on down to the panels below.  \n  \nAlthough it is not known from which building these wooden columns came, or what purpose they served, the fact that Qur'anic verses are found on them suggests that they were used as architectural elements in a religious building.","short_description":"These wooden columns are decorated with carved Qur'anic verses in floriate *kufic* script. They date to the Ayyubid period, a dynasty that ruled in Syria and Egypt during the AH 6th–7th / AD 12th–13th centuries. Technical and stylistic features of this period's woodwork reflect Fatimid influence.","type":"Column, wood, woodwork","holder":"Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts.","dates":"Hegira 7th century / AD 13th century.","location":"Sultanahmet, Istanbul.","dimensions":"Height 85 cm, width 19 cm, depth 19 cm.","method_for_datation":"The objects are not dated, however, judging from the stylistic characteristics of the inscription, they can be dated to the 7th / 13th century and attributed to the Ayyubids, who ruled Damascus and Syria in this period and who are known for their woodwork.","method_for_provenance":"According to inventory documents, the columns were transferred to the Museum from Damascus, where it is likely they were produced.","provenance":"Syria.","obtention":"The columns were among the objects transferred to the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts from Damascus in 1914.","bibliography":"Ölçer, N. *et al, Museum of Turkish and Islamic Art*, Istanbul, 2002, pp.76–7.","author":"Gönül Tekeli","translator":"Barry Wood","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["calligraphy","carving","wood"],"materials":["Carved wood."]},"cd407e58-d158-50bb-8826-939d8a8cb199":{"name":"Panel from Sultan Lajin's *minbar*","short_description":"The panel comes from the great *minbar* (pulpit) that the Mamluk sultan al-Mansur Husam al-Din Lajin had erected in the Ibn Tulun Mosque in Cairo in 1296. The sides of the some four-meter-high *minbar* were covered with panels of different shapes that together formed a complicated geometric pattern consisting of several hundred parts.","type":"Woodwork, panel, wood,","holder":"The David Collection","dates":"Hegira 696 / AD 1296","location":"Copenhagen","provenance":"Egypt, Cairo","keywords":["Minbar","Mosque interior decoration","panel","wood"],"materials":["carved sycamore","Octagonal"]},"cd79fa0f-0118-5b34-a444-8b2b248fdc5d":{"name":"Panel from a Ceiling","short_description":"Despite the end of Muslim rule on the Iberian Peninsula in 1492, an Islamic style of art and architecture continued to be popular among the ruling elite, and many Muslim craftsmen remained in Spain to meet the enduring demand for their services. This community of Spanish Muslims and the hybrid style that they developed came to be known by the term mudéjar. Made to decorate the palaces of wealthy Spanish notables, ceiling panels of this type are an example of the mudéjar style in their combination of Islamic and European designs, seen here in the respective star-inspired geometric decoration and the heraldic lion and castle, which help to link the ceiling to a building in Toledo. The provenance of the ceiling makes for a compelling story; its last home was the UCSB Faculty Club, where it was installed in the kitchen and service areas, from 1968 until 2014. It is not known how it came to the attention of Charles Moore, who designed the club, but UCSB legend has it that the ceiling had once belonged to W.R. Hearst. Our research has shown that Hearst had indeed acquired the ceiling in the 1920s and had it shipped to San Simeon. Although it may have been intended for Hearst Castle, it was never installed there and Moore likely purchased it from Hearst's warehouses in 1967. The remaining ceiling panels will undergo conservation so that they may be displayed as a near-complete ceiling in the 2020s.","type":"Architectural Elements","holder":"Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA)","dates":"Hegira mid-8th (panel); Hegira 1436 (*muqarnas* element) / AD Mid-14th century or later (panel); AD 2015 (*muqarnas* element)","location":"Los Angeles","dimensions":"200.66 x 132.08 x 77.47cm","method_for_datation":"The ceiling is related in style and structure to several ceilings in Toledo, Spain, including that of the Sinagoga del Tránsito built around 1356 and the main hall of the Convent of Santa Isabel de Los Reyes, built between 1453 and 1458.","method_for_provenance":"Although such ceilings were popular amongst Christian and Muslim nobility in medieval Spain, the heraldic emblems related to Castile and Léon suggests that it was commissioned for a Christian patron’s home, most likely in Toledo, which was intermittently the center of Castilian power until 1561.","provenance":"Toledo, Spain","obtention":"Possibly from a fifteenth century palace in Toledo, Spain. Probably removed in 1920s (sold to); Collection of William Randolph Hearst (1863-1951), until 1967 (sold to); University of California Santa Barbara (displayed in the Faculty Club), until 2014 (gifted to); LACMA, gift of The Faculty Club, University of California, Santa Barbara, Inc., in honor of the museum's 50th anniversary.","bibliography":"Komaroff, Linda, *Beauty and Identity: Islamic Art from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art*, Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 2016: 262, 272, 273.  \nKomaroff, Linda, *Collecting Islamic Art at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art: A Curatorial Perspective*, Los Angeles: Art Catalogues; LACMA, 2017: 34, 36-37.  \n*Gifts on the Occasion of LACMA's 50th Anniversary*, Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 2015: 76-77.","author":"LACMA Staff","keywords":["Al-Andalus","Andalucía","Andalusia","ceiling","Heraldry","interior ornament","lion","Mudéjar","muqarnas","panel","pine","silver leaf","wood","wood paneling"],"materials":["Wood (Pine) with colored pigments and silver leaf"]},"cdb8ea7d-4aae-5a2b-a21d-baa7d31aede4":{"name":"Panel from the Ibn Tulun Mosque","short_description":"The panel was originally part of a frieze with passages from the Koran that is some two kilometers long. The inscription is in a simple and robust *Kufi* script whose only decorative element is a little increase in width at the end of the letters.  \nThe panel was purchased in Cairo in 1848 by the French consul Delaporte, after restoration work on the Ibn Tulun Mosque.","type":"Woodwork, panel wood","holder":"The David Collection","dates":"Hegira c. 265 / AD c. 879","location":"Copenhagen","provenance":"Egypt, Cairo","keywords":["architectural decoration","Ibn Tulun Mosque","Koran","panel","Qur'an","wood"],"materials":["carved with a Kufi inscription","Wooden panel"]},"cf314a7e-b71e-5876-a94f-3e498400a91f":{"name":"Persian flask","short_description":"This elaborate flask dates from the late 16th century. Its wooden body is covered with a linen and chalk ground that was gilded and painted where we see lovers and musicians in a garden filled with flowers.","type":"Flask","holder":"Kunsthistorisches Museum","dates":"Hegira 10th century / AD 16th century","location":"Vienna","dimensions":"Height: 25.5cm, Width: 23.5cm, Depth: 12cm, Diameter at the neck: 2.3cm","method_for_datation":"Collection Ambras Castle","method_for_provenance":"Collection Ambras Castle","provenance":"Iran?","obtention":"Collection Ambras Castle, obtained in AD 1869","bibliography":"Gamber, Ortwin and Beaufort-Spontin, Christian, *Katalog der Leibrüstkammer II. Teil. Der Zeitraum von 1530-1560*, Busto Arsizio: Bramante, 1990.  \nThomas, Bruno, \"Aus der Waffensammlung in der Neuen Burg zu Wien: Orientalische Kostbarkeiten\", *Bustan*, 4 : 5 (1963/64).","author":"Matthias Pfaffenbichler","copy_editor":"Liz Cooper","keywords":["court life","Drinking flask","figurative decoration","flask","floral decoration","garden","music","poetry","receptacles","vessels"],"materials":["handle: silk and silver thread","Leather with chalk ground and gold leaf paint","wood painted to imitate leather"]},"d07dfd62-b703-5f69-ae57-1fcc78858569":{"name":"Armchair","description":"This chair was made in the workshop of the Italian designer Carlo Bugatti (1856-1940). Bugatti’s furniture attempted to break away from historical conventions, reflecting the Art Nouveau appreciation in nature and the aesthetics of Japan, the architecture of North Africa and the motifs of Islamic art. His use of materials such as painted vellum and stamped brass was also adventurous.  \nBugatti’s designs became very sculptural, using bold geometric forms and large areas of sparsely painted vellum. This chair is similar to one exhibited by Bugatti at the International Exhibition of Modern Decorative Art in Turin in 1902.","type":"Furniture","holder":"Victoria and Albert Museum","dates":"c.1902 (made)","location":"London","provenance":"Italy, Milan","author":"Victoria and Albert Museum"},"d0a3b10b-ba8a-5ee3-9680-fb2f69ed64e7":{"name":"al-Bab al-Kabir","short_description":"Until the construction of the road between Muscat and Mattrah in Hegira 1347–48 / AD 1929, the western gate in the Muscat Wall was usually called the at-Tuyan Gate, after the *wadi* leading to the at-Tuyan Quarter of Muscat. As the gate became more important, Sultan Sayyid Said bin Taimur al-Busaidi had it rebuilt in Hegira 1354 / AD1935–36. As a result, the gate was renamed *al-Bab al-Kabir*, literally meaning \"the Big Gate\".  \nThe marble plaque that was placed over the outside entrance has an Arabic black-incised inscription that reads:  \n*In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful  \nRebuilt by order of Sultan Said bin Taimur  \nSultan of Muscat, Oman, Dhofar, and Gwadur  \nin the year 1354 AH*","holder":"National Museum Oman","dates":"Hegira 1354 / AD 1935-1936","location":"Muscat","dimensions":"Height: 427cm, Length: 143cm","copy_editor":"Liz Cooper","materials":["bronze and iron","Teakwood"]},"d37a1bc2-10db-5fb2-9a7c-831f2a1d6997":{"name":"*Minbar* panel.","description":"A *minbar* panel with a modern redwood frame. Rectangular in shape, the panel contains a large, central field of original geometric elements executed in ebony and ivory, set within modern redwood beading. The design of the field involves two large vertically disposed star shapes at the centre, separated by a geometric quatrefoil design in between. This arrangement is flanked by two semi-stars on the sides and four quarter-stars in the corners. Any remaining spaces are filled with regularly disposed star motifs. All the major design elements in this overall composition, for example the stars and the quatrefoil, are in turn created from star shapes, angular drop shapes and a range of polygons, each one enhanced with a delicately carved arabesque design. At the top and bottom of the main field, two narrow, elongated ebony panels with ivory borders have been inserted. Each one carries the same Arabic inscription, rendered in *thuluth* script: ‘al-‘izz lillah mawlana al-sultan al-malik al-‘adil’, (‘Glory to God, our Lord, the Sultan, the King, the Just’).  \nFurnishings such as this panel were typically decorated with star and polygon patterns executed in different woods and ivory. This tradition, begun in the Ayyubid period, remained in use throughout the Mamluk period. Compositions comprise geometric designs issuing from a central star motif with the number of points varying from six to 16, forming a series of radiating polygons expanding from the core. This type of astral composition was fully developed by the early 8th / 14th century and became the most typical approach for woodwork decoration in the Mamluk era.  \nThe method of construction used in this panel, along with other such objects of the period, allowed the wood to expand and contract according to variations in temperature and humidity. Furthermore, the patterns adopted in woodwork of the period echo contemporary Mamluk bookbinding and manuscript illumination executed for or commissioned by the Mamluk court and its officials. In addition to the intricately carved polygons and stars, the inscription panel executed in bold *thuluth* script is another distinctive feature of Mamluk woodwork, as indeed it is of Mamluk decorative arts in general.","short_description":"Sophisticated woodwork with complex geometric designs executed in ebony and ivory and enhanced with delicately carved *thuluth* inscription panels was commissioned throughout the Mamluk period to enhance the furnishings of mosques, mausoleums and public buildings all over the Mamluk empire.","type":"Woodwork, ebony, ivory","holder":"National Museums of Scotland (NMS).","dates":"Hegira late 8th–early 9th century / AD late 14th–early 15th century.","location":"Edinburgh, Scotland","dimensions":"Height 271.78, width 121.28 cm.","method_for_datation":"This *minbar* panel has been dated to between the late 8th–early 9th / late 14th–early 15th centuries on the basis of stylistic similarities with other Mamluk *minbar* and door panels, executed in wood, ebony and ivory, for example those seen in the V&A, London, the Islamic Museum in Cairo and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.","method_for_provenance":"Items like this are thought to have been commissioned in Egypt by Mamluk patrons throughout the late 8th–early 9th / late 14th–early 15th centuries. This *minbar* panel is typical of carved wood *minbars*, screens, doors and shutters intended for mosques, mausoleums and other public buildings throughout the Mamluk Empire.","provenance":"Egypt.","obtention":"Purchased from the Maurice Collection in 1884.","bibliography":"Atil, E., *Renaissance of Islam: Art of the Mamluks*, Washington D.C., 1981, p.202, cat. no. 99 (for a photograph of this piece); pp.208, cat. no. 104 (for related pieces); also pp.195–7 (for a general introductory essay on Mamluk woodwork).  \nBrend, B., *Islamic Art*, London, 1995, p.106, fig. 68.  \nScarce, J., *Domestic Culture in the Middle East: An Exploration of the Household Interior*, Edinburgh, 1996, p.52 (for a photograph of this item).","linkcatalogs":"IAM_EG_EN_001","author":"Ulrike Al-Khamis","copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["ivory","Minbar","Mosque interior decoration","Thuluth","wood"],"materials":["Ebony and ivory with modern redwood beading."]},"d467849e-57d5-56af-821f-861425864b86":{"name":"Pair of tables","description":"Little tables like these ones had an important place in typical oriental rooms for the tea and coffee, and in *fumoirs* (smoking rooms), masculine intimate spaces that proliferated all around Europe, like the Arab Room in the Cerralbo Museum. These tables decorated with geometrical patterns could have been produced in the East Mediterranean, but more likely is an Indian production for the Arab market. The second one, a two-level table, could have been produced in a south Spain or Morocco workshop.","type":"Furniture","holder":"Cerralbo Museum","dates":"19th century","location":"Madrid","provenance":"Near East or India/ Spain or Morocco","author":"Cecilia Casas Desantes","copy_editor":"Anne Dowell"},"d4d8f026-9350-59c7-985e-107aaa7a0acb":{"name":"Wooden panel.","description":"A wooden panel with a sloping undecorated frame. The highly decorative subject of the panel itself is carved in high relief, depicting two identical bridled horse heads facing in opposite directions. The horses, which are of a highly stylised arabesque form, are set against a background of vegetal-stem and leaf motifs. The manes and the bridles of the two horses are decorated in low relief. The surface of the panel is ornamented with vegetal motifs in the shape of two branches, which emanate from the middle of the base and extend in two directions, conjoining between the necks of the two horses, hemming in between them beautiful sprouting leaf designs. The two branches then wind their way to the top with foliage decoration in the form of two semi palm-leaf fan designs. The panel clearly manifests the even division of sections on the surface, the harmony of decoration in each section and the detailed symmetry between the two vertical halves of the panel.  \nIt is possible to compare this panel with another, similar, housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. It too is carved in wood, adorned by two horse heads facing in opposite directions, and carved in high relief. This piece may have furnished a door, a cupboard, or a wooden screen.","short_description":"Fatimid artisans were skilled in combining different animal and vegetal elements in their decorative designs. One of their techniques was carving in high and low relief. This wooden panel carved in high relief resembles another housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.","type":"Woodwork, panel, wood","holder":"Museum of Islamic Art","dates":"Hegira 5th century / AD 11th century.","location":"Cairo","dimensions":"Length 33 cm, width 22 cm.","method_for_datation":"This panel was dated based on the detail and skill in the animal and vegetal depictions as decorative motifs, as well as the detail in the carvings of these decorative portrayals, which are extremely naturalistic, and part of an art form, which reached its climax during the Fatimid period. The prolific appearance of the horse with specific traits in the decorative vocabulary of this era also assisted in the dating. At the Museum of Islamic Art in Cairo there is a wooden door that dates to the Fatimid period that was discovered in the Maristan of Qalawun, which was originally part of the Western Fatimid Palace. One of the panels from this door is adorned by two horses whose style of carving and decoration closely resembles that used in the execution of the panel discussed here.","method_for_provenance":"The art of wood carving flourished in Islamic Egypt and continued to develop until it reached a high level of skill after the Fatimid Conquest of Egypt in 358 / 969. The style of carving and decoration on this panel closely resembles that used in the decoration of the panels of the Fatimid door whose provenance has been narrowed down to Egypt.","provenance":"Egypt.","obtention":"This piece was bought by the museum in 1909 from an antiquities dealer, Ilyas Khatoun al-Taji.","bibliography":"\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_, *Trésors fatimides du Caire*, exhibition catalogue, Paris, 1998.  \nGrabar, O., “Imperial and Urban Art in Islam: The Subject Matter of Fatimid Art”, *Colloque International sur l'histoire du Caire,* 1969, Cairo, 1972, pp.173–89.  \nHamdi, A., et al, *Katalog Ma'rid al-fan al-islāmi fi misr \\[Catalogue of the Islamic Art Exhibition in Egypt\\],* Cairo, 1969.  \nHassan, Z. M., *Funun al-Islam \\[Arts of Islam\\],* Cairo, 1948.  \nKhadr, M. Y., *Tarikh al-Funun al-Islamiyya \\[History of Islamic Arts\\],* UAE, 2003.  \nYasin, Abd al-Nasir, *Al-Funun al-Zukhrufiya al-Islamiyya fi Masr mundhu al-Fath al-Arabi hatta Nihayat al-'Asr al-Fatimi: Dirasa Athariya wa Hadariya lil-Ta'thirat al-Wafida \\[Islamic Decorative Arts in Egypt from the Time of the Arab Conquests to the End of the Fatimid Era: A Study of Emanating Influences on Archaeology and Civilisation\\],* Alexandria, 2002.","author":"Al-Sayyed Muhammad Khalifa Hammad","copy_editor":"Majd Musa","translator":"Amal Sachedina (from the Arabic).","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["figurative decoration","high relief","low relief","panel","vegetal decoration."],"materials":["carved in high relief with incised decorations for some of the details.","Wood"]},"d569ff79-35bf-5838-a40c-92ba53dfc0f7":{"name":"Wardrobe.","description":"Large wardrobe with three compartments, each with a pair of doors, one of which was already missing when the piece was obtained by the museum. The general design and dimensions suggest that it was used to store fabrics or clothes folded and laid flat. It is decorated with knotwork in perfect harmony with the position of the compartments. The front of the wardrobe consists of a broad area of simple eight-lazo pieces. Between the frame and the panels there are three rectangular compartments that are twice as wide as they are high, each with a square door also decorated with lazos. The upper and lower doors are decorated in a similar fashion: an eight-lazo wheel inscribed in a square. The decoration of the central part is more complex: a ten-spoke wheel in the centre flanked by two identical half-wheels. The internal decoration is similar. The exterior paint has mostly disappeared, although a recent restoration process has discovered some colours: blues, reds, white and black. Conversely, the internal painting (ceilings and friezes) is perfectly conserved and is of exceptional quality. The ceilings are decorated with octagons arranged around their vertices, and white circles on a black background, while the friezes are decorated with poly-lobed arches drawn with thick white lines around similar knotwork structures. The corners are decorated with plant arabesques and lower down the inscription 'prosperity' is repeated in *kufic* characters.","short_description":"This piece is one of the few surviving wardrobes from the Middle Ages. As is often the case, it came from a religious building. The influence of Nasrid carpentry is clear in the assembly of the parts and the geometric lines that decorate the wardrobe.","type":"Woodwork, wardrobe, wood","holder":"National Archaeological Museum.","dates":"Late 15th century.","location":"Madrid","dimensions":"Height 265 cm, width 163 cm, depth 68.6 cm.","method_for_datation":"From the characteristic distribution of the panels and the painting style.","method_for_provenance":"Its origin is recorded on file, but there are no other details. This wardrobe is the twin of another held at the Institute of Valencia de Don Juan, Madrid, also originally from the convent of Santa Ursula, and very similar to a third at the Museum of Decorative Arts, Madrid.","provenance":"Convent of Santa Ursula, Toledo, Spain.","obtention":"The piece came to the National Archaeological Museum on 30 June 1930. It was purchased from the house of V. Bertrand by resolution of the Executive Committee for the Defence of National Art Treasures, after its export was prohibited.","bibliography":"Camps Cazorla, E., *Armario morisco procedente de Toledo*, Madrid: Museo Arqueológico Nacional, 1931.  \nFranco Mata, Á., “Antigüedades Cristianas del Siglo VIII al XV”, in *Guía General del Museo Arqueológico Nacional*, Vol. II, Madrid: Ministerio de Cultura, 1992: 98.  \nFranco Mata, Á, “Mobiliario Medieval en el Museo Arqueológico Nacional”, *Boletín del Museo Arqueológico Nacional*, Vol. XV (1997): 175–97.  \nGierlichs, J., “Eine Nasridsche Holzarbeit im Museum für Islamische Kunst in Berlin”, in *Al-Andalus und Europa: Zwischen Orient und Okzident*, Petersberg: Michael Imhof Verlag, 2004: 372.","linkcatalogs":"IAM_ES_EN_001","author":"Ángela Franco","copy_editor":"Rosalía Aller","translator":"Laurence Nunny","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["carving","furnishing","Mudéjar","Toledo","Wardrobe","wood"],"materials":["carving","freehand painting.","Pine"]},"d637d366-909f-55c1-86c7-bd60b9d571e9":{"name":"Water flask","description":"A wooden oval flask with metal edges decorated with zigzag (sawtooth) and wavy branch motifs. The body is ornamented with domed studs and rosettes of multi-petaled flowers with zigzag borders and simple cross-hatched lozenges. Metal fittings include rings for suspension. It features two cylindrical necks (one small, one large, pierced), with covers. One attached by a chain, the other missing.","type":"Flask","holder":"Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim Al Thani Museum FBQ Museum","dates":"Late AH 13th century / AD 19th century","location":"Ash-Shahaniyah, Qatar","dimensions":"Width: 12cm, Height: 32cm","provenance":"Hijaz","copy_editor":"Zeina Al Amad","keywords":["flask","water","wood"],"materials":["metal sheathing","Wood"]},"d6ede956-3098-5ac6-8afc-b9788d8dd31f":{"name":"The first postmaster's office in Tunis, 1892","description":"The objects assembled in this room all date to the late 19th century and belong to a set of urban Tunisian furnishings. These articles were all part of Tunis' first municipal postmaster's office. They consist of four chairs and a bench in painted wood, centred around a two-layered desk, painted in a floral motif on a pale blue background. Behind, a shelving unit, painted in the same style. This furnishing set shows evidence of traditional Tunisian, Turkish and various European influences.","type":"Woodwork; furniture","holder":"Musée des Postes, Télégraphes et Télécommunications","dates":"19th century","location":"Tunis","author":"Saloua Zangar","translator":"Flaminia Baldwin"},"da8131c4-37b0-5710-a8a7-07aeac9637d5":{"name":"Mughal Cabinet","alternate_name":"Contador Mughal","description":"During the first half of the 16th century, the Indian sub-continent was confronted by two new foreign presences: the Portuguese, who had dominion over the coastal regions and, in the north, the forces that would later become the vast empire of the Mughals. Among the Mughal Emperors, Akbar (r. 1556–1605) stands out. He consolidated his rule and, having gained stability and subsequently reorganised the imperial finances, he demanded from his workshops creations of extraordinary quality. Akbar understood the complex reality of India with its roots in both Hindu and Islamic traditions. The imperial workshops, therefore, produced hybrid objects to reflect this reality, but also revealed the strong artistic influences of the Portuguese missionaries (namely the Jesuits), and of the Chinese and European merchants. Such were Akbar's curiosity and interest in the Christian religion of the Portuguese and their art, that he requested the civil and ecclesiastical authorities in Goa to send a Jesuit mission to his court. A refined artistic style resulted from this fusion, seen not only in paintings but also in textiles, metalwork, clothing and furniture.  \nThis magnificent piece of furniture takes as its prototype Portuguese cabinets which had inspired those made in Goa. The decoration and the materials used are, however, from Mughal sources. The front of the cabinet is inlaid and symmetrical in 12 sections; each section a drawer decorated with human figures among vegetation in either courtly scenes or with animals. The doors are decorated with the Tree of Life, among which branches are mythical birds and elephants. Significantly, beneath, are Portuguese figures – indicated by their clothing – hunting on horseback with long lances.  \nThis cabinet clearly shows the crossover between cultures and illustrates the luxurious items available among the European courts.","short_description":"The term Mughal defines the dynasty founded in 1526 by Babur in Northern India and also signifies objects produced by the imperial workshops where several influences from different areas of the empire and from Portuguese missionaries combined. Based on Portuguese cabinets made in Goa, the material and the decoration are typically Mughal. Significantly, on the bottom of the doors, Portuguese figures – indicated by their clothing – are hunting on horseback with long lances.","type":"Domestic furniture","holder":"National Museum of Ancient Art","owner":"Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga","initial_owner":"Col. Burnay","dates":"16th–17th century","location":"Lisbon, Lisbon","dimensions":"H: 140 cm; l: 142 cm; w: 60 cm (including feet)","place_of_production":"Sind or Gujarat","method_for_datation":"By stylistic analysis","obtention":"Acquisition in 1936","bibliography":"Maclagan, E., *Os Jesuítas e o Grão-Mogol*, (trans. A. A. Dória), Porto, 1946.  \nSilva, M. C., “Obras de arte indo-portuguesas de carácter mongólico,” *Garcia de Orta*, Lisbon, 1972.  \nOkada, A. F., Richard, F., Cohen M., *A la Cour du Grand Moghol*, Paris, 1986.  \nPinto, M., Mendes, H., “Art Mogol,” in *Via Orientalis*, *Europalia/91 Portugal*, Brussels 1991, pp. 143–8.  \nJaffer, A., *Luxury Goods from India*, London, 2002.  \nBorges, de Sousa, C., *Encompassing the globe: Portugal and the World in the 16th and 17th centuries*, Washington, 2007, pp. 122–123.","workshop":"Indo-Portuguese furniture with Mughal influence","copyright":"Copyright images: Divisão de Documentação Fotográfica/ Instituto dos  Museus e da Conservação,I.P.","author":"Conceição Borges de Sousa","translator":"Jane Lusaka","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["animal decoration","court life","furnishing","human representation","hunting scene","imaginary animal","India","inlay","Jesuit","mission","Mughal","royal workshop","tree of life","vegetal decoration"],"materials":["and brass fittings","feet inlaid and carved","Indian rosewood and other exotic woods","lacquer","natural and dyed ivory","Teak"]},"db39b375-c70e-50cc-84c8-684cd0ce707f":{"name":"Pencase","short_description":"The pencase is adorned with a characteristic decoration consisting of amorphous, leaf-like structures that are entwined together. In their entirety, they are reminiscent of spiral tendrils. Three slightly raised, copper-coloured cartouches “float” on top of this greenish-yellow ground. They are filled with a wave decoration that resembles the guilloche pattern of European goldsmiths.  \n  \nAs far as we know today, this decoration was developed by Rajab ʿAli in the first half of the 19th century, with Abu Talib later taking up the style and making it famous. The pencase exhibited here was probably made by a copyist.  \n  \nAccording to an inscription on the top, the work was ordered by a man named Hasan.","type":"Pencase","holder":"Museum Rietberg","initial_owner":"Private collection, Switzerland","dates":"Hegira 1255-1285 / AD 1840-1870","location":"Zurich","dimensions":"Length: 21.3cm, Height: 3.6cm, Width: 3.7cm","method_for_datation":"By comparison with similar dated works.","method_for_provenance":"Old museum inventory.","provenance":"Iran","obtention":"Gift","bibliography":"Khalili, Nasser, Robinson, B.W., and Stanley, Tim, “The Abu Talib style,” *Lacquer of the Islamic Lands*, vol 1, London: The Nour Foundation in association with Azimuth Editions and Oxford University Press, 1996: esp. 222-231.","author":"Axel Langer","copy_editor":"Jonathan Turnbull","materials":["lacquer","Opaque watercolour","Papier maché"]},"db9d64b9-ba34-55d1-a83a-84be84dad32d":{"name":"Zamora Cathedral chest.","description":"Prismatic chest made of overlapping nailed boards and covered with thin plates of ivory on a wood base. At the end of the AH 10th / AD 16th century, the smooth ends were unskilfully painted with children playing and other decorations, indicating that it was reused, undoubtedly for religious purposes, particularly as it was found in a cathedral. The borders around the plates are separate metal sheets that, until their restoration in 1991, were in a precarious condition. They bear abundant Islamic decoration engraved in lobed plaques, with dogs and leopards chasing gazelles, hares fleeing from dogs, birds with stylised vegetal decoration on blue backgrounds tinged with red and green. Certain broad-leafed shoots are reminiscent of Sassanid themes. The silver-gilt handle, placed in the middle of the lid, elegantly mimics two leaves. The hinges are finished with embossed plates made of the same material and their long convex bars, covered with exquisite niello work, trace the shapes of undulating branches, dots and disks of chiselled silver. The base is decorated with marquetry work in a two-cross design using rosewood and boxwood. An inscription in *kufic* characters that runs around all four sides of the lid asks for God's blessing upon Muhammad and wishes good fortune and happiness upon the owner of the object. The piece has recently been linked to Seville because of the style of the inscribed characters. A number of parchment documents, containing tales and drawings of birds and a person, link it to late 12th-centurySicilian art, which contradicts another hypothesis that dates the piece to the late 11th century.","short_description":"Example of the reuse of a Muslim object. Paintings of children and angels playing were added in the late AH 10th / AD 16th century to the Andalusian-style decoration consisting of lobed plaques with animals and a border inscribed in *kufic* characters wishing good luck and happiness to the owner of the chest.","type":"Woodwork, chest, wood","holder":"National Archaeological Museum.","dates":"Hegira 6th century / AD 12th century.","location":"Madrid","dimensions":"Height 23.5 cm, height without lid 13.3 cm, width 31.5 cm, depth 20 cm.","method_for_datation":"From the delicate engraving technique used for the animals.","method_for_provenance":"The characters in the inscription that runs around the lid have led this chest to be linked to Seville.","provenance":"Seville, Spain.","obtention":"The piece was bought for the National Archaeological Museum from Juan Lafora y Calatayud in 1913.","bibliography":"Ferrandis, J., *Marfiles árabes de Occidente*, Madrid, 1935–40, p.119.  \nFranco Mata, á., “Arqueta”, in *Marfiles y Esmaltes Medievales y Renacentistas en España*, Exhibition catalogue, Madrid, pp.34–5, cat. no. 17.  \nGómez Moreno, M., *Catálogo Monumental de España. Provincia de Zamora (1903–1905)*, Madrid, 1927, I, pp.79–80  \nZozaya, J., “Unos Dibujos Sículo-árabes”, in *Al-Andalus und Europa. Zwischen Orient und Okzident,* Petersberg, 2004, pp.101–6.","author":"Ángela Franco","copy_editor":"Rosalía Aller","translator":"Laurence Nunny","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["animal decoration","engraving","figurative decoration","Figurative representation","ivory","kufic","niello","polychrome decoration","relief decoration","wood","zoomorphic imagery"],"materials":["Engraving","ivory","niello","polychromy.","relief work","Silver","Wood"]},"dbaf64d8-8c35-5357-b8f2-f283d7c34f4d":{"name":"Damascus Room","short_description":"The room was dismantled intact from a courtyard home in the al-Bahsa quarter of Damascus, which was torn down in 1978 to make way for a road. Except for its paneled wood ceiling, which has not survived, the room is largely in its original state, with one of the best-preserved painted surfaces—including brilliant pinks, oranges, blues, and greens—of any similar room of the period. As is characteristic, it is comprised of colorful stone floor tiles, painted and carved wood walls, elaborate cupboard doors and storage niches, a high arch of plaster voussoirs decorated with stone paste inlays, which served to divide the room into upper and lower sections separated by a single, tall step; and unusually, an intricately inlaid stone wall fountain with a carved and painted stone hood. Much of the painted wood surfaces are embellished with a particular type of relief decoration known in Arabic as al-‘ajami, which is typical of the period. This technique produces raised designs of gypsum (mixed with glue), which are then covered with metal leaf, colored glazes, and matte paint. A calligraphic band of Arabic poetry, abridged from the Hamziyya, by the Egyptian poet Sharaf al-Din Muhammad b. Sa‘id al-Busiri (d.c., 696/1297), circumscribes the upper register of the walls. The main floral decoration is likely based on textile designs, while the room’s cornices incorporate detailed depictions of platters of fruit and pastry. Click \\[here\\](< https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TY90jtuEFBs>) to \\*\\*watch a video presentation\\*\\* of this artefact.","type":"Architecture; Architectural Elements","holder":"Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA)","dates":"Hegira 1180 / AD 1766–67","location":"Los Angeles","dimensions":"Installation: 609.6 × 457.2 × 600cm","method_for_datation":"The room bears a dated inscription on one of the cornices: Hegira 1180 / AD 1766-67. Although it remained in use in situ for over 200 years, the main decorative elements were not altered. The pilasters, dado and all other structural elements are modern replacements.","method_for_provenance":"Apart from information regarding the room's original location in a house in the al Bahsa section of Damascus, the overall style, materials and technique are typical of 18th-century Damascus.","provenance":"Syria, Damascus","obtention":"Constructed for a home in al-Bahsa, Damascus subsequently belonging to the family of Mohamad Salim El Mourabeh (b. 1932), until 1978 (removed from); home destroyed in 1978 (sold to); Mikhael Daher Al Haddad (b. 1920) and by descent, Daher Haddad (birth/death date unknown), Junyeh, Lebanon, until 2014 (sold to); LACMA (through Robert Haber & Associates, New York) in 2014. Conservation of the room was organized in partnership with the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture; additional conservation support was provided by the Friends of Heritage Preservation.","bibliography":"Komaroff, Linda, *Beauty and Identity: Islamic Art from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art*, Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 2016: 20-31; 287-297, figs. 3a, 3b, 4, 5.  \nKomaroff, Linda, *Collecting Islamic Art at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art: A Curatorial Perspective*, Los Angeles: Art Catalogues; LACMA, 2017: 10-16.  \nKomaroff, Linda, \"A Damascus Room in Los Angeleles,\" in Robert Hillenbrand (ed), *The Making of Islamic Art: Studies in Honour of Sheila Blair and Jonathan Bloom*, Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2020 (In Press).","author":"LACMA Staff","keywords":["Ajami","Ajami room","Aleppo room","Arabic inscription","architectural decoration","calligraphy","ceramic","Damascus room","domestic furnishing","geometric decoration","geometric patterns","interior ornament","Ottoman architecture","painted wooden wall paneling","Syrian craft","wood paneling"],"materials":["and multicolored stones","glazes and paint","Marble","plaster with stone paste inlays","tin and brass leaf","Wood (poplar) with gesso relief"]},"dd57b7f5-40c3-5332-a75c-8e83bd4d0d32":{"name":"Floor mirror","short_description":"A large, rectangular, bevelled mirror is set into a white painted wood frame with carved ivory inlaid around the front of the mirror. The ivory is carved with linear bands of lotus motifs with petals at the finials and center seams. Vertical dowels have a cube at the center with a dragon head pin, used to hold the mirror in place. Legs on both sides extend to the front and back in a curving animal form with tiger heads, feathered bodies, and claw feet on ivory casters.","type":"Islamic, Indian & Southeast Asian works of art; decoration object","holder":"Shangri La, Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art","dates":"Hegira early 13th century / AD early 19th century","location":"Honolulu, Hawai'i","dimensions":"Overall: 69.5 x 71.1 x 45.4 cm","provenance":"Northern India","keywords":["furnishing","India","ivory","mirror","wood"],"materials":["ivory","mirror","Wood"]},"df4709cd-ab73-5f8f-9d79-ecac52cd3487":{"name":"Damascus Room","short_description":"The Damascus Room is a residential winter reception chamber (*qa‘a*) typical of the late Ottoman period. Among the earliest extant, nearly complete interiors of its kind, the room’s large scale and refined decoration suggest that it was part of the house of an affluent family. Poetry inscribed on the walls indicates that the patron was Muslim and possibly a member of the religious elite who claimed descent from the Prophet Muhammad. Because wealthy homeowners periodically refurbished reception rooms in accordance with shifting trends, Damascene houses and their interiors rarely date to a single building phase. Although an inscription dates most of the woodwork to 1707, alterations were made to the room in subsequent years.","type":"Reproductions","holder":"The Metropolitan Museum of Art","dates":"Dated Hegira 1119 / AD 1707","location":"New York","dimensions":"H: 671.6cm, W: 509.2cm, D: 804.2cm [from inside front entrance to back wall]","provenance":"Damascus, Syria","obtention":"Gift of The Hagop Kevorkian Fund, 1970  \nFormer owner \\[dealer\\]: \\[Asfar and Sarkis, Damascus, Syria, until early 1930s; sold to Kevorkian\\]  \nFormer owner: Hagop Kevorkian, New York (early 1930s–d. 1962)  \nFormer owner: Kevorkian Foundation, New York (1962–70; gifted to MMA)","bibliography":"Burn, Barbara (ed), *Masterpieces of the Metropolitan Museum of Art*, New York/Boston: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1993: 90-91, ill. (colour).  \nCampbell, Thomas P. (ed), *The Metropolitan Museum of Art Guide*, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2012: 142-143, ill. (colour).  \nDaskalakis-Matthews, Annie Christine, \"Pearls from Water Rubies from Stone: Studies in Islamic Art in Honor of Priscilla Soucek,\" in Linda Komaroff and Jaclynne Kerner (eds), *Artibus Asiae, Vol. 66/2. Festschriften*, Zurich: Artibus Asiae Publishers, 2006: 69-96, ill. figs. 19, 20, 24. Mamluk Elements in the Damascene Decorative System of the 18th and 19th centuries by Annie-Christine Daskalakis-Mathews.  \nEkhtiar, Maryam, Canby, Shelia R., Haidar, Navina and Soucek, Priscilla P. (eds), *Masterpieces from the Department of Islamic Art in The Metropolitan Museum of Art*, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2011: no. 238, 7,13, 14, 333-337, ill. 335 (colour).  \nEkhtiar, Maryam and Moore, Claire (ed), *Art of the Islamic World. A Resource for Educators*, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2012: 186-187, ill. pl. 38 (colour).  \nEttinghausen, Richard, \"Islamic Art\", *Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin*, 33/1 (Spring 1975): ill. 40-1 (colour).  \nde Montebello, Philippe and Howard, Kathleen (ed), The Metropolitan Museum of Art Guide, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1992: 327, ill. fig. 37 (colour).  \nPeck, Amelia and Daskalakis-Mathews, Annie-Christine, *Period Rooms in the Metropolitan Museum of Art*, New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1996: 287–95, ill.  \nSwietochowski, Marie and Jenkins-Madina, Marilyn, *Notable Acquisitions 1965–1975*, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1975: 141, ill. (b/w).  \nWelch, Stuart Cary, *The Islamic World. Vol. 11*, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1987: 126-127, ill. fig. 97 (colour).","copyright":"The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of The Hagop Kevorkian Fund, 1970","keywords":["Ajami room","Aleppo room","Arabic inscription","architectural decoration","brass","calligraphy","carpentry","ceramic tiles","Damascus room","domestic furnishing","fountain","geometric decoration","geometric patterns","gold","gold leaf","interior ornament","marble","metalwork","Mother-of-pearl","Ottoman architecture","painted wooden wall paneling","stucco","Syrian tiles","wood paneling"],"materials":["and mulberry)","brass","glazes and paint","gold and tin leaf","Iron","marble and other stones","mother-of-pearl","plaster ceramic tiles","Poplar","stucco with glass","wood (cypress","Wood (poplar) with gesso relief"]},"dfe32ab1-3f2d-5b86-a9eb-e9b6f8d8f2a4":{"name":"Comb.","description":"A comb, approximately square in shape, which has fine teeth on one edge and thick ones on the other. In the area between the two sets of teeth there is a thin rectangular field, embellished with a circle in the middle, and two framed rectangular areas that are incised. In the centre of the circle is a blazon in the form of a *fleur-de-lys*. On the two sides of the circle are two depressed triangular zones, inside of which are three tiny concentric circles, executed by using a stamping device on the front and the back of the comb's side edges. There is an inscription written in *naskhi* script and carved in high relief that reads: 'Eternal Glory and Prosperity'. A series of tiny scattered circles intermingle with the inscription. The comb has similar decorations on the front and back.  \nThe section between the two sets of teeth is considered to be the most important. The craftsman was able to show off his skill by employing a variety of epigraphic, geometric and vegetal motifs; depictions of living creatures such as birds and fish were also included. The central section of the comb was also often embellished with a blazon of the person for whom it was made: *fleur-de-lys*, a goblet, a pack or clothes' bundle (the blazon of the person responsible for the sultan's wardrobe) or a polo stick. Studies of the decorative styles and production techniques used on the central sections of combs have certainly helped enormously in the dating of them.  \nSome of the more curious inscriptions recorded on these combs include: 'I am a comb made to comb none but the beautiful'; 'May God dispose in the best way'; 'He who hides my secret, is my master'. Some inscriptions indicate that combs were designated specifically for the use of women. Besides combs for the hair, there were combs with teeth on one side only, which were used to straighten the beard. In his work *Al-Khitat* (1853), the author and historian, al-Maqrizi refers to a *suq* that specialised in the manufacture and sale of combs, called Suq al-Amshatiyyin (the Market of the Comb-Sellers). He located the *suq* between the Madrasa Salihiyya and the Suq al-Sagha (the Market of the Goldsmiths) in Cairo.","short_description":"Combs were used for grooming a woman's hair or a man's beard. Some, like this one, had a set of teeth at each end. In most cases combs were decorated with incised geometrical, vegetal, animal, fish or bird shapes or blazons and inscriptions.","type":"Comb, wood","holder":"Museum of Islamic Art","dates":"Hegira 8th century / AD 14th century.","location":"Cairo","dimensions":"Length 7.5 cm, width 7.5 cm.","method_for_datation":"The comb was dated according to the style of the inscription on it, which resembles recorded inscriptions on other Mamluk objects. In addition, the widespread use of the depiction of the *fleur-de-lys* on Mamluk objects points to a Mamluk-period piece. Furthermore, the decoration on this comb, together with the design and execution, closely complements other such combs in the collection at the Museum of Islamic Art in Cairo, some of which carry the names of Mamluk amirs.","method_for_provenance":"The comb was uncovered during an archaeological excavation in Fustat, Egypt, and it would appear to have been the property of a merchant. It is worth mentioning that a large number of combs have been discovered in archaeological expeditions in Fustat as well as in other cities in Egypt.","provenance":"Cairo, Egypt.","obtention":"The comb was bought by the Museum from an antiquities dealer in 1912.","bibliography":"The object is unpublished but the reader may find interesting reading in the following:  \nAbdel Azim, R., and Sayour, S., “Parfums et cosmétiques dans le monde arabo-musulman”, *Catalogue d'exposition*, Cairo-Paris-Marseilles, 2002.  \nAl-Maqrizi, *Al-mawā'iz wa'l-i'tibār bi-dhikr al-khiţaţ wa'l-āthār \\[Exhortations and Contemplation of the Recollection of Plans and Monuments\\],* 2 vols, Cairo, 1853.  \nHamdi, A. M., *Mu'addat al-Tajmil bi-Mathaf al-Fan al-Islami \\[Cosmetic Implements at the Museum of Islamic Art\\],* Cairo, 1959.","linkcatalogs":"IAM_EG_EN_001","author":"Salah Sayour","copy_editor":"Majd Musa","translator":"Amal Sachedina (from the Arabic).","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["comb","cosmetic","epigraphic decoration","geometric decoration","high relief","incision","naskhi script","wood"],"materials":["decorated in high relief and incised.","Wood"]},"dfeaa5f1-63bf-55dd-a784-98bce952f149":{"name":"Minbar.","description":"A wooden *minbar*; a double door (surmounted by a *muqarnas* frieze with traces of painted floral decoration) opens to a staircase of seven steps, at the top of which is a small landing topped by an onion-shaped dome. Almost all the exterior surfaces of the minbar are decorated with geometric patterns using wood inlaid with ivory plaques like a mosaic. Some of these patterns are quite bold, such as the 16-pointed stars and polygons on the triangular side panels, while others are more dense and complex, such as the pattern on the twin doors of the entryway. The *minbar* bears several inscriptions on carved wood or ivory panels. Some are Qur'anic verses; for example, 33:56 and 16:90 (respectively) are found above the front and back of the *minbar* doors. Other inscriptions praise Sultan Qaytbay and wish him a long reign.  \n  \nThis *minbar* would have been used in one of the many mosques that Qaytbay either had built or renovated during his sultanate, although it is not known which one. This is one of the last Mamluk minbars to use ivory, as economic conditions made it a prohibitively expensive material in the final years of the dynasty.","short_description":"A wooden *minbar* (pulpit) with extensive all-over decoration including geometric patterns formed of inlaid ivory. This was probably used in one of the many mosques founded or renovated by Sultan Qaytbay, who presided over a period of great economic and artistic revival in the Mamluk lands.","type":"Woodwork","holder":"Victoria and Albert Museum.","dates":"Around hegira 872–901 / AD 1468–96.","location":"London, England","dimensions":"Height 708 cm, width 113 cm, depth 304 cm","method_for_datation":"Inscriptions on the *minbar* name Qaytbay as Sultan and imply that he is still alive ('may God extend his rule'). Thus the *minbar* is dated to his regnal dates, AH 872–901 / AD 1468–96.","method_for_provenance":"How was provenance for object established: Cairo was the Mamluk capital and thus the likeliest place that an object of such quality would have been made.","provenance":"Probably Cairo.","obtention":"Purchased by the Museum in 1869 from the collection of Dr Meymar.","bibliography":"Atil, E., *Renaissance of Islam: Art of the Mamluks*, Washington, DC, 1981, pp.195–6.  \n  \nPhilips, T., *Africa: The Art of a Continent: 100 Works of Power and Beauty*, New York, 1996, cat. no. 7.67.  \n  \nStanley, T., with Rosser-Owen, M. and Vernoit, S., *Palace and Mosque: Islamic Art from the Middle East*, London, 2004, pp.100–101.","linkcatalogs":"IAM_EG_EN_001","author":"Barry Wood","copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["calligraphy","geometric decoration","inscription","Mosque interior decoration","religious object"],"materials":["Wood inlaid with ivory and bone."]},"e0dd9b89-fd8e-5b2e-a57e-fda48b2a6792":{"name":"*Peškun*","description":"Оctagonal *peškun* (Tr. *peşkun*) decorated with floral and geometric motifs, each side having a blossom branch ornament that rests on a pointed draped arch at the bottom spreading to the top of a side. A heart-shaped branch has a flower at the top, while its bottom makes a central part of an opening in the shape of braces. The leaves surround the branch and are placed in a horizontal rectangular field at the top of the side as well. Eight sides carry an octagonal plate at the top with a central flower and floral motifs that surround it. The inner octagonal of the plate’s edge is decorated with leaves. All ornaments are made of mother-of-pearl and brass wire using the incrustation technique, while the edge of the octagonal top plate is ornamented with bone. Peškun is the name of a traditional piece of Ottoman furniture in the shape of a table or stool, originally meant for sitting, although it had different purposes throughout history, especially as a decorative table in Balkan oriental interiors of the 19th and of the first half of the 20th century. Over time, the larger table in the set (of usually three pieces) began to be used as a coffee table, while the smaller ones were used as stools. The *Peškun* was ordinarily made of walnut wood, ornamented with incrusted floral and geometric motifs made of mother of pearl and bone.","type":"Table","holder":"Museum of Applied Art","dates":"Hegira late 13th–early 14th century / AD late 19th century–early 20th century","location":"Belgrade","dimensions":"Height: 49.5cm, width: 43cm","place_of_production":"Austria-Hungary, possibly Sarajevo","method_for_datation":"By stylistic analysis, material, technique, and analogy with other similar examples.","obtention":"Purchased in 1951.","author":"Ana Samardžić","keywords":["incrustation","Ottoman Balkans","peškun","side table","stool"],"materials":["Bone","brass","incrustation","mother-of-pearl","Walnut"]},"e0f43983-a8c9-5141-b857-a481b15f6d1d":{"name":"*Ashari Balam*","description":"The *ashari Balam* is the iconic boat of Basra, with a graceful shape and distinctive scroll-shaped stem head, pictured on many postcards and photographs of the British Mandate era (AH 1339-1351 / AD 1920-1932) that celebrated Basra’s reputation as “the Venice of the East”. The *ashari* may be either punted (propelled by pole), rowed, or sailed. It is not coated with tar, but caulked.  \n  \nThere are three main boat types known as “*ashari*” (named after the al-Ashar area of Basra): the open water *ashari*, often under sail, a working boat that carried cargo; the marsh *ashari*, which is wider and used for net fishing and cargo; and the canal *ashari*, mainly used for passenger transportation and leisure trips, comparable in its function to the Gondola of Venice. Some of the latter type were fitted with canopies or shaded booths.  \n  \nProduction continued into at least the AH 1400s / AD 1980s with a design that had changed little since the Ottoman era. The canal *ashari* can be considered as the last of the “gondolas” of Iraq, a category of boats that may have existed continuously since (at least) the early Islamic period: the historian al-Shabushti (AH 4th / AD 10th century) described how the people of Baghdad travelled in pleasure boats where they enjoyed playing music and games, eating and drinking. Even as far back as the 4th millennium BC (Uruk 3 period), a Sumerian boat with the characteristics of a gondola – a small but luxurious passenger craft – was depicted a cylinder seal impression found in the wetlands of Uqair in Diyala.  \n  \nSafina Projects has made extensive studies of these boat types, including models of several variants and full-sized reconstructions of the canal *ashari* and the open water *ashari*, which have been returned to use on Basra’s waterfront. The latter (pictured here) was built in AH 1444-43 / AD 2022-23 by Basra maritime historian Asaad Dawood in consultation with an experienced local boatbuilder, drawing on Rashad Salim’s research into archival imagery of the *ashari* and oral history interviews with former boatbuilders.","type":"Boat (scale model)","holder":"Open Museum Initiative for Water Cultures","owner":"Safina Projects CIC","initial_owner":"Safina Projects CIC","dates":"AH 1444/ AD 2022","location":"Basra","dimensions":"Length: 11m, beam length: 1.5m, minimum height: 0.6m, prow height: 1.15m","method_for_datation":"Production was supervised by current owner.","method_for_provenance":"Production was supervised by current owner.","provenance":"Basra, Iraq","obtention":"Made in workshop organised by Safina Projects.","bibliography":"Al-Behadli, J., 'The Ark for Iraq Programme: the Experience of Safina Projects in the Study of Traditional Boats and their Revitalisation', *Al-Turath al-Sha’bi*, (2024), 325 \\[Published in Arabic\\].  \n  \nRitter, H., 'Mesopotamische Studien', *Der Islam: Zeitschrift für Geschichte und Kultur des Islamischen Orients* (1919).","author":"Hannah Lewis","keywords":["basketry","boat","Transport","Watercraft"],"materials":["carpentry","caulking","Pine wood (Russian import)","teak wood (Javanese import)"]},"e144c07e-081a-52eb-91fc-9fd067a8b179":{"name":"*Motherhood*","type":"Sculpture","holder":"National Museum of Oman","owner":"National Museum of Oman","dates":"AH 1402–03 /AD 1982","location":"Muscat","dimensions":"Height: 80cm","place_of_production":"Oman","provenance":"Local acquisition, purchasing AD 2018","obtention":"Local acquisition program (purchased 2018).","copy_editor":"Alvaro Miranda","materials":["Teak Wood"]},"e1a05d50-90fe-5598-b556-5c2fb0929803":{"name":"Door from the Dome of the Rock.","description":"A door made up of two halves identical in width and height. The door is constructed in wood with the outer panels plated with copper, and the inside left unplated. Each of the doors is surrounded by a copper frame that forms a surround of simple copper decoration consisting of small panels. Polygons fixed at the four corners by copper nails and with a fifth nail at the centre, cover the two surfaces of the doors completely. At the bottom, top and outer sides of each door, and in the transitional area of the decoration with the borders, there is ornamentation consisting of half polygons and triangles. On the inner, middle sides of the doors there are inscriptions written in Mamluk *thuluth* script in an elongated style and repeated twice, these read: “Sultan of Islam and Muslims, Destroyer of Polytheists, Reviver of Justice in the World, al-Malik al-Ashraf Abu al-Nasr Qaytbay, May God strengthen his triumph”.At the top of the door a later inscription commemorates restoration work that took place in AH 946 / AD 1540 under the aegis of Sultan Sulayman, the Magnificent (r. AH 926–74 / AD 1520–66).  \nIt is worth mentioning that this is one of three similar doors acquired by the Islamic Museum. All three are in excellent condition perhaps on account of the restorations Sultan Sulayman presided over. The doors were transferred from the Dome of the Rock during restoration work in the 1960s, when the doors were replaced by new custom-made wooden doors that were crafted in Jerusalem. The fourth Mamluk door is still *in situ* at the Dome of the Rock.","short_description":"A door of two halves identical in width and height and made of wood with the outer panels completely plated with copper. The name of Sultan al-Ashraf Qaytbay appears on the door as well as the name of Sultan Sulayman the Magnificent who ordered the restoration of the door.","type":"Door, copper","holder":"Islamic Museum, al-Aqsa Mosque / al-Haram al-Sharif.","initial_owner":"Al-Malik al-Ashraf Abu al-Nasr Qaytbay (r. 872–901 / AD 1468–96).","dates":"Hegira 872–901 / AD 1468–96.","location":"Jerusalem","dimensions":"Height 445 cm, width 274 cm, depth 15 cm.","method_for_datation":"The door was dated based on the inscription on it which alludes to Sultan al-Ashraf Abu al-Nasr Qaytbay.","method_for_provenance":"Jerusalem was narrowed down as the place of manufacture because a door such as this would have had to been made in a workshop on site.","provenance":"Jerusalem.","obtention":"The piece was transferred from the Dome of the Rock to the Islamic Museum in around 1960.","bibliography":"Al-'Arif, A., *Tarikh Qubbat al-Sakhra wa al-Masjid al-Aqsa \\[The History of the Dome of the Rock and al-Aqsa Mosque\\],* Jerusalem, 1955.  \nAl-Hanbali, Mujir al-Din, (d. 927 / 1520), *Al-Uns al-Jalil bi Tarikh al-Quds wa al-Khalil \\[The Significant Ambiance in the History of Jerusalem and Hebron\\],* Amman, 1973.","linkcatalogs":"IAM_EG_EN_001","author":"Nazmi Al-Ju'beh","copy_editor":"Majd Musa","translator":"Amal Sachedina (from the Arabic).","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Door","door of the Dome of the Rock","Mamluk door","Thuluth","wood","wood plated with copper"],"materials":["Copper-plated with carvings and lattice work."]},"e25a6015-7ec0-5c37-9571-2555b21065b7":{"name":"Cane of Krste Petkov Misirkov","description":"The book “On Macedonian Matters” by Krste Petkov Misirkov (1874–1926) provides the only comprehensive national program dealing with important national and political issues at the turn of the 20th century. The work of this great visionary and analyst was published for the purpose of drawing the attention of the European League of Nations to Macedonia, whose existence as separate nation was not recognized.","type":"Object for personal use; walking help","holder":"Museum of Macedonia","dates":"Early 20th century","location":"Skopje","author":"Nada Andonovska (author)","copy_editor":"Daniel de la Vega"},"e438f7f3-f994-5b2c-ac3c-df61c9c9dbff":{"name":"Vertical fixed-heddle loom","description":"A simple loom composed of two bars between which the warps are stretched. This type of loom is called a “back strap loom” because one bar is attached to a fixed object, and the other to the weaver usually as a strap around the back. The weaver leans back and their body weight is used to provide tension on the loom. To open the shed, the weaver relaxes tension on the warps and raises the heddles. The other shed is opened by simply drawing the shed roll toward the weaver. Both simple and complex textiles can be woven on this loom.","type":"Loom","holder":"Department of Antiquities","owner":"Department of Antiquities","dates":"Early 20th century","location":"Amman","dimensions":"L: 30cm, W: 40cm","method_for_datation":"Early 20th century treadle loom weavers from Syria and Palestine settled in Jordan. They produced rugs, saddle bags and other textiles.","provenance":"Amman","obtention":"Purchased","bibliography":"Ibrahim, Moawiyah, *et al.*, *Museum of Jordanian Heritage*, Amman-Jordan: Yarmouk University, 1988.","author":"Samia Khouri","copy_editor":"Lisa Kelman"},"e500a55c-8788-5600-85fa-bfffc127c785":{"name":"Two-man plow (*qiraz*)","description":"The *qiraz* is used to divide fields into manageable, level plots and to create water channels and basins in freshly ploughed soil. The channels are connected to the local *falaj* system, after which seeds are sown and irrigation can commence. The shovel-like blade is moved back and forth by two men working together in a steady rhythm.","type":"Two-man plow (*qiraz*)","holder":"National Museum of Oman","owner":"National Museum of Oman","dates":"AH 14th century / AD 20th century","location":"Muscat","dimensions":"Height: 4.5cm, length: 110cm, width: 33.7cm","place_of_production":"Oman","provenance":"Local acquisition","obtention":"Local acquisition.","copy_editor":"Alvaro Miranda","materials":["Wood and iron"]},"e517942c-70d7-57bc-a52b-35d6eeba7a6c":{"name":"Box","short_description":"By the second half of the 10th/16th century Ottoman woodworkers had begun to employ inlays of mother-of-pearl and tortoiseshell, two materials that are very hard to work with. The tortoiseshell was generally laid over metal foil to give it a lustrous quality, and mother-of-pearl plaques were frequently inlaid with black mastic to further emphasise their luminosity. Both techniques were used to enhance this boldly decorated box, which, like other such surviving boxes, was likely intended to store a precious manuscript. The main decoration is of a type known as *çintamani*, which was particularly associated with Ottoman court art. In this appealing design, three circles (sometimes accompanied by a double wavy line) are arranged to form an endless repeat pattern.","type":"Furnishings","holder":"Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA)","dates":"Hegira c. 1049 / AD c. 1640","location":"Los Angeles","dimensions":"22.2 x 33 x 22.2cm","method_for_datation":"The ornament and techniques link the box to the interior decoration of the Baghdad and Revan Pavilions at the Topkapi Saryi, Istanbul, from Hegira 1040s / AD 1630s, most notable their wood shutters and door panels veneered with mother-of-pearl, tortoiseshell, ebony and ivory.","method_for_provenance":"The *çintamani* decoration and inlays of mother-of-pearl and tortoiseshell indicate an Ottoman provenance.","provenance":"Turkey","obtention":"Possibly left Turkey by the 19th century, as suggested by the brass handles (now removed) and keyhole reflecting European workmanship. Nicholas Shaw Fine Art Ltd., until 2005 (sold to); LACMA, purchased with funds provided by the Art Museum Council in honor of the museum's 40th anniversary through the 2005 Collectors Committee.","bibliography":"Komaroff, Linda, *Lo Terrenal y lo divino: Arte islámico siglos VII al XIX Colección del Museo de Arte del Condado de Los Angeles*, Santiago, Chile: Centro Cultural La Moneda, 2015: 175, 177.  \nKomaroff, Linda, *Beauty and Identity: Islamic Art from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art*, Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 2016: 260.","author":"LACMA Staff","keywords":["chintamani","cintamani","court art","court life","inlay","ivory","Manuscripts","woodwork"],"materials":["and bone inlay","ivory","mother-of-pearl","tortoiseshell","Wood"]},"e54a1ead-e798-5108-9955-0d012c8ffe1a":{"name":"Sacrarium door.","description":"The originality of this magnificent door lies in that its design does not fully obey the wheel theory (the elements formed by the knotwork). The design is limited to the traditional pair of twelve-pointed stars in the centre. Several of the lines that make up the stars continue to form several large squares that focus the design. As additional decoration there are markedly Gothic leaves and flowers with considerable reliefwork and movement of planes, which endow the piece with rich contrasts of light. The background is painted blue, the strips in red and blue on the upper part of the sides and the beading in gold. The framework bears gilt letters on a blue background between two narrow gold lines, and the spaces between the vertical sides are painted in red. The translation of the Latin text in Gothic characters about the Passion reads 'Oh Jesus, our devotion, love and desire, the creator of all man and the Lord of time, to triumph you chose to take away our crimes with a cruel death'. The hinges and other fixtures are gilded. The back is constructed of elements identical in form and size to those on the front: the strips form the corresponding compartments, painted and gilded, with flowers also gilded.","short_description":"The Mudéjar craftsman who made this door expertly combined interlacing patterns from the Hispano-Muslim tradition with floral motifs. The decoration is framed with an inscription in Gothic script alluding to the Passion, in accordance with its original function in Jaen Cathedral.","type":"Woodwork, door, wood","holder":"National Archaeological Museum.","dates":"15th century.","location":"Madrid","dimensions":"Height 191cm, width 92cm, thickness 11cm.","method_for_datation":"Stylistic parallels with contemporary Mudéjar doors.","method_for_provenance":"The documents of sale state the origin as Jaen Cathedral. Its stylistic elements are also characteristic of Jaen doors.","provenance":"Jaen Cathedral, Spain.","obtention":"The piece was bought for the National Archaeological Museum from the Count of Almenas on 7 April 1927.","bibliography":"Camps Cazorla, E., “Puertas Mudéjares con Inscripción Eucarística”, *Archivo Español de Arte y Arqueología*, III, Madrid, 1927, pp.197–220.  \nFranco Mata, á., “Antigüedades Cristianas de los Siglos VIII al XV”, in *Guía del Museo Arqueológico Nacional*, 2nd edition, Madrid, 1993, p.101.","linkcatalogs":"IAM_ES_EN_001","author":"Ángela Franco","copy_editor":"Rosalía Aller","translator":"Laurence Nunny","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["carving","Door","gilding","Gothic","inscription","Jaen","Mudéjar","polychrome decoration","wood"],"materials":["carving","gilding.","polychromy","Wood"]},"e5f1c81b-4603-55ef-a255-2e21e07fd132":{"name":"House door.","description":"This house door consists of a heavy rectangular leaf, itself containing a smaller gate. It would have originally closed on an exterior frame that was fixed to the wall. It is fitted with a large wrought-iron strap hinge in the shape of twisted tridents that act as clamps. It is also fitted with two knockers, one on the gate, and the other on the door itself to enable men riding mules to knock without dismounting. Each one consists of a large square-section iron ring decorated with small carved motifs and mounted on a hemispherical support with a serrated edge. The nails, whose round heads followed the lines of frame and the cross-pieces, constitute the main decoration of the door, which is a prototype of Marinid and Nasrid house doors of rich and poor alike. This style continued to exist in almost all Moroccan towns until the middle of the 20th century, and the trident-shaped strap hinges remain a distinctive sign of the homes of families of Andalusian origin in Tetouan.","short_description":"This door is decorated with a wrought-iron strap hinge in the form of twisted tridents, which remained a distinctive sign of households of Andalusian origin in Tetouan until the mid-20th century.","type":"Woodwork, door, house, wood","holder":"Batha Museum.","dates":"Hegira 8th / AD 14th century.","location":"Fez.","dimensions":"Height 217 cm, length 110 cm.","method_for_datation":"The house from which the door came was from the Marinid era.","method_for_provenance":"Object salvaged from ruins.","provenance":"Fez.","obtention":"Salvage.","bibliography":"Gallotti, J., *Le jardin et la maison arabes au Maroc*, Vol. I, Paris, 1926.  \nMiège, J.-L., Benaboud, M. and Erzini, N., *Tétouan, ville andalouse*, Paris, 1996.","linkcatalogs":"IAM_MA_EN_001","author":"Naima El Khatib-Boujibar","copy_editor":"Margot Cortez","translator":"Laurence Nunny","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["civil architecture","geometric decoration"],"materials":["Wood and wrought iron."]},"e6f78f9b-4e8d-5e2b-9673-96d90aa7b3ff":{"name":"Pair of panels with an arabesque design","short_description":"A pair of identical panels with an arabesque consisting of two floral braids intertwining with each other on two levels. This type of arabesque with elongated leaves appears during the 12th century, and an example may be found on the portable *mihrab* of the Sayyida Nafisa mosque dated circa 1145-1156. However, the complex symmetrical structure of the ornamentation also recalls the *minbar* from the mosque of Sultan Lajin (AH 696 / AD 1296).","type":"Woodwork, panel, wood","holder":"Benaki Museum","dates":"Hegira 7th century / AD 13th century","location":"Athens","dimensions":"62 cm","provenance":"Egypt or Syria","keywords":["arabesque","panel","wood"],"materials":["Wood"]},"e78eac4c-6c8e-50e5-a207-fa39bdf93414":{"name":"Small table.","description":"A small table, rectangular in shape and on four legs, which consists of a tray clad with Delft earthenware tiles that feature floral decoration and are surrounded by an openwork band.  \nFour sides of this small table are covered by sculpted, turned and openwork panels featuring floral or vegetal motifs. In the corners, along the extension of the legs with which they form part, vertical cartouches feature inscriptions in cursive lettering; one of these reveals the name of the craftsman and the location of the object's manufacture through the phrase 'made by Ibn Hadj-la-B'lade al-Djazaïri'.  \nThe item of furniture is painted in a variety of colours, notably green, orange and gold.","short_description":"Rectangular four-legged table consisting of a top covered with Delft earthenware tiles with floral decoration surrounded by an openwork railing. There are carved panels on all four sides, and inscriptions in cursive characters on each of the corners. The piece is painted green and orange, and gilded.","type":"Woodwork, ceramic tile, furniture","holder":"National Museum of Antiquities and Islamic Arts","dates":"Hegira 925–1245 / AD 1519–1830.","location":"Algiers","dimensions":"Height 63 cm, length 83 cm.","method_for_datation":"From the style of manufacture and the decoration, as well as from the earthenware tiles of Delft, which were imported from Holland during the Ottoman era.","provenance":"Algiers.","bibliography":"Institut du Monde Arabe, *L'Algérie en héritage, art et histoire*, catalogue, Paris, 2003.  \nMarçais, G., *Le musée Stéphane Gsell, musée des antiquités et d'art musulman d'Alger*, Algiers, 1950.  \nMarye, G., *Catalogue du Musée national des antiquités algériennes*, Part 2, Algiers, 1899.","author":"Leila Merabet","copy_editor":"Margot Cortez","translator":"Maria Vlotides","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["cursive characters","floral decoration","furnishing","inscription","Ottoman","vegetal decoration"],"materials":["Cut out pieces of wood","earthenware tiles.","ornamented with openwork and painted"]},"e79d0da8-0e74-53d4-8df3-5ad805dd038d":{"name":"High Choir, Organs","description":"The dioceses of Braga and its archbishops was very important within the Catholic Church since the early Middle Ages, before the foundation of the Kingdom of Portugal, as well as throughout the Portuguese history namely in the Baroque period.  \nIn the North of Portugal during the 18th century there was an active workshop that provided important clients in accordance with the splendour and dignity of the court and religious life. Facing the need to replace the old choir stalls from the 16th century, Braga Cathedral commissioned Marceliano de Araújo and Miguel Francisco da Silva to design the monumental High Choir, the choir stalls and the gilded, carved wood organ cases in 1737.  \nThe whole set of the choir stalls made of carved and gilded wood includes two rows of seats, the cathedra for the Archbishop and in the centre a remarkable choir stand with the same decorative programme. Due to the major role of music within the Baroque Roman Catholic liturgy, Simão Fontanes was commissioned to build the mechanics of two impressive Baroque organs (1737-1738) with thousands of copper pipes, which are encased in magnificent cases made by Braga's woodcarver Marceliano de Araújo.  \nThe ceiling painting also belonging to this phase of the cathedral redecoration was executed by Manuel Furtado de Mendonça.  \nThe organs of the Braga Cathedral, commonly included within the category of the Iberian organs, are installed in two balconies over the central nave. The abundance of sculpture ornaments distributed from the base of the building to the top of the Cathedral allows us to include this artwork as one of the finest examples of the Baroque woodcarving in Portugal.","short_description":"The choir is located at the west end of the nave and includes two encased organs and choir stalls. They are an example of the work produced in the 18th century by the Northern Portuguese workshop to supply important clients in accordance with the dignity of the court and religious life.","type":"Ecclesiastical furniture and sculpture","holder":"Braga Cathedral","owner":"Braga Cathedral","initial_owner":"Braga Cathedral","dates":"1730-1739","location":"Braga, Braga","place_of_production":"Braga","method_for_datation":"Historical evidence and stylistic analysis","provenance":"Braga Cathedral","obtention":"In situ","bibliography":"Ferreira, J. A., *Fastos Episcopais da Igreja Primacial de Braga (séc. III - séc. XX)*, III, Braga, 1932.  \nSmith, C. R., *A Talha em Portugal*, Lisboa, 1963.  \nSmith, C. R., *Marceliano de Araújo – Escultor Bracarense*, Porto, 1970.  \nAlves, N. M. F., \"A actividade de pintores e douradores em Braga nos séculos XVII e XVIII\", in *Actas do IX Centenário da Dedicação da Sé de Braga*, vol. II/2, Braga, 1990.  \nDoderer, G., *Os Órgãos da Sé Catedral de Braga*, Lisboa, 1992.","workshop":"Porto and northern region workshop","author":"Fernanda Barbosa","translator":"Cristina Correia","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["carved","gilding","musical instruments","organ","organ cases","wood"],"materials":["carved and gilded with gold leaf","Wood"]},"e8e399f5-c3f4-5c44-8ed7-085220b24c32":{"name":"*Farmácia Barbosa*","alternate_name":"Barbosa Pharmacy (reconstruction)","description":"A reconstruction of Farmácia Barbosa, an 18th-century apothecary, with its numerous niches and shelves painted in cream, and examples of 18th-century Portuguese pharmaceutical earthenware.  \nThe central niche, decorated with engraved Baroque motifs in gold, held a religious image – St. Michael – which would guide the pharmacist's actions. The stands, with shelves, had drawers at the bottom for storing medicinal plants and samples, while the shelves held the hand-painted apothecary's jars, decorated profusely in the Baroque style or embellished with a private or religious coat of arms. Painted in monochrome two-tone blue, some are labelled in Latin to describe the product inside and some have blank spaces ready to have a label or inscription applied.  \nThe Portuguese earthenware displayed in this pharmacy came from the dispensaries of various convents such as those belonging to the orders of the Augustinians, the Carmelites, the Dominicans, St. Philip of Nery (Oratory), the Third Order of St. Francis, the Jesuits, the Poor Clares and even the military orders of Aviz and Santiago.  \nAnother collection of apothecary jars belonged to the Santa Casa da Misericórdia of Viana; their earthenware was produced at the Darque factory in 1774. This reconstruction includes the original pharmacy ceiling from Santa Casa da Misericórdia, its edges decorated with vegetal motifs in red, green, blue and white. The apothecary display case decorated with carvings bears the initials of the original owners of the pharmacy, Manuel Rodrigues Barbosa, at its centre. Barbosa practiced the profession in the Monastery at Paço de Sousa and acquired all the equipment from there in 1834.  \nFeatures discovered during restoration suggest that the higher central area predates the rest. This is shown by its structure; how it was built and the materials used. Inside the old pharmacy, there are bottles, flasks, weights and measures, retorts, crucibles and *pharmacopeias* that together make up the pharmaceutical arsenal used in the preparation of medicaments in the 18th century.","short_description":"A reconstruction of Farmácia Barbosa, an 18th-century apothecary. The stands, with shelves, had drawers at the bottom for storing medicinal plants and samples, whilst the shelves would hold the famous hand-painted apothecary jars profusely decorated in the Baroque style.","type":"Woodwork","holder":"Pharmacy Museum","owner":"Museu da Farmácia / Associação Nacional de Farmácias","initial_owner":"Paço de Sousa Monastery","dates":"c. 1770–1790","location":"Lisbon, Lisbon","dimensions":"H: 2.90 m","place_of_production":"Paço de Sousa, Penafiel","method_for_datation":"Documents and evidence recovered during restoration process.","provenance":"Paço de Sousa Penafiel","obtention":"Private Donation","bibliography":"Basso, M. P., *Treasures of the Pharmacy Museum*, Lisbon, 2001.","author":"Paula Basso","translator":"Mick Greer","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["apothecary jars","furnishing","medicine","Pharmacy","science"],"materials":["Carved wood"]},"ead4767a-7d82-5048-a0d2-07b5b5b4d68a":{"name":"Table of of Krste Petkov Misirkov","alternate_name":"Masa na Misirkov","description":"Krste Petkov Misirkov (1874–1926) was actively engaged in politics, fighting for the recognition of Macedonians as a people with distinct tradition and language. He is one of the few who made great contribution to raising international awareness of Macedonian people at the close of the 19th century and in the early 20th century.","type":"Furniture","holder":"Museum of Macedonia","dates":"Early 20th century","location":"Skopje","author":"Nada Andonovska (author)","copy_editor":"Daniel de la Vega"},"eeadc3f4-cf85-5e38-bce5-3c6d8631b78c":{"name":"Maghrebi *rab’a*.","alternate_name":"Maghrebi Qur’an manuscript.","description":"A *rab’a*, a Qur'anic manuscript divided into 30 parts, each of which has an independent binding. The *rab’a* was preserved in a square wooden box covered on the outside with leather and embellished by four embossed decorative bands that incorporate geometric patterns outlined with silver thread. In between the four bands are three silver belts which reach from the back to the front of the box to support it. Each belt is decorated with three star-like shapes made from silver and overlaid with blue enamel. In all, the box bears 10 decorative forms in the same style; on the four corners of the box, for example, there are geometric shapes inlaid with mother-of-pearl and red and blue enamel.  \nThe bindings of all 30 parts are made from embossed red leather, with both the front and back embellished with ornamentation and text, which is identical on all the volumes. On each cover there are four inscription bands that form a square, and which are encircled by silver thread. The text is gilded, and in the middle of each front cover there is a silver-braided circle. Within the circle in gilded text is a Chapter from the Qur'an (14: 52), which tells the story of Ibrahim (Abraham). It reads: “Here is a message for mankind. Let them take warning there from, and let them know that he is (no other than) One God. Let men of understanding take heed”.On the back cover there is another quote from the Qur'an “al-Baqara” (“the Cow”, 2: 181), which reads: “If anyone changes the bequest after hearing it. The guilt shall be on those who make the change. For Allah hears and knows (All things)”.  \nEach part of the *rab'a* begins with two identical illuminated panels that differ in design from one volume to the next. Most of the square-shaped panels are surrounded by broad illuminated frames and contain decoration consisting of lines, circles and squares painted in more than one colour, but predominantly in gold. The *rab'a* is written in Maghrebi-style script with black ink, with five lines to each page. Verses are divided from each other by the word “verse” written in gold and surrounded by three circles. The *waqf* charter of the *rab'a,* written in an illuminated *kufic* script within a square that is also illuminated, is on the last two pages of each volume.","short_description":"A *rab’a*, a Qur’anic manuscript in 30 parts, preserved in a wooden box covered with leather and decorated with silver bands. The texts are in Maghrebi *kufic* script, written with saffron water on gazelle parchment. The *rab’a* is filled with decorative motifs, colours and illumination. This is one of three *rab’a* written for Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem; only the last copy has come down to us.","type":"Maghrebi, rab'a, parchment, manuscript","holder":"Islamic Museum, al-Aqsa Mosque / al-Haram al-Sharif.","initial_owner":"Commander of the Faithful, Abu al-Hasan Ali, the first Marinid (ruled in the Maghreb AH 732–49 / AD 1331–48).","dates":"Hegira 745 / AD 1344.","location":"Jerusalem","dimensions":"Length 22 cm, width 20 cm, depth 5 cm.","method_for_datation":"The *rab’a* is dated by an inscription.","method_for_provenance":"The Maghreb was narrowed down as the place of production for this manuscript based on the *waqf* charter that appears at the end of each volume. For example, the *waqf* in the eighth volume reads: “The eighth volume of this Holy Qur'anic manuscript completes a part of a thirty volume series, all of which have been written in the handwriting of Abd Allah Ali, *amir* of the Muslims, son of the *amir* of the Muslims, Abi Said Uthman, son of the *amir* of the Muslims, Abi Yusuf Ya'qub bin Abd al-Haqq, ruler of the Maghreb, May God bless him, and it has been endowed for recitation in al-Aqsa Mosque.”","provenance":"Maghreb.","obtention":"The piece was transferred at an unknown date from al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem to the Islamic Museum.","bibliography":"Al-Makri, A., (d. 1041 / 1631), *Nafaha al-Tayab (al-Tayb) min Ghasan Ghusn al-Andalus al-Ratib \\[A Pleasant Breeze from the Branch of Verdant al-Andalus\\],* Vol. 2, Leiden, 1860.  \nAl-Maqrizi, A., (d. 845 / 1442), *Al-Suluk li Ma'arifat duwal al-Muluk \\[The Right Ways to Know the Lands of the Rulers),* Vol. 2, Cairo, 1971.  \nAl-Qalakshandi, A., (d. 821 / 1418), *Subah al-'Asha fi Sana'at al-Inasha' \\[The Break of Evening in the Making of Literary Creation\\]*, Cairo, 1913.  \nRosen-Ayalon, M., “Some Comments on a Maghrebi Qur'an”, in *Jerusalem Studies in Arabic and Islam,* No. 19, 1995, pp.73–80.  \nSalameh, K., *Al-Makhtutat al-Qur'aniya fi al-Muthaf al-Islami fi al-Haram al-Sharif, al-Quds \\[Qur'anic Manuscripts in the Islamic Museum in al-Haram al-Sharif, Jerusalem\\],* Paris, 2003.  \n*Pilgrimage, Sciences and Sufism: Islamic Art in the West Bank and Gaza,* pp.72–3.","linkcatalogs":"IAM_PA_EN_001","author":"Khader Salameh","copy_editor":"Majd Musa","translator":"Amal Sachedina (from the Arabic).","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Abu al-Hasan al-Marini","illumination","kufic script","Maghrebi script","mashaf","Parchment","Qur’an","religious manuscript"],"materials":["binding of illuminated leather.","Black ink on gazelle parchment"]},"efc1e427-4c81-58f3-a2ae-e846616be1e3":{"name":"Qur’an cabinet.","description":"The body of the cabinet is four-sided and has short legs. The cover is in the shape of a dome. The wood has been decorated with ebony and ivory using the inlay technique.  \n  \nThe side faces of the cabinet's body are organised into rectangular panels. The interiors of these panels have the same designs as those found in bookbinding compositions of the classical Ottoman period. In the corners of the rectangular panels are ivory corner pieces. Cartouches with palmette-shaped lobes are covered with ebony. At the centre of each of the panels are ivory medallions in relief, each with a huge boss at its centre and pendants terminating in rosette and palmette motifs. On either side of the medallions are Chinese cloud-bands; while in the upper and lower areas are four six-sided rosettes. The interiors of the six-sided rosettes are decorated with mosaic-inlay of white and painted ivory and silver wire. Around the rectangular cartouches are inlays of ivory over ebony, as well as undulating designs featuring split-palmette motifs.  \n  \nAround the bottom border of the cover, separated by lobed cartouches, are ivory cartouches on which is carved Qur'an *sura* 2, verse 255 in *thuluth*\\-style calligraphy.  \n  \nThe surface of the dome is covered with broad ebony and ivory plaques, the V-shapes of which make up a zigzag design. The dome comes to a point; its upper section is decorated with ivory inset with the reverse side out, a series of ebony palmettes, and six-sided rosettes filled with mosaics. The finial on top has broken off.  \n  \nThe cabinet was prepared in order to house sections of the Qur'an. It has five interior compartments. The interior of the dome is decorated with medallions made up of compositions of palmette and *rumi* (split-palmette) motifs painted (*kalemişi*) on a background painted cream. The inner border of the cover is decorated with black palmettes and *rumi*s on a red ground.","short_description":"This wooden cabinet was produced at the Ottoman palace ateliers to contain chapters of the Qur'an. It is decorated in classical Ottoman style and inlaid with ebony, ivory and silver wires.","type":"Walnut, ebony, ivory, mosaic","holder":"Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts.","dates":"Hegira first half of the 10th century / AD 16th century.","location":"Sultanahmet, Istanbul.","dimensions":"Height 86.5 cm, width 50.7 cm.","method_for_datation":"The enrichment of the surfaces, the shape, the technique, and the balanced use of materials all reflect the attributes of Ottoman woodwork of the first half of the 10th / 16th century.","method_for_provenance":"The cabinet shows all the characteristics of the decorative motifs and compositions of the classical Ottoman Period, as formulated in the Ottoman court workshops. It is highly probable that the object was produced in the first half of the 10th / 16th century in one of the Istanbul workshops directed by the court.","provenance":"Istanbul, Turkey.","obtention":"Brought to the Museum in 1914 from the Ayasofya Library, which was built by Sultan Mahmud I (r. 1142–68 / 1730–54).","bibliography":"Atasoy, N. and Artam, T., *The Splendors of the Ottoman Sultans*, Memphis, 1992, pp.162–3.  \n  \nKunt, M., and Woodhead, C. (eds), *Suleyman the Magnificent and His Age*: The Ottoman Empire in the Early Modern World**, Addison-Wesley, 1995, cat. no. 86.  \n  \nölçer, N. *et al, Museum of Turkish and Islamic Art*, Istanbul, 2002, pp.254–5.","linkcatalogs":"IAM_TR_EN_001","author":"Gönül Tekeli","translator":"Barry Wood","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Chinese motifs","ebony","inlay","ivory","Qur’an cabinet","wood"],"materials":["and painted (kalemişi).","ebony","ivory and silver wire inlaid","Wood"]},"f01728d7-fe74-597e-b37f-12f01e9ac1a3":{"name":"*Rab’a* of Sultan Murad.","description":"A *rab’a* (Qur'an divided into 30 parts) that has been preserved in two identical wooden cube-shaped boxes, each of which is covered with a level of stucco and painted black. A number of inscription bands form part of the decoration and contain gilded texts written in *thuluth* script. The texts include *hadiths* of the Prophet to encourage study of the Qur'an. The corners of each box are decorated with vegetal designs composed of intertwining plant motifs gathered within a frame of zigzag lines.  \nEach volume of the *rab’a* is bound by a two-leaf cover and a library marker. Each leaf of the cover holds a medallion with a helical frame and an illuminated background. The spine is decorated with independent illuminated vegetal motifs. Each medallion is connected at the top and bottom by two suspended ornaments. The two inside covers are decorated with a medallion, divided into illuminated geometric forms on a blue, black, red and green background. The medallion is connected at the top and bottom to a smaller medallion.  \nThe endowment charter of the entire *rab’a* appears at the beginning of the first volume. On the first page of every volume there is a condensed version of the charter surrounded at both the top and bottom by two decorative bands that are different in size and decorative style from one volume to the next.  \nFolio 2b–3a forms the beginning of each volume. The frontispiece consists of two identically decorated pages. Five lines are written on each of the two pages, in alternating gold and black, the text surrounded by a number of bands with extremely beautiful ornamentation in polychrome; specifically red and gold against a background of blue. The text is intercepted with independent vegetal decoration in a variety of different colours.  \nEach page of the 30 volumes of the *rab’a* is divided into five horizontal rectangles. In each of the first, third and fifth rectangles, there is a single line of the Qur'an written in a large and illuminated *rayhani* script. In each of the second and fourth rectangles, four lines are written in black *thuluth* script. The second and fourth rectangles are intersected on both sides by two side-bands ornamented with illuminated motifs consisting of intertwining vegetal decoration against a white background.  \nThe layout of this *rab’a* is reminiscent of the Qur'anic manuscript of Sultan Bayezid.","short_description":"A *rab’a* (Qur’an in 30 parts) in two wooden boxes covered with stucco and painted black with inscriptions and vegetal designs. The *rab’a* was donated by Sultan Murad to al-Aqsa Mosque. Each page is divided into five parts, three in illuminated *rayhani* script and two in *thuluth* script written with black ink. The word ‘Majestic’, chapter names, verse numbers and their area are illuminated.","type":"Manuscript, woodwork, stucco decoration","holder":"Islamic Museum, al-Aqsa Mosque / al-Haram al-Sharif.","initial_owner":"Sultan Murad III (r. AH 982–1003 / AD 1574–95).","dates":"Hegira 1001 / AD 1593.","location":"Jerusalem","dimensions":"Length 36 cm, width 24.5 cm, depth 2 cm.","method_for_datation":"The *rab’a* is inscribed with the date and endowment.","method_for_provenance":"Turkey was narrowed down as the place of production for this manuscript supported by the text of the *waqf* charter which appears on the third page of the Qur'an. The name of the copyist, illuminator and the place of production does not appear.","provenance":"Turkey.","obtention":"The *rab’a* was transferred from al-Aqsa Mosque to the Islamic Museum but it is not known when.","bibliography":"Farid, M., *Tarikh al-Daula al-'Ulya al-Othmaniya \\[History of the Ottoman Empire\\],* Beirut, 1981.  \nSalameh, K., *Al-Makhtutat al-Qur'aniya fi al-Muthaf al-Islami fi al-Haram al-Sharif, al-Quds \\[The Qur'anic Manuscripts in the Islamic Museum in al-Haram al-Sharif, Jerusalem\\],* Paris, 2003.","linkcatalogs":"IAM_TR_EN_001","author":"Khader Salameh","copy_editor":"Majd Musa","translator":"Amal Sachedina (from the Arabic).","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Hadith","illumination","leather","mashaf","Paper","Qur’an","religious manuscript","rihani","Thuluth","vegetal decoration"],"materials":["Coloured ink and gilding on paper","covered with decorative stucco.","the binding embossed and illuminated leather. The box made from wood"]},"f13296ae-615e-5b30-99df-9e194b691b4f":{"name":"Coffee Mortar and Pestle","description":"A carved wooden mortar and stone pestle for pounding coffee beans. Coffee drinkers consider coffee ground by hand to be the most desirable kind.","holder":"Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts","dates":"13th-14th century/AD 19th century","location":"Istanbul","dimensions":"Diameter: 14.4cm, height: 27cm, pestle: 30cm","materials":["metal","Wood"]},"f31ff28f-d559-5abc-880d-148f4aa71f67":{"name":"Table (*khwan*) with scenes of princely leisure and inscribed with Persian poetry","short_description":"This low, rectangular wood table on four legs is extensively ornamented with lacquerwork on the table top. Around the interior rim are painted and gilded floral arabesques surrounding inscriptions in cartouches. On the surface of this table, young men and women repose, feast, and hunt in abundant landscapes, and their style of depiction echoes manuscript illustrations of canonical Persian poetry.","type":"Islamic, Indian & Southeast Asian works of art; painted woodwork; furniture","holder":"Shangri La, Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art","dates":"Hegira early 14th century / AD late 19th or early 20th century","location":"Honolulu, Hawai'i","dimensions":"Overall: 28.9 x 82.9 x 157.5 cm","provenance":"Iran","keywords":["animal decoration","court life","Figurative representation","floral decoration","fugurative decoration","furnishing","garden","horsemanship","human representation","hunting","poetry"],"materials":["gilded and lacquered","painted","Wood"]},"f42822cc-df6c-53fe-9c96-a6c99bf89d34":{"name":"Qur’an stand.","description":"The decoration on this Qur’an stand, which is made from a single piece of wood, has been carved out from the wood, and consists of a combination of calligraphy and abstract floral motifs executed to the highest standard. The Arabic inscription, ‘the power lies in God’, is written in monumental knotted *kufic* script, within a square section in the upper half of the lectern, on a spiralling tendril, which provides a vivid yet unobtrusive backdrop that does not interfere with or cut in between the letters. The ‘Throne verse’ of the Qur’an – Sura 2 verse 255 – is to be found, framed and written in *thuluth* script, on the back. (‘God! There is no god but Him, the Living, the Eternal One. Neither slumber nor sleep overtakes Him. His is what is in heaven and what is on earth. Who can intercede with Him except by His permission? He knows what is before and behind men. They can grasp only that part of His knowledge which He wills. His throne is as vast as heaven and earth, and the preservation of both does not weary him. He is the Exalted, the Immense One.’) A few tendrils fill in the small spaces left empty within the inscription.  \nThe foot of the Qur’an stand is covered in sculpted, carved tendrils consisting of smooth or feathered bifid and lanceolate leaves. Leaves and spiralling tendril arabesques overlap each other in various ways and over several layers, crowned by a trefoil.  \nThe folding lecterns, most of which were made of wood, served throughout the Islamic world as supports for large Qur’an books, used during recitations. Secondary literature maintains that the form of the Qur’an stand had been derived from folding chairs such as were already used in ancient Egypt. They were among the most valuable furnishings of every mosque, and were decorated using an abundance of techniques. The woodcarver of this lectern is probably the same as the artist who carved the wooden cenotaph of the poet Jalal ad-Din Rumi (AD 1207–73), a founder of Sufism, which can be found in the Mevlana Tekke in Konya.","short_description":"Wooden folding stands were used in the Islamic world to hold heavy Qur’ans or other books to read while sitting on the floor. This remarkable example with fine arabesques and superb inscriptions was probably made in Konya, Turkey, to be given to a mosque by a Rum Seljuq sultan.","type":"Carved woodwork","holder":"Museum of Islamic Art at the Pergamon Museum","dates":"Hegira mid-7th century / AD mid-13th century.","location":"Berlin","dimensions":"Height 107 cm, width 50 cm.","method_for_datation":"The artist named in the inscription, ‘Abd al-Wahid ibn Sulayman, is probably the same artist whose wooden cenotaph exists in the Mevlana Tekke in Konya, which can be dated to be from the 13th century. If this assumption is correct, and both names denote the same person, then the Qur’an stand can also be dated to the mid-13th century. There is also a strong possibility for this date on stylistic grounds.","method_for_provenance":"Its provenance from Konya has not been guaranteed; however, a series of stylistically similar Qur’an stands makes its provenance from Konya very likely. The inscription of the carpenter’s name is further evidence of the existence of a tradition in the making of Qur’an stands.","provenance":"Konya, Turkey.","obtention":"As an anonymous gift in 1907.","bibliography":"Enderlein, V., *Islamisches Museum*, Rostock, 1983, pp.61–2, ill. 44.  \nHaase, C. P., “Koran und Koranpult”, in *Transformationen, Der Koranständer*, (ed. J. W. Frembgen and E. Rößler), Munich, 1997, pp.9–12.  \nKühnel, E., *Islamische Schriftkunst,* Berlin 1942, 3rd edition, Graz, 1986, p.33, ill. 33.  \n*Museum für Islamische Kunst*, Catalogue, Mainz, 2001, pp.60–1.","author":"Annette Hagedorn","translator":"Maria Vlotides","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["arabesque","carving","furnishing","kufic","Qur’an stand","religious object","vine tendrils"],"materials":["carved.","Walnut wood"]},"f50d39b2-f8db-5777-9fdd-bfe1a5755107":{"name":"Sickle (*mijaz*)","description":"The sickle is a tool that has been employed worldwide for its utility: it is a manual agricultural tool that consists of a curved blade that is usually used for harvesting grain crops or cutting weeds used to feed livestock.","type":"Sickle (*mijaz*)","holder":"National Museum of Oman","owner":"National Museum of Oman","dates":"Hegira 14th century / AD 20th century","location":"Muscat","dimensions":"Height 3cm, length 36cm, width 3cm","place_of_production":"Oman","provenance":"Local acquisition","obtention":"Local acquisition.","copy_editor":"Alvaro Miranda","materials":["Wood and iron"]},"f596dba8-2ee8-5042-9e06-4a090887dd12":{"name":"Armchair of Krste Petkov Misirkov","alternate_name":"Fotelja na Misirkov","description":"Krste Petkov Misirkov (1874–1926) was an imposing figure that contributed to the standardization of the modern Macedonian language. He lived and worked in St. Petersburg, Russia. Misirkov’s book “On Macedonian Matters” is a starting point in explaining Macedonian distinctiveness, having served as an intellectual and contemplative engine for generations of Macedonians fighting in the battlefield and in literature alike.","type":"Furniture","holder":"Museum of Macedonia","dates":"Early 20th century","location":"Skopje","author":"Nada Andonovska (author)","copy_editor":"Daniel de la Vega"},"f5efa1b5-e76e-5603-80c4-2602ee925386":{"name":"Bag for hauling water with draft animals (*ad-dalū*)","description":"This huge leather bag (*ad-dalū*) is designed for lifting water by means of draft animals. An angled pathway allows the animals to walk uphill while lowering the bag into a well or reservoir, and downhill when pulling against the weight of the water-filled bag. A single *dalū* has a capacity of 10 to 40 litres.","type":"Bag for hauling water with draft animals (*ad-dalū*)","holder":"National Museum of Oman","owner":"National Museum of Oman","dates":"Hegira 15th century / AD 21st century","location":"Muscat","dimensions":"Height 110cm, width 71cm, diameter 16cm","place_of_production":"Northern Oman","provenance":"Local acquisition","obtention":"Local acquisition.","copy_editor":"Alvaro Miranda","materials":["Goatskin bag","wood frame and palm fibre rope"]},"f7759c4e-3d0e-535a-b438-1292b547ebc5":{"name":"Qur’an cabinet.","description":"The body of the cabinet is shaped like a six-sided prism sitting on top of arched feet. A pyramidal cover with 12 sides rises from a 12-cornered drum.  \n  \nThe walnut boards of the cabinet are decorated with inlaid ivory. In some places ebony is used. On the cover, vertical ivory plaques and medallions with pendants have been arranged from the top downwards. The plaques are carved with intricate designs of palmette leaves, Chinese-inspired floral motifs, and spiralling tendrils. On the base of the dome, on top of the drum, carved ivory plaques have been arranged horizontally. These bear Qur'anic verses (2: 255 and 59: 22–4) in *thuluth* script carved in relief. On the cover itself, as well as its sides, are plaques with more Qur'anic verses 48: 28–9; 3: 18–9; 27: 30).  \n  \nOn the sides of the body, bands of ivory delineate horizontal rectangular panels. The interiors of the corners of these panels have corner pieces of ivory featuring arabesques and palmettes. In the centres of the panels are carved ivory plaques with relief inscriptions in *thuluth* script which state in Turkish that the cabinet was made in the name of Sultan Bayezid II (r. AH 886–918 / AD 1481–1512) and gives the year hegira 911 / 1505. An ivory plaque beneath the last line of this inscription contains the signature of the maker of the cabinet, again carved in relief: 'Work of Ahmad bin Hasan Qalib-i Fani'.  \n  \nThe arches at the base of the cabinet are decorated with mosaic designs of inlaid ivory coloured green. The three-section finial at the top of the cover is made of ebony and ivory. The interior of the cabinet has three partitions for storing the Qur'an and *juz* (one-thirtieth) sections thereof.","short_description":"This wooden Qur'an cabinet inlaid with ivory was made for Sultan Bayezid II by master Ahmed bin Hasan in AH 911 / AD 1505. The rendering of the surfaces and balanced use of materials reflect the stylistic characteristics of Ottoman woodwork of the first half of the 10th / 16th century.","type":"Walnut, ebony, ivory, mosaic","holder":"Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts.","initial_owner":"Sultan Bayezid II (r. AH 886–918 / AD 1481–1512).","dates":"Hegira 911 / AD 1505.","location":"Sultanahmet, Istanbul.","dimensions":"Height 82 cm, width 56 cm.","method_for_datation":"According to the inscription on the object, it was made in 911 / 1505.","obtention":"The object was transferred from the tomb of Sultan Selim II (974-82/ 1566-74) in the Ayasofya Mosque, Istanbul, to the Museum in 1926.","bibliography":"*Anadolu Medeniyetleri III, Selçuklu-Osmanlı*, Istanbul, 1983, No. 19.  \n  \nçığ, K., “İmzalı Eski çekmece,Cüz ve Hilye-i Saadet Mahfazaları ve Sanatkarları”, *Milletlerarası Birinci Türk Sanatları Kongresi*, Ankara 1962, pp.101–19.  \n  \nLevenson, J. A., *Circa 1492: Art in the Age of Exploration*, Washington D.C., 1991, p.194.  \n  \nÖlçer, N. *et al, Museum of Turkish and Islamic Art*, Istanbul, 2002, pp.252–3.  \n  \nRogers, J. M., and Ward, R. M., *Suleiman the Magnificent*, London, 1990.","linkcatalogs":"IAM_TR_EN_001","author":"Gönül Tekeli","translator":"Barry Wood","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Cabinet","ebony","ivory","Qur’an"],"materials":["Bone","ebony","ivory","mosaic-inlay technique.","Walnut"]},"f7ea9d0f-6f86-5412-9641-8c467e39607d":{"name":"Door with ivory intarsia","short_description":"This wooden door is decorated with geometric carving and ivory, inlaid relief work. The decoration purely geometric, and the wood serves as the framework for the ivory inlays. Made of two patterns, a hexagonal, honeycomb-like repetition combines with sets of crossing lines to for a large X-like shape and a diamond shape in the centre of the door; a six-pointed star is place at each intersection.  \nFollowing the Ottoman conquest in 1518, Egypt and Syria witnessed a rich construction period. Sultans and emirs built elaborate complexes featuring ornate woodwork.","type":"Interior architecture","holder":"MKG Museum for Applied Arts","dates":"Hegira 9th-10th century / AD 15th-16th century","location":"Hamburg","dimensions":"Height: 183cm, Width: 91cm","method_for_datation":"The design is typical for the Ottoman or Mamluk period.","method_for_provenance":"Purchased via the art market.","provenance":"Egypt, Cairo","obtention":"Purchased in 2013.","bibliography":"Von Achenbach, N., *Erwerbungen 2013-2014* ,Hamburg: Stiftung für die Hamburger Kunstsammlungen, 2014.","copy_editor":"Caitlin Link","keywords":["Door","Geometric pattern","Mamluk"],"materials":["ivory","Wood"]},"f88193ec-c618-5df9-8728-cdb15d419ec4":{"name":"*Alfarje* ceiling.","description":"From the room assumed to be the royal chamber of Alfonso XI (r. 1312–50), this is a flat *alfarje* ceiling with exposed beams, made up of four weight-bearing main beams placed across the room. Perpendicular to and above these beams runs a beam 504 cm long, extended on both ends by two shorter beams, all three with the same section. This structure creates a ten-caisson ceiling. The ceiling is covered with crossbeams, each with three cuts along its length, and boards with elongated-hexagon shaped *menado* decoration (simple decoration of wooden triangles in the corners, creating hexagons), with two thin boards on each side. The finish consists of base boards, flashing on the beams and the walls, *argeutes* (the boards placed between two corbels) and strips. The underside of the main beams is decorated with symmetrical plant motifs, Nasrid pepper-shaped leaves with central ornamentation, and medallions or eight-bow knots on the sides. In the middle of the beams there are single-tower castles, and banded coats of arms are painted on the ends. The elongated-hexagon tile (*alfardon*) motif appears on the sides painted with a cursive inscription in Arabic that reads 'There is no God but Allah' with the occasional addition of the word 'happiness'.  \nThe palace of King Alfonso XI was inhabited by Doña Leonor de Guzmán (the king's lover, 1310–50) and, according to the chronicler Teodomiro Ramírez de Arellano, both Don Fadrique and Don Enrique were conceived there, the latter being the future King Henry II of Castile, the founder of the House of Trastamara, conferring on the piece a certain documental importance.","short_description":"From a room thought to be the royal chamber of the palace of Alfonso XI (r. 1312—50) in Córdoba, this ceiling was covered with multicoloured heraldic, plant and Arabic epigraphic motifs.","type":"Woodwork, ceiling, wood","holder":"National Archaeological Museum.","dates":"1350–60.","location":"Madrid","dimensions":"Length 900 cm, width 400 cm.","method_for_datation":"It has been dated after 1360, as single-tower castles and banded coats of arms were not used during the reign of Peter I (1350–66), but they were from the reign of Henry II (1366–79). Nonetheless, it could be earlier as the style is typical of the 1350s.","method_for_provenance":"Appears in the piece's record, which is the only source of information on the piece.","provenance":"Córdoba, from the Palace of King Alfonso XI, subsequently the home of General Fresneda before its demolition.","obtention":"The piece was bought for the National Archaeological Museum from Luis Moreno de Cala on 29 September 1980.","bibliography":"Cuevas, S., “ADELPHA Denuncia el Traslado Irregular de un Artesonado Mudéjar”, *El País*, 2 September 1980.  \nFranco Mata, á., “Antigüedades Cristianas del Siglo VIII al XV”, in *Guía del Museo Arqueológico Nacional*, Madrid, 1992, Vol. II, p.96.  \nLópez Guzmán, R., *Arquitectura Mudéjar: Del Sincretismo Medieval a las Alternativas Hispanoamericanas*, Madrid, 2000, p.185.  \nMartínez Caviró, B., “Carpintería Mudéjar Toledana”, *Cuadernos de la Alhambra*, 12, Granada, 1976, pp.225–65.  \nRamírez de Arellano, T., *Paseos por Córdoba: O Sean Apuntes para Su Historia*, Cordoba, 1873–5.","linkcatalogs":"IAM_ES_EN_001","author":"Ángela Franco","copy_editor":"Rosalía Aller","translator":"Laurence Nunny","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["alfarje","Alfonso XI","carving","ceiling","coat of arms","Cordoba","Mudeéar","Peter I","polychrome decoration","wood"],"materials":["carving","polichromy.","Wood"]},"f8cd2cbd-0428-53e7-a7ce-f3ee1f3011f9":{"name":"Shelving unit","alternate_name":"Marfaa","description":"This unit is made of two shelves, one in an arch shape and the second topped by small hooks and a perforated decoration. The name of its maker, \"Becghtache\" is written on its underside, flanked by two six-point stars.","type":"Walnut wood","holder":"Musée Public National des Arts et Traditions Populaires","dates":"19th century","location":"Algiers","translator":"Flaminia Baldwin"},"fafb3812-1969-5e3a-b9d0-22446066efee":{"name":"Chest for a Portable Altar","alternate_name":"*Arca-Altar portátil*","description":"Portable altars in the form of chests were an element of religious furniture, epitomising Portuguese maritime travel to different parts of the world.  \nThis type of furniture developed from the 16th century onwards as Portuguese maritime voyages, in particular to India and China, increased.  \nThese voyages often involved both regular and secular clergymen embarking on missionary activities, aristocratic families, the backbone of the administration in the Portuguese empire, or those who set out for diverse corners of the world in the quest for new commercial markets.  \nThe need to reduce the volume and weight of the cargo transported on these voyages resulted in the construction of furniture that was light and easy to handle and store.  \nThis piece of furniture is built of wood and covered with black-painted leather. It is adorned with engraved plant motifs and a pattern made out of tacks. On the outside it is fairly plain. The exuberance of the piece is revealed after it is opened and assembled. The internal lining in red silk is further embellished by gold trimming. The fittings that frame the lid were inspired by incised motifs, a decorative mode that flourished during the period.  \nThe liturgical implements (chalice, crucifix, pyx, cruet, paten and bell), all of which were necessary to celebrate mass, were stored in a drawer below the altar table, in customised, made-to-measure indentations.  \nMany masses were celebrated aboard the carracks on altars such as this one, as well as on land, at sites that did not have suitable facilities for religious worship.  \nMass could only be celebrated on altars that contained an altar-stone – a stone that had been blessed – upon which was placed the chalice and the host. In this altar, the altar-stone is found in a concave indentation within the table.  \nDuring voyages, priests were obliged to celebrate mass every Sunday and on holy days. A particular feature of masses celebrated on board ship was that they did not have the consecration and consequently did not have communion. They were thus called “dry masses”.  \nIn his work, *As* *Cartas Ânuas da China: 1636, 1643 a 1649,* a compilation of letters from China written to the Jesuit General in Rome annually, the Jesuit priest António de Gouveia described the presence of altars in the houses of Portuguese settlers. He relates that it was a common practice to “assemble the altar” in the largest room so that mass could be held.","short_description":"A chest containing a portable altar, it was designed to be transported long distance on Portuguese maritime voyages to enable those on board to celebrate Mass both while on board the ship and, on arrival, in foreign lands.","type":"Ship's Furniture","holder":"Macau Scientific and Cultural Centre Museum","owner":"Macau Scientific and Cultural Centre Museum","dates":"17th–18th centuries","location":"Lisbon, Lisbon","dimensions":"Open: h: 227 cm; w: 175 cm; depth: 96 cm. Closed: h: 44 cm; w: 93 cm; depth: 54 cm","place_of_production":"Portugal","method_for_datation":"Stylistic analysis","obtention":"Acquisition","bibliography":"Rego, A., da Silva, *Documentos para* *a História das Missões do Padroado Português do Oriente: Índia,* Lisbon, Fundação Oriente, Comissão Nacional para as Comemorações dos Descobrimentos Portugueses, 1991.  \n*Fons Vitae,* Pavilhão da Santa Sé na Expo 98, Lisbon, 1998, p. 183.  \nGouveia, A., de, *Cartas Ânuas da China: 1636, 1643 a 1649*, Lisbon, 1998, pp. 126, 163, 252, 254.  \n*Cartas Ânuas do Colégio de Macau 1594–1627,* edited by João Paulo Oliveira e Costa, Fundação Macau, 1999.  \n*Guia do Museu do Centro Científico e Cultural de Macau*, Lisbon, 1999.","author":"Maria Manuela d'Oliveira Martins","translator":"Roopanjali Roy","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["religious furnishing","travel"],"materials":["gold trimming","leather","Oil on canvas","silk","tacks","Wood"]},"fb0d852c-219c-5753-93b5-9648fdd94679":{"name":"Alhambra cupola.","description":"The cupola in Berlin was once part of the Torre \\[tower\\] de las Damas in the Palacio del Partal, and was built above elaborate stuccowork. From the tower’s windows one could enjoy a view over the city of Granada as well as over the palace complex, including the parts of the Alhambra that no longer exist today, which were built by the Nasrid ruler Muhammad III (r. AH 701–708 / AD 1302–1308). The Nasrid rulers’ motto, ‘There is no victory other than from God’, which plays an important part in the cupola’s decoration, can be read as a proclamation of Islam, which was threatened by the approaching *Reconquista*.  \nThe cupola is, in its most basic form, a square, which then develops inwards, first into an octagon, and then into 16 trapezia. Each side of the square is decorated with a triangle that features woven geometric patterns complemented by plant motifs. A small miniature cupola sits at the centre of the triangles. The octagon is formed by panels with small arches, in which symmetrical *kufic* inscriptions lie on a red background, along with pinecones, small seashells and arabesques. The Nasrid motto ‘There is no victory other than from God’ is repeated on the rectangular panels of the 16-sided form. These are surrounded by small *muqarnas* (stalactite) arches. The subsequent 16 trapezia show the interlaced carvings that are typical of the Islamic world. Small polygons or stars repeat the Nasrid motto. A 16-sided horizontal panel, also decorated with interlaced carving, covers the cupola. The appeal of the decoration lies in the contrast between the strictness and severity of the flat bands of interlaced carvings and the raised levels of relief work. Wooden ceilings and cupolas of this kind are a particular feature of Islamic architecture in the Maghreb. Countless examples can be found, not just in the Alhambra, but also in many other buildings in Spain and in North Africa.","short_description":"This cupola is from a building in the Alhambra palace complex called the Palacio del Partal, which was once the private house of a German banker who was allowed to transfer the cupola to his Berlin villa. Wooden ceilings and cupolas of this kind are a feature of Islamic architecture in the Maghreb.","type":"Woodwork, cupola, Alhambra","holder":"Museum of Islamic Art at the Pergamon Museum","initial_owner":"In 1885, Arthur von Gwinner bought a piece of land in the Alhambra area, which included a section with buildings, streets and gardens. In 1891 he donated the Palacio del Partal to the city of Granada. In return, he was allowed to dismantle the wooden cupola, removing it from the Torre de las Damas and transporting it to Berlin. In 1892 he reassembled the cupola, incorporating it in his Berlin home. In 1921 he donated his property to the Spanish government.","dates":"Around hegira 719 / AD 1320.","location":"Berlin","dimensions":"Height 190 cm, width 355 cm, depth 355 cm.","method_for_datation":"The cupola can be dated through its provenance from the Palacio del Partal, which formed part of the Alhambra Palace and which was built under Muhammad III (r. 701–708 / 1302–1308).","method_for_provenance":"Documents show that the cupola came from the Palacio del Partal in the Alhambra Palace complex in Granada, Spain, from where it was removed in 1892. Its Spanish provenance is thus guaranteed.","provenance":"Part of the Torre de las Damas from the Palacio del Partal within the Alhambra palace complex in Granada, Spain.","obtention":"Acquired in 1978 from Arthur von Gwinner’s descendants.","bibliography":"Brisch, K., “Eine Kuppel aus der Alhambra in Granada”, *Berichte aus den Berliner Museen Preußischer Kulturbesitz*, 3rd series, 14, 1978, pp.6–7, 10–11.  \nBrisch, K., “Eine Kuppel aus der Alhambra in Granada”, in *Jahrbuch Preußischer Kulturbesitz* 16, 1979, pp.169–76.  \nChmelnizkij, S., “Methods of Constructing Geometric Ornamental Systems in the Cupola of the Alhambra”, *Muqarnas* 6, 1989, pp.43–9.  \nDodds, J. D., *Al-Andalus: The Art of Islamic Spain*, New York, 1992, cat. no. 116.  \nFernández-Puertas, A., *The Alhambra I*, London, 1997, pp.235–9.","linkcatalogs":"IAM_ES_EN_001","author":"Jens Kröger","translator":"Maria Vlotides","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["Alhambra","architectural decoration","Cupola","geometric patterns","muqarnas","palatial architecture"],"materials":["blue and green).","carved and joined together from individual pieces. Certain sections are painted (red","Cedar and poplar wood"]},"febb9b50-5023-54dc-aba9-74d232d247aa":{"name":"*Mihrab* from the Damsaköy Taşkınpaşa Mosque.","description":"The *mihrab* is made of walnut. The geometric and vegetal motifs and inscriptions which make up its decoration are executed with deep carving with round surfaces, double-level carving and bevelling. The *mihrab* exhibits outstanding craftsmanship. Its niche is framed by two wide borders. The outermost border from floor level up to 68 cm is decorated with a vegetal composition featuring palmettes and *rumi* (split-palmette) leaves. The second border is covered up to about 100 cm with a geometric network. Both borders continue at these respective heights with inscription bands containing verses from the Qur'an (10:255, 59:20–23, 46:31).  \n  \nThe *mihrab*'s lobed niche is framed with thin borders of various widths comprised of vegetal decoration featuring palmette and *rumi* (split-palmette) motifs. The form of the niche hood, as well as the fact that its interior is empty, suggests that this part is a restoration. The niche interior itself, which is semi-circular in profile, is decorated with an intricate vegetal composition.  \n  \nThe spandrels of the *mihrab* niche have round medallions containing inscription bands. The frames of the medallions feature deeply carved vegetal motifs which give the impression of having been executed in openwork. The right medallion has the word 'Allah' in the centre, surrounded by a verse from the Qur'an (59:22); the left medallion has the word 'Muhammad' surrounded by part of verse 59:23.  \n  \nThe large rectangular panel on the upper section of the *mihrab* contains a geometric network made up of 12-pointed stars. The *mihrab* has no pediment crowning it.  \n  \nAlthough buildings outside Anatolia and from various historical periods feature wooden *mihrab*s, such as the Azhar Mosque (AH 360–62 / AD 970–2) and Sayyida Nafisa Mosque (AH 532–3 / AD 1138–45) in Cairo, the Iskodar Mosque in West Turkistan (5th–6th / 11th–12th century), and the Halawiyya Madrasa in Aleppo (end of the 6th / 12th to beginning of the 7th / 13th century), the *mihrab* of the Damsaköy Taşkınpaşa Mosque is the only one in Anatolia made of wood. For this reason it is of special importance.","short_description":"The only example of of a wood-built *mihrab* in Anatolia, this *mihrab* is an exceptional work of art displaying excellent craftsmanship and rich geometric, floral and calligraphic decoration.","type":"Woodwork","holder":"Ankara Ethnographic Museum.","dates":"Hegira 654–842 / AD 1256–1438.","location":"Ulus, Ankara","dimensions":"Height 350 cm, width 203 cm.","method_for_datation":"The Damsaköy Taşkınpaşa Mosque has no foundation inscription. However, the tombs found in the courtyard there have inscriptions dating to the 8th / 14th century, so it is accepted that the mosque was probably built in the mid-14th century. In addition, in the 8th / 14th century it was common for geometric and vegetal compositions to be used together with inscriptions, especially in tile-mosaic and stucco *mihrab*s. This decorative programme was used on the wooden *mihrab* of the Damsaköy Taşkınpaşa Mosque.","method_for_provenance":"Although the exact place of production for this *mihrab* is unknown, both its stylistic characteristics and the motifs used on it point to a local (Anatolian) provenance.","provenance":"Anatolia.","obtention":"The wooden *mihrab* that once belonged to the Taşkınpaşa Mosque in Damsaköy was transferred, along with the *minbar*, to Ankara Ethnographic Museum on 23 October 1940.","bibliography":"Bakırer, Ö., *Onüç ve Ondördüncü Yüzyıllarda Anadolu Mihrapları*, Ankara, 1976.  \n  \nBakırer, Ö., “Ürgüp'ün Damsa Köyü'ndeki Taşkın Paşa Camii'nin Ahşap Mihrabı”, *Türk Tarih Kurumu Belleteni* 139 (1971), pp.367–82.  \n  \nÖney G., “Anadolu Selçuklu ve Beylikler Devri Ahşap Teknikleri”, *Sanat Tarihi Yıllığı* III (1969–1970), Istanbul, pp.135–71.","author":"Sevinç Gök Gürhan","translator":"Barry Wood","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Bevelled style","carving","geometric decoration","inscription","mihrab","Mosque interior decoration","Qaramanids","vegetal decoration","wood"],"materials":["assembled from walnut panels and decorated entirely with deep carving with round surfaces","double-level carving and bevelling.","Walnut"]},"ff274184-f67a-583f-9714-b7a7b2f69739":{"name":"Wardrobe","description":"The massive body of this single-piece wardrobe – veneered, part carved, inlaid and gilded – closes with double doors. Each door has two central, shaped panels with mouldings and inlaid vegetal motifs. The doors –flanked by turned pillars – are supported on carved scrolls in darker wood. The wardrobe stands claw and ball feet, its base decorated with applied carved acanthus leaves, also in darker wood. The richly moulded cornice projections have a square crest above them topped by a fir cone, with facing carved scrolls of acanthus leaves in darker wood.  \nThe wardrobe, typical of the massive single-piece Baroque clothes presses of south German provenance, furnished the manor of the Counts Drašković from Bisag.","short_description":"The design of this massive wardrobe with two inlaid-panel doors, twisted pillars and a carved crest is typical of late 17th-, early 18th-century south German production. The wardrobe furnished Bisag Manor in Hrvatsko prigorje, owned by a branch of the Counts Drašković. Jelisaveta Drašković, a descendant of this family that played a very important role in Croatian history, sold the wardrobe to the museum.  \nThe Germanisches Nationalmuseum in Nuremberg has an identical wardrobe.","type":"Furniture","holder":"Museum of Arts and Crafts","initial_owner":"Drašković family","dates":"About 1700","location":"Zagreb, North-West Croatia","dimensions":"H: 214 cm; w: 190 cm; d: 65 cm","place_of_production":"Southern Germany","method_for_datation":"From analysis of style and comparison with other examples in the available literature.","provenance":"Drašković family of Bisag Manor near Komin","obtention":"Purchased in 1935 from Jelisaveta Drašković (see above).","bibliography":"Kružić-Uchytil V., *Barokni namještaj iz fundusa MUO* (Baroque Furniture in the MUO Holdings), Zagreb, 1985","author":"Nela Tarbuk","translator":"Nikolina Jovanović","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["carving","furnishing","inlay","turned wood","vegetal decoration","wood carving"],"materials":["carved and turned walnut wood with inlay and \"poker work\" drawing","Veneered"]}}
+{"01436bcc-073d-529a-9751-7349d0fd45fc":{"name":"Wooden Qur’an Stand","short_description":"Items like this Qur’an stand were popular props in Orientalist painting. On the inside, this hard wood Qur’an stand, which is inlaid with ebony, bone and mother-of-pearl, is decorated with two large square geometric panels, surrounded by a wide zig-zag border. The two squares are in turn subdivided into four small squares, filled with abstract star motifs. On the underside, the stand has two large geometric roundels. Two narrow, rectangular mashrabiyyah panels occupy the upper part of the feet. The remaining surfaces surrounding them are filled with chequerboard designs.","type":"Hardwood Qur'an Stand with bone and mother-of-pearl inlay","holder":"Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilisation / Sharjah Museums Department","dates":"Hegira late 13th – early 14th century / AD late 19th – early 20th century","location":"Sharjah","dimensions":"Height 520 mm","provenance":"Near East","author":"Ulrike Al-Khamis","materials":["Hardwood, ebony, bone, mother-of-pearl"]},"019b1d84-e6f3-5e53-a049-f7191924c562":{"name":"Ottoman wooden spoons","short_description":"The Kunstkammer at Ambras contains a number of wooden Ottoman spoons. One such spoon is recorded in the Kunstkammer at Munich as early as AD 1596, suggesting that the ones at Ambras also date from the 16th century, despite only being listed on a later inventory. The spoons feature floral motifs such as tulips, carnations and hyacinths in gold paint. Their backs and part of the handles are decorated with wave-band motifs.","type":"Tableware","holder":"Kunsthistorisches Museum","dates":"Hegira second half of the 10th century / AD 2nd half of the 16th century","location":"Vienna","dimensions":"Length: 29cm; Length: 23.5cm; Length: 25cm; Length: 23cm; Length: 27cm; Length: 27cm","method_for_datation":"Comparison with similar objects","method_for_provenance":"Probably Ambras castle AD 1596","provenance":"Turkey?","obtention":"Collection of Ambras castle","bibliography":"Haag, Sabine (ed), *Fernsucht: Die Suche nach dem Fremden vom 16. bis 19. Jahrhundert*, exh. cat. Schloss Ambras, Wien: Kunsthistorisches Museum, 2009.  \nHaag, Sabine, Sandbichler, Veronika, Klarer, Mario (eds), *Piraten und Sklaven im Mittelmeer*, exh. cat. Schloss Ambras, Wien: Kunsthistorisches Museum, 1997.","dynasty":"Ottoman","author":"Veronika Sandbichler, Thomas Kuster","copy_editor":"Liz Cooper","keywords":["domestic vessels","floral decoration","floral motifs","hyacinths","kitchenware","ottoman empire","spoons","stripes"],"materials":["Wood, lacquer painting"]},"01c7dad2-5f26-5c46-9416-87c4c613cb64":{"name":"Table and two chairs (*Peškuns*)","description":"Interested in woodcut and its application on both profane and sacral objects, artist Branko Šotra (1906–1960) created several ensembles of *peškuns* during the 1930s. In interwar Yugoslavia, *peškun* (Tr. *peşkun*), a richly decorated (with carving, mother-of-pearl, and other) circular or polygonal low table/chair of Oriental origin, was an indispensable element of the so-called *Bosnian room* that was popular in homes in Belgrade, as an emulation of the royal family’s furnishings. They were made and decorated by skilled craftsmen, the most appreciated being those from Konjic.  \nHowever, Šotra combined the traditional form of the *peškun* with the motifs he was personally interested in and treated them using the contemporary language of Art Deco. On the top hexagonal table and chair tops of the *peškuns*, he carved relief scenes of rural life, while the lower, supporting, parts with ogee arches are decorated with geometric ornaments, motifs of grain ears, flowers, affronted doves and parrots. On the tabletop, there is a representation of a kitchen where a mother is nursing a child, a father is sitting and smoking next to the table with a *fildžan* – a Turkish coffee cup (Tr. *kahve fıncanı*) – and a *džezva* – coffee pot (Tr. *cezve*) – while a cat is drinking milk from a bowl. On the chair-tops are depictions of a shepherdess spinning wool in a meadow under a tree, surrounded by sheep and a stack of hay, and, on another chair, a woman reaping grain, a tree, a water gourd, and, in the background, a road leading to the village.  \nThe introduction of contemporary features into tradition was not Šotra’s exclusive approach. As a contributor to the journal *Primenjena umetnost* (*The Applied Art*), he published, in 1937, a pattern and instruction for the woodcuts for peškun, with geometric and floral ornaments inspired by folk art. After graduating from The Royal Art School in Belgrade in 1929, Branko Šotra taught drawing in Sarajevo, Loznica, and Vršac, and woodcut in Ohrid. At the same time, he dealt with painting, fresco painting, icon painting, and woodcarving. After World War II, he dedicated himself to the art of printing and pedagogical work. He served as the rector and professor at The Academy of Applied Arts from 1948 to 1956.","type":"Furniture","holder":"Museum of Applied Art","dates":"Hegira 1352–1354 / AD 1934–1935","location":"Belgrade","dimensions":"Table: 65 x 55 x 71cm; chair: 46 x 40 x 45.5cm","place_of_production":"Sarajevo, Kingdom of Yugoslavia","method_for_datation":"Through curatorial research","obtention":"Given in 2006 by the author's niece, Ksenija Gaćinović from Belgrade.","bibliography":"Šotra, B., *Primenjena umetnost* 3 (1937): 11–12;  \n  \nKraut, V., \"Prilog za monografiju Branka Šotre\" (Summary: \"Contribution à la monographie de Branko Šotra\"), in *Matica Srpska Journal for Fine Arts* 17 (1981): 281–297;  \n  \nDamjanović, D., *Branko Šotra: Retrospektiva*, Sarajevo: Umjetnička galerija Bosne i Hercegovine, 1991;  \n  \nDamjanović D., \"Jedan iz Kolone: Branko Šotra (1906–1960)\", in: *Slikano perom*, Banja Luka: Art print, 2000: 28–40;  \n  \nPopović, B., \"*Peškuns* / Table and Two Chairs\", in: I. Zorić (ed.), *New in the Collections: Acquisitions 2001–2010*, Belgrade: Museum of Applied Art, 2010: 114–115.","dynasty":"Interwar period","artist_birthdate":"31 January 1906","artist_birthplace":"Kozice, Austria-Hungary (today Bosnia and Herzegovina),","artist_deathdate":"21 May 1960","artist_deathplace":"Stockholm, Sweden","author":"Bojana Popović","keywords":["carving","Ottoman Balkans","peškun","side table","stool","Yugoslavia"],"materials":["Beechwood","carving, dark varnish, matte polish"]},"0283d533-1980-536d-937a-06e5a3d00c92":{"name":"Corbel.","description":"The sides of this corbel are painted with a simplified floral decoration of blue and yellow foliate scrolls ending in tri-lobed or four-lobed palm-leaf motifs on a bright red background. The edges of the corbel are decorated with yellow dots within blue circles. These floral motifs are perfectly typical of the Ifriqiyan decorative repertoire of the AH 3rd and 4th century (AD 9th and 10th century). The front projection of the corbel is carved in the shape of a grasshopper's head with curved grooves. Although the Orient has not left to us any other comparable wooden corbels, Ifriqiyan architecture does feature similar stone models as early as the AH 3rd century (AD 9th century), for example at the Mosque of the Three Doors. This corbel was part of the wooden roof of the prayer hall of the Great Mosque of Kairouan and served to support one of the ceiling beams. It is probably derived from an ancient design. However, one is struck by the consummate skill of the woodcarver's simple, rough-hewn, linear treatment of the surfaces, so appropriate for the decoration of a protruding architectural element.","short_description":"This corbel was part of the wooden ceiling of the prayer room of the Great Mosque of Kairouan, acting as a joist for the ceiling beams. Its floral motifs belonged to the Ifriqiyan decorative repertoire from the AH 3rd–5th / AD 9th–11th centuries.","type":"Woodwork, corbel, wood","holder":"Museum of Islamic Art.","dates":"Hegira, end of 3rd–beginning of 5th century / AH 9th–11th century.","location":"Raqqada., Kairouan.","dimensions":"Length 62 cm, width 16 cm, thickness 10 cm.","method_for_datation":"The motifs decorating this corbel are found on some carved panels of the *minbar* and on the painted wooden semi-dome of the *mihrab* of the Great Mosque of Kairouan, which dates to the middle of the 3rd / 9th century. These motifs are also found in the Umayyad art in Syria. All these allow us to date this corbel to the end of the 3rd / 9th century, certainly to the renovation work ordered and commissioned by the Aghlabid prince Ibrahim II (261-289 / 875-902).","method_for_provenance":"The motifs decorating this corbel are found on some carved panels of the *minbar* and on the painted wooden semi-dome of the *mihrab* of the Great Mosque of Kairouan.","provenance":"Kairouan.","obtention":"After the restoration of the Great Mosque of Kairouan, between 1962 and 1972, some beams, boards and joists were taken out and completely refurbished. This piece was placed along with thousands of other fragments in the storerooms of the National Institute of the Patrimony of Kairouan. It was selected for display when the Museum of Islamic Art at Raqqada was extended.","bibliography":"*De Carthage a Kairouan* (exhibition catalogue), Paris, 1982, p.207.  \n*30 ans au service du patrimoine* (exhibition catalogue), 1986, p.262.  \n*Tunisie, du Christianisme a l'Islam* (exhibition catalogue), Lattes, 2001, p.191.  \n*Ifriqiya: Thirteen Centuries of Art and Architecture in Tunisia*, pp.175–6.","dynasty":"Aghlabid–Zirid","author":"Mourad Rammah","copy_editor":"Margot Cortez","translator":"David Ash","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["figurative decoration","floral decoration","furnishing","sculpture"],"materials":["Carved and decorated cedarwood."]},"03af3ec3-8778-533c-8919-fead5482c63d":{"name":"Coffee Grinder","description":"A wooden coffee grinder with metal bowl attached to a cubed box on a flat extended base. The user would grind the roasted beans in the chamber by turning the handle. The ground coffee accumulated in the cubed box.","holder":"Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts","dates":"13th-14th century/AD 19th century","location":"Istanbul","dimensions":"26cm x 40cm x 21cm","dynasty":"Ottomans (AH 698–1340 / AD 1299–1922)","materials":["Wood, metal"]},"040d5edd-ece2-5d65-a462-03b30e90b3e1":{"name":"Pieces from the Nur al-Din Zangi *minbar*.","description":"A collection of panels formed from small and medium-sized pieces of interlocking pinewood representing all that remains of the Minbar of Nur al-Din Zangi, which was crafted in Aleppo as a good omen for the conquest of Jerusalem. The *minbar* was destroyed in a fire of 1969 which damaged some of the sections of al-Aqsa Mosque, especially the southern, *qibla*, wall. Nur al-Din Zangi ordered the production of the *minbar* while preparing for the conquest of Jerusalem but he died before he could retake the city, and Salah al-Din (Saladin) undertook the transportation of the *minbar* from Aleppo to Jerusalem in AH 583 / AD 1187.  \nThe *minbar* was made from interlocking pine and inlaid with mother-of-pearl, ivory and pearls. The different components that constitute it are attached to each other by means of wooden nails and, in addition, the interlocking technique (*ta'sheeq*) is employed. The *minbar* was made up of three sections: the entrance, which faced *muqarnas* tiers, a staircase and a podium, which was covered by a kiosk. The door was composed of two leafs, important sections of which remain. The entrance opened onto the staircase with a wooden enclosure on both sides, crafted in the *mashrabiyya* technique. The staircase leads to the podium where the *khatib* would deliver the sermon.  \nThe *minbar* is rich in vegetal and geometric decorations as well as an arrangement of star-shaped medallions, each of which forms a complete decorative unit which, with the surrounding units, forms beautiful latticework (*mashrabiyya)*. The *minbar* also has a collection of epigraphic inscriptions that contain Qur'anic verses and an endowment (*waqf*) inscription of Nur al-Din Zangi and his son al-Salih, who accomplished what his father began. This is in addition to the inscriptions which bear the name of the craftsmen who made the *minbar*. The *minbar* of Nur al-Din is considered to be one of the most beautiful of the Islamic wooden *minbar*s.","short_description":"The remains of a *minbar* destroyed in 1969 in a fire that damaged al-Aqsa Mosque. The minbar was commissioned by Nur al-Din Zangi in Aleppo as a good omen for the conquest of Jerusalem. Salah al-Din (Saladin) undertook its transportation to Jerusalem. The pieces have rich vegetal and geometric decoration, interlocking and star-shaped panels and names of the craftsmen.","type":"Woodwork, minbar, pine","holder":"Islamic Museum, al-Aqsa Mosque / al-Haram al-Sharif.","initial_owner":"Nur al-Din Zangi (ruled in Syria AH 541–69 / AD 1146–74) and Salih bin Nur al-Din Zangi, Salah al-Din Ayyubi (known as Saladin, r. AH 564–89 / AD 1169–93).","dates":"Construction of the *minbar* began in hegira 564 / AD 1169, and was completed in AH 570 / AD 1174.","location":"Jerusalem","dimensions":"Length 245 cm, width 112 cm.","method_for_datation":"The *minbar* is dated by the epigraphic inscriptions it bears, and a number of historical sources, some of the most important being those of Abu Shama (d. 665 / 1267) and Ibn al-Athir (d. 630 / 1223) and Mujir al-Din al-Hanbali (d. 927 / 1520).","method_for_provenance":"Aleppo was narrowed down as the place of production for the *minbar*, supported by both the epigraphic inscriptions on it and by historical sources.","provenance":"Custom-made in Aleppo, Syria for al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.","obtention":"The *minbar* was transferred from al-Aqsa Mosque to the Islamic Museum after the fire of 1969.","bibliography":"Abu Shama, al-Maqdisi, Dhail or Tarajim Rijal al-Qarnain al-Sadis wal-Sabi' \\[The Biographies of Famous People in the 6th and 7th Century\\], Cairo, 1947.  \nAl-A'arif, A., *Tarikh Qubbat al-Sakhra wa al-Masjid al-Aqsa* \\[The History of the Dome of the Rock and the Aqsa Mosque\\], Jerusalem, 1955.  \nAbu Khalaf, M., *Islamic Art Through the Ages: Masterpieces of the Islamic Museum of al-Haram al-Sharif,* Jerusalem, 1998.  \nAl-Ansari, F., *Minbar Nur al-Din Zengi \\[The Minbar of Nur al-Din Zangi*\\], 1989, Jerusalem.  \nMayer, L. A., *Islamic Woodcarvers and their Works,* Geneva, 1958.","dynasty":"Ayyubid","author":"Nazmi Al-Ju'beh","copy_editor":"Majd Musa","translator":"Amal Sachedina (from the Arabic).","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["carved inscription.","epigraphic decoration","geometric decoration","inlay","ivory","Minbar","Mother-of-pearl","pine","vegetal decoration","woodwork"],"materials":["Interlocked pine, inlaid with mother-of-pearl, pearls, and ivory."]},"0440ce02-52d9-59e9-9d80-0b24ab6725f0":{"name":"Table.","description":"A low table made of wood inlaid with cloud-bands and simple arabesque compositions in ebony and mother-of-pearl; set into the top is an underglaze painted ceramic tile with a centralised design featuring flowers on an arabesque framework, surrounded by a border with cloud-bands on a turquoise background. The table has 12 sides, to match the 12 sides of the ceramic top, but it is constructed with spandrel-like joins between the legs so that it stands on six legs.  \n  \nThis table is a rare example of furniture from the Ottoman imperial court, as well as a most unusual use of Iznik tilework. The beautiful, bright colours of the tile make a striking contrast to the subdued tones of the inlaid wood. It seems unlikely that such a fine piece of furniture would have been intended for everyday use; more likely, it was used as part of the elaborate ceremonials which defined Ottoman court protocol and impressed foreign ambassadors.","short_description":"A table made of wood inlaid with ivory and mother-of-pearl, with a 12-sided Iznik tile serving as the top. A rare example of furniture from the Ottoman court, this splendid table may have been used in the elaborate ceremonials which defined court protocol and impressed visiting ambassadors.","type":"Woodwork, mother of pearl, painted, glazed ceramic","holder":"Victoria and Albert Museum.","dates":"Probably around hegira 966 / AD 1560.","location":"London, England","dimensions":"Height 48 cm, diameter 63 cm.","method_for_datation":"The technique, materials and style of the woodwork are similar to those found on the throne of Sultan Süleyman in the Topkapı Palace Museum in Istanbul. The tile, too, is similar to those found in Sultan Süleyman's mosque (completed in 963 / 1557), though its size and distinct shape mean it must have been made specifically as a table-top.","method_for_provenance":"Iznik was the centre of quality ceramic production in this period; Istanbul, as home to the imperial ateliers, may be where the wood was inlaid and the final product assembled.","provenance":"Iznik or Istanbul, Turkey.","obtention":"Purchased by the Museum in 1987.","bibliography":"Mitter, P. and Clunas, C., \"The Empire of Things: The Engagement with the Orient\", A Grand Design: The Art of the Victoria and Albert Museum (eds. M. Baker and B. Richardson), London, 1997, p.255.  \n  \nStanley, T., with Rosser-Owen, M. and Vernoit, S., Palace and Mosque: Islamic Art from the Middle East, London, 2004, p.103.","dynasty":"Ottoman","linkcatalogs":"IAM_TR_EN_001","author":"Barry Wood","copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["arabesque","ceramic","furnishing","tilework"],"materials":["Wood, mother-of-pearl, painted and glazed ceramic."]},"04d27671-b1ac-5ad5-85cb-254ee0e80def":{"name":"Bridal cushion","description":"This bridal cushion from Ma’an, Jordan, traditionally prepared by a bride as part of her trousseau for her new home, is among the most distinctive examples of Jordanian domestic textiles. They feature embroidery patterns that are believed to reflect connections with the Caucasus, whether through historical travel, trade, or settlement. These motifs stand as a testament to Ma'an's role as a crossroads of cultural exchange, where influences from distant regions were absorbed into local artistic traditions.","type":"Furniture","holder":"Tiraz: Widad Kawar Home for Arab Dress","owner":"Tiraz","dates":"ca. 1935","location":"Amman","dimensions":"Height: 64,5 cm; width: 34 cm","place_of_production":"Ma'an, Jordan","provenance":"Purchased by the collector","author":"Laila Mushahwar","copy_editor":"Danielle Morcom","keywords":["Bride","embroidery","Furniture","marriage","wedding"],"materials":["Cotton"]},"06a3bee7-1756-596e-90e4-49becb64c66e":{"name":"Royal Brigantine","description":"Responsible for the construction and design, Torquato José Clavina was the foreman ship's carpenter at the Naval Arsenal, much admired for his skill and competence. The brigantine is a magnificent work in gilded wood, crafted by the artist Manuel Vieira, while on the broadside is a panel of zoomorphic elements over darkened gold. In the Queen Maria I style, the barge is painstakingly decorated with pinnacles, friezes, caryatides, flower-like ornaments and tile panels depicting vases of flowers in frames. On the posterior panel of the quarterdeck cabin, there is a painting of Pedro Alexandrino de Carvalho, who was responsible for painting the sovereign's private cabin. The quarterdeck cabin stands out from all the others for its richness and beauty, notably for the framed Venetian mirrors. The lower poop panel has complex and beautiful ornamentation: Amphitrite and Neptune are represented in two bas-reliefs surrounded by gilded-wood floral borders.  \nOn board were 78 paddlers with 40 oars, which made the barge glide through the water with the help of the boss and the bow oarsman. Throughout its history, the barge transported several monarchs and heads of state.  \nWith the first French invasion of November of 1807, the barge was assigned to take Queen Maria I and the rest of the royal family to the *Príncipe Real*, the ship on which they would escape to Brazil. Likewise, it was from this galley that King João VI disembarked in Lisbon following this turbulent period.  \nLater, on his first State visit in 1903, King Edward VII of England chose his oldest ally: Portugal. The Royal Brigantine headed for the British ship HMS *Victoria and Albert* to receive the monarch. This visit was followed by series of other State visits, amongst which were the visits of Kaiser William II of Germany, Émille Loubet, President of the Republic of France, and King Albert I of Belgium. The brigantine was always present.  \nDuring the Republic, the brigantine was neglected and did not glide over the river for 40 years. In 1957, on the occasion of the official visit of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the barge crossed the waters of the Tagus for the last time.  \nIn 1963 it became part of the collection of the Museu de Marinha (Naval Museum) where it underwent restoration. The quality of the restoration saw the museum receive several honourable distinctions including that given by the World Ship Trust.","short_description":"In 1780 Queen Maria I ordered the construction of a grand royal barge: the Royal Brigantine of Queen Maria I. Its construction was destined to celebrate the betrothal of Prince João (future King João VI) to the Spanish Princess Carlota Joaquina, in 1784.  \nSymbol of power and a jewel of naval archeology, the brigantine represents more than 200 years of historical pageantry.","type":"Royal Barge (for ceremonial display)","holder":"Maritime Museum","owner":"Museu de Marinha","initial_owner":"Portuguese Royal Household","dates":"1780","location":"Lisbon, Lisbon","dimensions":"L: 29,32 m / beam w: 3,98 m","place_of_production":"Lisbon, Portugal","method_for_datation":"Technical and historical royal documentation in the Portuguese Naval Archives.","provenance":"Portuguese Navy","obtention":"In 1963 the Royal Brigantine and other royal barges were taken to the Naval Museum by order of the Naval Ministry of the time.","bibliography":"Cutileiro, A., *As Galeotas Reais*, Lisbon, 1998.  \nSilva, G. C., “A última missão do Bergantim Real”, *Revista da Armada*, Nos. 405 and 406 de Fevereiro e Março, 2007.","workshop":"Navy Arsenal","artist_birthdate":"Unknown","author":"Bruno Gonçalves Neves","translator":"Lili Cavalheiro, Cristina Correia","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["D. Maria I","galley","Royal ship"],"materials":["gilded and painted wood","Naval construction in wood"]},"0703f771-513c-549f-8e72-02d81616e8d9":{"name":"Captain's Pearl Chest containing his most precious possessions, including folding pearl gauges with 44 grades, knife for opening oysters, weight set and hand compass","short_description":"This pearl merchant's chest, known in the region as bishtakha, was an indispensable item of a pearl merchant's profession, as it contained not only all his equipment, but also his valuable bags of pearls. Made of hardwood and often elaborately decorated, these chests could come in different sizes and were designed to hold pearling scales with their agate weights, scoops, graded sieves, small discrete boxes for cash - often hidden in secret compartments - bags of pearls and the so-called chao book, used to calculate - by means of detailed tables - the value of specific pearls on the basis of their weight.","type":"Wooden work box with tools","holder":"Sharjah Maritime Museum / Sharjah Museums Department","dates":"Hegira late 13th – early 14th century / AD late 19th – early 20th century","location":"Sharjah","dimensions":"Length 532 mm, depth 301 mm, height 193 mm","provenance":"Sharjah Emirate","author":"Ulrike Al-Khamis","keywords":["bishtakha"],"materials":["Teak wood, iron, copper alloy, textile"]},"0737cdd3-69a5-54f9-9b1f-1387094ecc4e":{"name":"Spindle","description":"A spindle is a straight spike made from wood. It is used for spinning and twisting wool fibres into yarn. It is weighted on one end, by a disc or spherical object called a whorl.","type":"Spindle","holder":"Jordan River Foundation Bani Hamida Weaving Project","dates":"AD 1916","location":"Mukawer","dimensions":"L: 38cm, W: 5cm","method_for_datation":"Owners","provenance":"Bani Hamida","obtention":"Bought","author":"Halima Al Qa'dan","copy_editor":"Lisa Kelman","materials":["Wood"]},"07cfbb4a-25e5-5ae3-a64e-9de990ccf477":{"name":"Bridal cushion","description":"This bridal cushion from Ma'an, traditionally prepared by a bride as part of her trousseau for her new home, reflects the town’s position as a crossroads of cultural exchange. Its embroidered designs and use of ikat textiles reveal connections with wider textile traditions from Central Asia, Turkey, and Syria, where ikat weaving was historically widespread and highly developed. These influences reached Ma'an through networks of travel, trade, pilgrimage, and migration, becoming integrated into local practices.","type":"Furniture","holder":"Tiraz: Widad Kawar Home for Arab Dress","owner":"Tiraz","dates":"ca. 1930","location":"Amman","dimensions":"Height: 64 cm; width: 40 cm","place_of_production":"Ma'an, Jordan","provenance":"Purchased by the collector","author":"Laila Mushahwar","copy_editor":"Danielle Morcom","keywords":["Bride","embroidery","Furniture","marriage","wedding"],"materials":["Silk, cotton"]},"0a76c8b6-966d-5ed5-a3d7-707a07c8ea48":{"name":"Storage chest","short_description":"This storage chest is the finest one that has been preserved of a small group of pieces of furniture with mother-of-pearl inlays in lacquer - all from Gujarat. The lid is decorated with a spiral ornamentation that helps us date it. An identical mother-of-pearl decoration is found on a canopy made in 1608-1609 for the grave of the Sufi sheikh Nizam al-Din Awliya in Delhi.","type":"Storage chest, woodwork","holder":"The David Collection","dates":"Hegira beginning of the 11th century / AD beginning of the 17th century","location":"Copenhagen","provenance":"India, Gujarat","dynasty":"Mughal","keywords":["Mother-of-pearl","Mughal","Storage chest","woodwork"],"materials":["Wood, inlaid with mother-of-pearl in black lacquer"]},"0b5ea864-f20c-51f8-b510-3ee37516c735":{"name":"Door lintel.","description":"A door lintel, decorated with a very deep, undercut floral pattern comprising a central rosette flanked by intertwined foliage, scrolls filled with palmettes, pines and grapes, all arranged in a panel surrounded by pearling.  \n  \nThis type of floral pattern was very common during the Umayyad period and is seen throughout the decorative arts. Similar carved patterns adorned the Qasr al-Mushatta (now at the Pergamon Museum, Berlin).  \n  \nThe function of this lintel is purely aesthetic; it would reside on the upper part of a decorated doorway.","short_description":"Door lintel from Qasr al-Tuba bearing a very deep, undercut floral pattern with a central rosette that was common during the Umayyad period and is seen throughout the decorative arts. Such elaborate lintels would have been positioned on the upper parts of decorated doorways.","type":"Door, stone","holder":"Jordan Archaeological Museum.","dates":"Hegira 2nd century / AD 8th century.","location":"Amman","dimensions":"Height 44 cm, length 2.18 m, depth 42.5 cm.","method_for_datation":"The lintel was a part of a building, dated approximately to the 2nd / 8th century; the date has also been established through historical inferences.","method_for_provenance":"The provenance is known because this door lintel was found on the site of Qasr al-Tuba.","provenance":"Qasr al-Tuba, Jordan.","obtention":"According to the Museum inventory number, the lintel was transferred from Qasr al-Tuba to the Museum during the 1950s by the Department of Antiquities of Jordan.","bibliography":"Creswell, K. A. C., Early Muslim Architecture, Vol. I, Oxford, 1932, p.376, plate 80/A.","dynasty":"Umayyad","linkcatalogs":"IAM_JO_EN_001","author":"Aida Naghawy","copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["architectural decoration","floral decoration","Stonework"],"materials":["Carved limestone."]},"0b61c9ae-ef04-5d1e-af0b-b7e4ab248173":{"name":"Type-writing machine","short_description":"Dimitrija Chupovski (1878-1940) was born in Papradishte near Veles, R. Macedonia in 1878. He lived in Krushevo and acquired his education in Belgrade and St. Petersburg. He was a renowned Macedonian lexicographer, textbook writer and philologist who prepared the modern grammar of Macedonian language. Chupovski also worked out the first Macedonian-Russian dictionary.","type":"Machine","holder":"Museum of Macedonia","dates":"Early 20th century","location":"Skopje","provenance":"Saint Petersburg","author":"Nada Andonovska (author), Dragan Georgiev, historian (consultant)","copy_editor":"Daniel de la Vega","keywords":["Philologist","lexicographer","writing"],"materials":["Metal"]},"0be609b8-eaa5-59f2-a721-5797ecc66645":{"name":"Silver-inlaid brass Qur’an stand","short_description":"This stand is an example of Mamluk revivalist work, made during an age that encouraged the nationalistic reappraisal of indigenous heritage. It copies a famous Mamluk Qur’an stand in the Museum of Arab Art in Cairo, inscribed with the name of the Mamluk Sultan al-Nasir Muhammad ibn Qalawun (r. AD 1294-1340) and made by Muhammad ibn Sunqur al-Baghdadi.","type":"Metalwork","holder":"Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilisation","dates":"Hegira late 13th century / AD late 19th century","location":"Sharjah","provenance":"Egypt, Cairo","dynasty":"Neo-Mamluk","keywords":["furnishing","inlay","Mamluk Revival","metalwork","Neo Mamluk","Qur'an stand","revivalism","silver"]},"0c359028-43e3-559c-a7ca-c955341c48c8":{"name":"Wood panels (walls and ceiling) of Syrian Room","short_description":"In the late 1970s, Doris Duke acquired a variety of components that were said to have come from a house owned by the Quwatlis, a prominent merchant family of Damascus. Combining historic elements with new pieces made in Hawai‘i by local craftsmen, Duke and her staff created an interior that conveys the spatial layout and multi-media, multi-sensory experience of the Syrian *qa‘a* (Arabic: hall), a reception room found in affluent courtyard homes of the late Ottoman period (in Syria: 1516–1918).","type":"Islamic, Indian & Southeast Asian works of art; Woodwork; painting; architectural decoration","holder":"Shangri La, Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art","dates":"Dated hegira 1271 / AD 1854-55","location":"Honolulu, Hawai'i","dimensions":"Various","provenance":"Syria, Damascus","dynasty":"Ottoman","keywords":["architectural decoration","ceiling","Damascus","late Ottoman","panels","room","Syria","wood"],"materials":["Moulded, painted, and gilded wood"]},"0c62c358-069e-5101-ad0e-063173c5eefc":{"name":"Chair","description":"This chair, known as *jamuga* in the Spanish tradition, is most certainly a Moresque European piece designed from a combination of pattern books. The chair consists of a great widely decorated back and a curved seat with two arms. The four legs are delicately ornamented. The inscriptions probably have been taken from a design book or other visual model too, rather than being designed by an Arab master calligrapher. The decorated panels, aesthetically pleasing, are imprecise in terms of execution and calligraphic style.","type":"Furniture","holder":"Cerralbo Museum","dates":"19th century","location":"Madrid","dimensions":"124 x 60 x 65 cm","provenance":"Europe","author":"Cecilia Casas Desantes, Cristina Giménez","copy_editor":"Anne Dowell","keywords":["Production of applied arts in Europe in the Islamic mode","Orientalism"],"materials":["Wood, bone inlaid"]},"0e4a2c60-95e1-53b1-b364-83013292b0c9":{"name":"Qur’an Stand","short_description":"This Qur’an stand would elevate larger holy books to prevent direct contact with the unclean surface of the ground. The pigmented wood structure from India features deep floral carvings.  \n  \nMughal-style carvings with rows of florals and vines adorn the Qur’an stand in geometric precision. While Islamic woodwork in India remains widely understudied, the lobed arches of the legs remind of Mughal architecture. Furthermore, the woodwork of the Mughal Empire rarely bears inscriptions, hindering an accurate dating and study of clusters of pieces.  \n  \nThese stands still cradle Qur’ans in affluent homes, mosques, Islamic schools (*madrasa*), and in tombs for recitation and display purposes.","type":"Religious relics","holder":"FBQ Museum","owner":"Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim Al Thani","dates":"19th century","location":"Shahaniya","dimensions":"Length: 30cm , Width: 27cm, Height: 25cm","method_for_datation":"The date and origin were established in research-based comparison from an examination of material, colour, engraving and pattern.","method_for_provenance":"The date and origin were established in research-based comparison from an examination of material, colour, engraving and pattern.","provenance":"India","obtention":"Purchase","bibliography":"Carvalho, P. M., \"What Happened to the Mughal Furniture? The Role of the Imperial Workshops, the Decorative Motifs Used, and the Influence of Western Models\", *Muqarnas*, 21 (2004): 79–93.  \nMahshid, K. E., *Islamic wood work motifs of Iran and India in Mughal era/Mahshid Kakouei Ezbarami,* Doctoral dissertation, University of Malaya, 2016.","dynasty":"Mughal","author":"Sarah Schroeder","copy_editor":"Janice Medina","keywords":["India","Mughal","post-Mughal","Quran Stand"],"materials":["Cedar Wood"]},"0e56903a-9b5a-5b71-84c1-c4e82186198b":{"name":"Yoke (*nīr*)","description":"This yoke was used for animals to raise water from a *zājrah* well. Donkeys and bullocks typically work side-by-side to pull together against the weight of the water.","type":"Yoke (*nīr*)","holder":"National Museum of Oman","owner":"National Museum of Oman","dates":"Hegira 14th century / AD 20th century","location":"Muscat","dimensions":"Height: 3.5cm, length: 81cm, width: 10.5cm","place_of_production":"Oman","provenance":"Local acquisition","obtention":"Local acquisition","dynasty":"al-Busaid","copy_editor":"Alvaro Miranda","materials":["Wood"]},"0e93c801-4f27-5f79-b617-0e699aabf827":{"name":"Wooden panel","short_description":"Wooden panel from a door with vegetal decoration, in high relief, forming a calyx-shaped ornament from which spring spiralling leaves. The panel is representative of the transitional stage characterised by the bevelled technique to the next phase of which a distinctive example is the door presented by Caliph al-Hakim to the mosque of Al-Azhar in 1010.","type":"Woodwork, panel, wood","holder":"Benaki Museum","dates":"Hegira 4th century / AD 10th century","location":"Athens","dimensions":"Height 51.5 cm","provenance":"Egypt","dynasty":"Fatimid","keywords":["panel","wood"],"materials":["Wood"]},"0ed94ac3-d966-5b35-beee-4763d3799155":{"name":"Table clock","description":"An example of a richly decorated table clock decorated with alabaster columns, the popularity for which spread at the end of the 18th century in Pest, Buda and Óbuda. Richly decorated table clocks such as this one were common in the late 18th century and this type with a column decoration shows the stylistic change that took place at the end of the century, marking a transition towards Neo-Classicism. Architectural elements such as this were often used instead of ornate decoration once the Neo-Classical style took hold. From among similar clocks preserved in the collection at the Budapest History  Museum, this example is one of the most characteristic and richly decorated. It is signed by the clockmaker, Johann Kerbacher.","short_description":"This richly decorated table clock is a rare example documenting the mastery of Johan Kerbacher, whose signed clocks made in his workshop in Óbuda (Old Buda) are known from the second half of the 18th century. The alabaster-column decoration was a frequently used motif in the period, which popularity spread at the end of the 18th century in Pest, Buda and Óbuda, and marked the transition to Neo-Classicism.","type":"Applied art (clock)","holder":"Budapest History Museum","dates":"1780—90","location":"Budapest, Közép-Magyarország / Central Hungary","dimensions":"H: 78 cm","place_of_production":"Óbuda","method_for_datation":"on the basis of the signature on the clock","obtention":"By purchase.","bibliography":"*Budapest* *az Újkorban* (*Budapest* *in the Modern Times*), (ed. G. Szvoboda Dománszky), Budapest, 1995, p. 22.","workshop":"Workshop of Johan Kerbacher","author":"Terézia Bardi, Beatrix Basics","copy_editor":"Terézia Bardi","translator":"Beatrix Basics","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["alabaster","Applied art","Enamel","furnishing","gilding","gold","Johann Kerbacher","metalwork","Neo-Classicism","Óbuda","silver","timekeeping","workshop"],"materials":["Gilt silver, enamel and alabaster"]},"0fca5a3a-17d8-542b-bada-abe14d89b5ed":{"name":"Carved wooden chest","description":"A carved wooden chest with painted geometric and floral decoration, it illustrates the decorative styles that began to appear in the 19th century and also how industrial colours, imported from Europe, were being used.","type":"Woodwork; furniture","holder":"Kasbah Museum","dates":"19th century","location":"Tangiers","dimensions":"H: 255cm, W: 114cm","keywords":["Craftsmanship","traditional craftsmanship","Moroccan craftsmen","woodwork","carving","trade","raw material","industrial colours","geometric decoration","floral decoration","geometric motifs","floral motifs","vegetal decoration","vegetal motifs","furniture"],"materials":["Wood; carved and painted"]},"1028751a-07f0-53c2-8d14-e1b298d6e008":{"name":"Board","description":"Qur'anic board used in the African *madrasas* (schools), places where the first verses of the Qur'an are learned, under the direction of the *marabout* (teacher). The learning method consists of copying and reciting the different verses of the Qur'an, in a process of memorisation, which allows the students to erase them and then to write the following verses. The *alluha* (table of wood), the reed, and the ink are the only available pedagogic materials of the Qur'anic schools in the rural areas. The Qur'anic boards turn into documents that preserve the written personality of those who used them, the irregularity of the letter, the crooked lines, the hesitations, the corrected mistakes, the erased lines that refuse to disappear, as a register of a period of effort and domain of skills typical of the school stage.","type":"Print; Woodwork","holder":"National Museum of Anthropology","dates":"19th century","location":"Madrid","dimensions":"28 x 19 cm","copy_editor":"Anne Dowell","keywords":["Wood","education","Qur´an"],"materials":["Wood; pigments, ink"]},"112c53a7-9492-5a54-9745-591f4c96202c":{"name":"Hand-held plough (*haīs*)","description":"Ploughing with a *haīs* is the first stage in the traditional cultivation process. The *haīs* is drawn by a draft animal, usually a bullock. A ploughman walks along behind, using a sturdy guide rope and verbal commands to steer the animal while directing the path of the *haīs* by means of a tall wooden handle.","type":"Hand-held plough (*haīs*)","holder":"National Museum of Oman","owner":"National Museum of Oman","dates":"Hegira 14th century / AD 20th century","location":"Muscat","dimensions":"Height: 87cm, length: 109cm","place_of_production":"Northern Oman","provenance":"Local acquisition","obtention":"Local acquisition.","dynasty":"al-Busaid","copy_editor":"Alvaro Miranda","materials":["Wood and steel"]},"114c06c2-280f-51d2-a9f9-1733b739488a":{"name":"*Kuttab* (Qur'an school).","description":"A *kuttab* is an educational establishment where children are taught to memorise the Holy Qur'an, the rudiments of the Arabic language and arithmetic. The *kuttab,* seen here is made up of two sides (forming an L-shape) and a ceiling. One side (facing) is composed of a door decorated with geometric designs, and assembled in parts. Towards the left of it, are four storage areas or cupboards, two on each side, separated by a deep niche where the teacher would sit. The cupboard doors are ornamented with geometric designs composed of star-shaped medallions executed in the same manner as that used to embellish the door. On the two sides of the niche, and above it, are 29 small compartments framed within lobed arches which were used to store educational equipment. The lower area of this side of the *kuttab* is adorned with an assemblage of various decorations. Above this whole area, at the top, there is a rectangle with seven panels. Each is filled with various shapes of turned wooden elements and is separated from the neighbouring panels with balusters of turned wood. On the right-hand side of the *kuttab* there are two cupboards decorated in a similar fashion as the other storage areas. These two cupboards are surrounded by 12 small compartments with lobed niches; to the left of them there is a plain, undecorated door. The ceiling is ornamented with geometric designs made up of parts of star-like medallions executed by superimposing thin wooden bars. Below it is a frame composed of *muqarnas* pendentives. The *kuttab* also contains some recent decorative additions.","short_description":"A *kuttab* is an educational establishment for teaching children to memorise the Holy Qur'an, reading and writing. A *kuttab* was usually situated on the second floor of a *sabil* (water dispensary). This particular example was taken from a building in Rosetta, a city in the north of the Nile delta.","type":"Woodwork, wooden decoration","holder":"Museum of Islamic Art","dates":"Hegira 11th century / AD 17th century.","location":"Cairo","dimensions":"Height 340 cm, length 465 cm, width 215 cm.","method_for_datation":"The techniques of assemblage and superimposition of small wooden parts in the construction of wooden objects was widespread during the Ottoman period of the 16th and 17th centuries, and was used especially for the decoration of household objects and ceilings in the domestic context. Amongst the residences where this style of construction and decoration are utilised are the Bayt al-Suhaymi (1058 / 1648), and the residence of Waqf al-Sadat (1070 / 1659), both of which are in the city of Cairo. These techniques were also used in the construction of *minbars* (pulpits) and *dikkat al-muballigh* (recitation platforms) in mosques during the Ottoman era.","method_for_provenance":"Provenance is supported by information in the archives of the Museum of Islamic Art in Cairo.","provenance":"Egypt.","obtention":"The piece was transferred to the museum from the residence of al-Mazdini in Rashid, (Rosetta), Egypt, but the history of its transportation is not known.","bibliography":"Khalifa, Rabi' H., *Funun al-Qahira fi al-'ahd al-Othmani \\[Arts of Cairo during the Ottoman Era\\],* Cairo, 1985.  \nMustafa, M., *Dalil Mathaf al-fan al-Islami \\[Guide to the Museum of Islamic Art\\],* Cairo, 1978.","dynasty":"Ottoman","linkcatalogs":"IAM_TR_EN_001","author":"Salah Sayour","copy_editor":"Majd Musa","translator":"Amal Sachedina (from the Arabic).","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["architectural decoration","education","furnishing","geometric decoration","kuttab","religious schools","turned wood","wood"],"materials":["Ornamental wooden decoration using assemblage, interlocking and superimposition of wooden bars","turned woodwork."]},"1182b4e7-198f-51a0-b819-4ec5360c27f8":{"name":"Casket","description":"This casket was displayed in the exhibition about Islamic Art held in Munich in 1910. Afterwards it was acquired by Lázaro Galdiano, one of the most important Spanish art collectors. It is important to note Lazaro Galdiano's interest in and art appraisal of objects from the Spanish Muslim period. He was one of the earliest collectors of Arab art in Spain.","type":"Decorative Arts","holder":"Lázaro Galdiano Museum","dates":"1100–1199; exhibited in 1910 and then acquired by Lázaro Galdiano","location":"Madrid","dimensions":"18,5 x 34 x 11 cm","provenance":"Spain","author":"Ámparo López","copy_editor":"Anne Dowell","keywords":["International exhibition","Islamic art","collectionism"],"materials":["Ivory, wood and copper; gilded, painted, carved"]},"13838f38-9d4c-5ce5-b63d-fabe43b3504a":{"name":"«Holbein table»","description":"The table known as the «Holbein table« is one of the most important and most mysterious items in the furniture collection. Until 1965 it was attributed to the Basle painter Hans Holbein the Younger. It was only investigations by the Swiss National Museum in Zurich that revealed the true name of the artist as Hans Herbst. Painted table tops were a popular form of art in the Renaissance. They told stories, but above all represented the expert art knowledge and importance of the person who commissioned them, who has immortalised himself with a coat of arms and that of his wife in the middle of the table. They were Hans Bär and Katharina Brunner. Bär was a textile merchant in Basle and enlisted with foreign armies in the important function of standard bearer. He was killed at the battle of Marignano in 1515. The black background of the table imitates a slate on which various objects have been drawn, which, at a closer glance, turns out to be six allegorical scenes. To achieve as true-tolife an impression as possible, the artist used the trompel’oeil technique, creating an optical illusion, and distributed random objects across the table top such as playing cards, a pair of spectacles and a seal stamp bearing his name.","type":"Furniture","holder":"Swiss National Museum","owner":"Zentralbibliothek Zurich","dates":"1515","location":"Zurich","dimensions":"H: 132,5cm, W: 168cm, D: 8,2cm","method_for_datation":"Inscription on the painting on the surface of the table","provenance":"Basle, Switzerland","obtention":"Loan from the Zentralbibliothek Zurich 1985","keywords":["Alegorien","Basel","Basle","coat of arms","Furniture","Hans Herbst","Holbein Tisch","painting","Stadtbibliothek","Zentralbibliothek Zürich"],"materials":["Oil on limewood, Wooden enclosure"]},"1477ac86-b5c4-5cf6-bb7a-c80c93766095":{"name":"Rosette from Ibn Tulun's Minbar at the mosque of Sultan Lagin","short_description":"The Ibn Tulun Mosque in Cairo was erected in the late ninth century and renovated and remodelled under Sultan Lagin 1296. The *minbar* of the Ibn Tulun mosque is one of the most pre-eminent works of Egyptian applied arts.","type":"Woodwork, wood","holder":"MAK – Museum of Applied Arts","dates":"AD 1296","location":"Vienna","dimensions":"Diameter: 130cm","provenance":"Egypt, Cairo","obtention":"Assumption","bibliography":"Noever, Peter (ed), *Global:Lab: Kunst als Botschaft. Asien und Europa 1500-1700, Exh. cat. Museum of Applied Arts Vienna*, Ostfildern: Hatje Cantz, 2009.","dynasty":"Mamluk","catalogue_holding_link":"https://sammlung.mak.at/sammlung_online?id=collect-50948","author":"Mio Wakita-Elis","keywords":["Ibn Tulun Mosque","Mamluk","Mosque interior decoration","wood"],"materials":["Wood, carved and marquetry decorations"]},"148b5238-d0f6-5a73-ade6-65b1ffbc8ca4":{"name":"Palanquin","short_description":"The palanquin from India, a symbol of royal power, is comprised of a wooden compartment with a woven floor and roof resembling an arch or two oyster halves seated on large poles. Engraved decorations, various shapes and motifs enhance the carriage. Thin drapes protect from prying eyes and cover the fortune carried inside the carriage. Only men of certain castes or elephants were allowed to bear the palanquin transporting royals on long journeys and brides to their wedding ceremony.  \n  \nAcross the Arabian Peninsula, palanquins receive the name *howdah* (*hawdaj*,) and carried Bedouin women on a camel’s back, frequently appearing in the poetry of the Murrah tribe. Since 1266, another variation called *mahmal* ceremonially transferred the cover of the Kaaba with the Egyptian pilgrimage to Mecca. Today, palanquins might be represented as the predecessors of bullet-proof cars with tinted windows, escorting royals and their entourage.","type":"Means of Transport","holder":"FBQ Museum","owner":"Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim Al Thani","dates":"19th century","location":"Shahaniya","dimensions":"Length: 398cm, Width: 85cm, Height: 110cm","method_for_datation":"The date and origin were derived from an examination of material and technique in a research comparison with similar objects.","method_for_provenance":"The date and origin were derived from an examination of material and technique in a research comparison with similar objects.","provenance":"India","obtention":"Purchase","bibliography":"Behrens-Abouseif, D., \"The Mahmal Legend and the Pilgrimage of the Ladies of the Mamluk Court\", *Mamluk Studies Review*, 1 (1997): 87-96.  \nIngham, B., \"Camel Terminology Among the ĀL Murrah Bedouins\", *Zeitschrift Für Arabische Linguistik*, 22 (1990): 67–78.  \nOpler, M. E., and Shukla, S., \"Palanquin Symbolism: The Special Vocabulary of the Palanquin-Bearing Castes of North Central India\", *The Journal of American Folklore*, 81 : 321 (1968): 216–234.  \nPaolini, S., \"Palanquins on Camels and Elephants in the Islamic World\",*Vicino Oriente* (2018): 227-240.","author":"Sarah Schroeder","copy_editor":"Valerie Pulsifer","keywords":["Arabian Peninsula","Carriage","Hawdah","Mahmal","Palanquin","Palki","royal","Transportation"],"materials":["carving","Wood"]},"14d23909-007c-5bfe-ba51-0f21c11eaef4":{"name":"Namban Oratory","description":"This rectangular oratory surmounted by a triangular pediment with the monogram *IHS* (the abbreviation of the Greek *IHSOUS*, or JESUS) located at the centre, has two side-panels enclosing a painting of the Virgin Mary holding the infant Jesus. Although the lacquer decoration presents a predominantly Japanese ornamental grammar – especially a floral one – both its form and the iconography embody Christian cultural references. The pictorial image is itself an example of the possible interaction between the Jesuit painting school – operating in Japan since the 1580s – and the Japanese pupils that quickly demonstrated skill in Western-style painting.  \nAs it is, such a hybrid object, that crosses different artistic backgrounds, could only have been made during the Portuguese presence in Japan, during the period spanning approximately 1549 to 1640.  \nThe oratory is mentioned in the *Inventário Artístico de Santarém* (Santarém Artistic Inventory) as Indo-Portuguese lacquer work. Such misinformation reveals how, in the middle of the 20th century, such an item was unfamiliar to the European public in general, but that was not the case in the late 16th and beginning of the 17th century, at least not for the Portuguese elite. Such a statement can only be based on the remaining objects – with or without associated painting – the number of which has expanded increasingly during the last three decades (this example did not come to light until 1985). A fact that also draws attention to the demands of the Iberian market for these objects at the time.  \nThe Sardoal Oratory has the particularity of being associated with a religious space, thanks to an inscription located on the altar of Nossa Senhora da Esperança in the Church of Nossa Senhora da Caridade. This text, dated 1670, is the earliest known reference in Portugal to a reminiscent *Namban* object.","short_description":"A lacquered *Namban* oratory with a floral design in gold and silver powder (*maki-e)* and mother of pearl inlay (*raden*) with a painting of the Virgin Mary holding the infant Jesus.","type":"Ecclesiastical furniture","holder":"Sardoal's Holy House of Mercy, Sardoal","owner":"Santa Casa da Misericórdia, Sardoal","initial_owner":"Gaspar de Sousa Lacerda (?)","dates":"Late 16th century","location":"Convent of Santa Maria da Caridade, Sardoal, Santarém","dimensions":"H: 47.2 cm; l: 35 cm; w: 5.1 cm","place_of_production":"Japan","method_for_datation":"The date and origin of the object were established on stylistic grounds and partially by the inscription (see text above).","provenance":"Portuguese India (?)","obtention":"The object was transferred from the church of Nossa Senhora da Caridade to the Santa Casa da Misericórdia.","bibliography":"Okamoto, Y., *The* Namban *Art of Japan*, New York, Tokyo, 1972.  \nPinto, M. and Mendes, H., *Lacas Namban em Portugal. Presença portuguesa no Japão*, Lisbon, 1990.  \nWatanabe, T., “Namban lacquer shrines: some new discoveries” in *Lacquerwork in Asia and Beyond. A Colloquy held 22–24 June 1981,* William Watson (ed), London: Percival David Foundation of Chinese Art, SOAS, \\[n.d\\], pp. 194–210. (*Colloquies on Art and Archaeology in Asia*, 11).  \n*Cristo fonte de esperança.* *Exposição do grande Jubileu do ano 2000*, Exhibition catalogue, Diocese do Porto, 2000.  \nImpey, O. and Jörg, C., *Japanese export lacquer 1580–1850*, Amsterdam, 2005..","workshop":"*Namban*","dynasty":"Azuchi/Momoyama periods","author":"Alexandra Curvelo","translator":"Alexandra Curvelo","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["floral decoration","inlay","Jesuit","Jesuit school of painting","Lacquer ware","religious furnishing","urushi"],"materials":["frame: wood, lacquer (urushi), gold powder, silver powder (maki-e), copper and mother of pearl inlay (raden)","Painting: oil on copper"]},"15127984-6ea0-5f83-a95c-d9e4f798184a":{"name":"Spindle wheel","description":"Early wooden spinning wheel which would have been used for the long-draw spinning technique for producing both cotton and wool.","type":"Spindle wheel","holder":"Department of Antiquities","owner":"Department of Antiquities","dates":"Early 20th century","location":"Amman","method_for_datation":"Early 20th century treadle loom weavers from Syria and Palestine settled in Jordan. They produced rugs, saddle bags and other textiles.","provenance":"Amman","obtention":"Purchased","bibliography":"Rashid, Abdallah, *Traditional life in Amman from 1878-1948*, Amman: Ministry of Culture and Youth, 1983.","author":"Samia Khouri","copy_editor":"Lisa Kelman","materials":["Wood"]},"153c5ddb-dd1d-5e3c-9e80-de0b66684f95":{"name":"Parts of a *minbar*.","description":"These elements of the facing of the *minbar* are formed by two distinctive parts. The first one consists of two longitudinal panels from the upper parts of the lateral faces of the *minbar*. Their surfaces, divided into sections and surmounted by an arch, are decorated with stacks of pinecones and acanthus rosettes borrowed from Abbasid flora. The panels are framed by a band bearing an inscription in angular *kufic* script also in an Eastern style. The inscription in the right panel, whose spandrels are adorned with half-sprays of acanthus, includes the date the Fatimids founded the *minbar*. The one in the left panel shows Qur'anic texts from verse 36 of Sura 24, 'The light'.  \nThe second part includes the three elements from the back.  \nThe top, arched panel is topped by an inscription in *kufic* script, which indicates the name of the Umayyad patron and the date the *minbar* was repaired. Its surface, framed by a border of small floral medallions, is decorated in two styles: the upper section is occupied in the centre by a rectangular panel with a poly-lobed arch with floral medallions and on the sides by festoon acanthus rosettes. The lower section is adorned with an acanthus rosette flanked by poly-lobed medallions containing polygonal knotwork based on an eight-pointed star.  \nThe rectangular middle part, bordered with a votive inscription, is adorned with a central motif of tiered chevrons with palm foliage and serrated acanthus rosettes inscribed in squares.  \nThe lower part is decorated with half-balusters in turned and painted wood, glued on a slab.  \nThese facings, which illustrate a historic period of Morocco when two political and religious movements fought for the hegemony of the country, play an important role in the history of Moroccan art, which, from that time forward, would be influenced both from the East and from Andalusia.","short_description":"These *minbar* parts illustrate a historical episode and the beginnings of Islamic art in Morocco, when Fatimids and Córdoban Umayyads were fighting for control of the country. The Fatimids incorporated Eastern decoration when making the *minbar*, and the Umayyads added Western elements when converting it.","type":"Woodwork, minbar, wood","holder":"Batha Museum.","initial_owner":"*Habus (waqf)*.","dates":"Sides: Hegira 369 / AD 979; back: Hegira 375 / AD 985.","location":"Fez.","dimensions":"Back: height 146 cm, width 75 cm, depth 3–4.5 cm; panels: height 56 cm, width 20.6 cm, depth 2.5–4.5 cm.","method_for_datation":"Two inscriptions mention the dates. The date of foundation is shown on the arcature in the right panel: 'This *minbar* was made in the month of Shawwal in the year 369 \\[April / May 979\\]' and the date it was repaired appears on the upper part of the back: '… this is what was commissioned by the mayor of the palace …, al-Mansur, sword of the empire of the *imam* and servant of God … Hisham … Abi Amir Muhammad … son of Abi Amir … in the month of Jumada II in the year 375 \\[October–November 985\\]'.","method_for_provenance":"These parts were removed from the *minbar*, which remained in use at the Andalusian Mosque from its creation in 369 / 979 until 1353 / 1934.","provenance":"Andalusian Mosque, Fez.","obtention":"*Habus*.","bibliography":"Cambazard-Amahan, C., *6000 ans d'art au Maroc*, catalogue, Paris, 1990.  \nLévy-Provençal, É., *Histoire de l'Espagne musulmane*, Vol. III, Paris, 1953.  \nTerrasse, H., *La Mosquée des Andalous à Fès*, Paris, 1934.","dynasty":"Sides: Tunisian Fatimid; back: Umayyad Caliphate of Córdoba","linkcatalogs":"IAM_MA_EN_001","author":"Naima El Khatib-Boujibar","copy_editor":"Margot Cortez","translator":"Albertina Torres, Laurence Nunny","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["epigraphic decoration","floral decoration","geometric decoration","Habous","liturgical object","Mosque interior decoration","vegetal decoration"],"materials":["Carved, turned, painted cedarwood."]},"155d1175-57c1-5993-9a33-680636e74497":{"name":"Cosmetic case for a man","short_description":"The craft of lacquer work was widely practised in Iran from the 16th to the 19th century. Master artists in Esfahan or Teheran supplied the lacquer work for the court and the upper circles of society. The main subjects illustrated are: life at court, the legendary history of Iran and religious themes based on the Qur'an and the Old and New Testaments. The mirror and cosmetic case is a nice example of the considerable influence European Baroque painting had on Iranian lacquer work particularly during the Qajar epoch.","type":"Household item","holder":"Weltmuseum Wien","dates":"Hejira 1193 / 1779","location":"Vienna","dimensions":"L: 25cm, W: 17.7cm, H: 2.6cm","method_for_datation":"Entry in the general inventory and publication.","method_for_provenance":"Entry in the general inventory book.","provenance":"Iran","obtention":"Catalog entry: \"Found in the storerooms without an inventory number and documentation;  re-inventorized in 1968.\"","bibliography":"Janata, Alfred, \"Nordafrika, Vorder- und Zentralasien\", in Das Museum für Völkerkunde in Wien (ed.), *Das Museum für Völkerkunde in Wien (Mit Beiträgen von Hans Manndorff, Christian F. Feest, Armand Duchâteau, Alfred Janata, Kurt Binder, Heide Theisen, Hanns Peter, Peter Kann)*, Salzburg and Vienna: Residenz Verlag, 1980: 70-93.","dynasty":"Afsharid","materials":["Wood, paper, pigments, lacquer, metal, glass"]},"15a036a6-aeac-5f6d-9650-0c088793d738":{"name":"Panel","short_description":"This elaborately carved wood panel has a central 12-point radiating star that extends outward to form a strong geometric, symmetrical pattern of multi-shaped polygons with raised edges. Carved in the centre of the large polygon forms are scrolling arabesques in high relief while smaller polygons are unornamented, creating high surface contrast. Purchased at auction in 1972.","type":"Islamic, Indian & Southeast Asian works of art; Woodwork","holder":"Shangri La, Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art","dates":"Hegira 9th century / AD 15th century","location":"Honolulu, Hawai'i","dimensions":"Overall: 172.7 x 111.8 cm","provenance":"Central Asia or Iran","dynasty":"Timurid","keywords":["arabesque","carving","Central Asia","geometric motifs","Iran","panel","Timurid","wood"],"materials":["Wood"]},"178f74aa-fe42-524b-94f2-f5d4a1c1bd50":{"name":"Processional Altar of St. John the Evangelist","description":"A silver processional altar made at the beginning of the 18th century, which belonged to the Royal Monastery of Our Lady of Conception, and was used in the Procession of the Holy Sacrament in Beja. The social and religious significance of the Corpus Christi Day procession cannot be understated; it represents one of the greatest manifestations of the Portuguese Baroque, which once acknowledged, justifies the sumptuousness of some of the pieces used in these ceremonies. Traditionally, up until 1893, the altar was carried by farmers.  \nRectangular in shape, the *acroteria* (small bases placed at the four extremities) has a beaded edging, and four *albarradas* or ornamental vases, alternate with smaller jars in the middle. The entirety is covered with vegetable and scalloped-shell ornamentation, and St. James' crosses. The wooden carrying rods are also silver plated.  \nThe octagonal shaped pedestal stands over the main body, decorated with double scalloped-shell ornamentation, pear-shaped “tables” and St. James' crosses. There is also an octagonal platform with small jars placed at each corner of the pedestal.  \nAn iron column rises above the pedestal, covered with silk cloth embroidered with gold thread. It meets a gold and silver halo embellished with precious stones above which a gold and silver crown rests, also studded with precious stones. In the middle of the altarpiece, the Martyrdom of St. John the Evangelist is played out, the saint graphically shown immersed in boiling olive oil. The wooden effigy of the saint with clasped hands looks straight up at the sky. The silver boiler, standing on a silver tripod above the fire, is kept alight by two multicoloured wooden figures, kneeling at either side of the boiler. One of them is blowing and the other is using a solid-silver pitchfork.  \nThe patrons of the altarpiece were a group of nuns devoted to St. John the Evangelist. There was another group of nuns in the same convent that devoted themselves to St. John the Baptist and commissioned a similar processional altar in honour of the saint. In fact, both altarpieces date from the beginning of the 18th century and were made in the same workshop. They both show the same crowned stamps of the city of Lisbon and the same maker's letter “M”.","short_description":"A silver processional altar made at the beginning of the 18th century, it portrays features typical of the Portuguese Baroque at the time of King João V. Designed to represent the Martyrdom of St. John the Evangelist, the piece belonged to the Royal Monastery of Our Lady of Conception and was used in the procession of the Holy Sacrament in Beja, on Corpus Christi Day.","type":"Metalwork","holder":"Queen Leonor Museum","owner":"Museu Rainha D. Leonor","initial_owner":"Royal Monastery of Our Lady of Conception, Beja","dates":"c. 1700","location":"Beja, Beja","dimensions":"H: 199 cm; width: 99 cm; depth: 107 cm","place_of_production":"Portugal","method_for_datation":"Historical evidence: Tavares (1899) and the Chronicle of the Procession of Corpus Christi in Beja","provenance":"Royal Monastery of Our Lady of Conception, Beja","obtention":"Originally belonged to the Royal Monastery of Our Lady of Conception, Beja was transferred to the Museu Rainha D. Leonor also in Beja.","bibliography":"*Museu Regional de Beja, Catálogo de algumas peças principais*, cat. 84, Lisbon, \\[n.d.\\].  \nViana, A., “Andores de prata do Museu Regional de Beja”, *Arquivo de Beja*, V, 1948.  \nRoque, J., “Os Andores de prata do Real Mosteiro da Conceição de Beja”, *Ourivesaria Portuguesa*, cat. 13, 14, 15, Revista oficial dos Industriais de Ourivesaria do Norte, 1951.  \nInventário Artístico de Portugal, Academia Nacional de Belas Artes, \\[Edição CD ROM, CD III - Distrito de Beja\\], Lisboa, 2000.","workshop":"National Baroque","author":"Museu Regional de Beja","translator":"Maria José Barroso","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Beja","Corpus Christi","Mosteiro da Conceição","Processional altar","religious furnishing","religious object","St.John the Evangelist","worship"],"materials":["Gilded and painted wood with silver and precious stones"]},"17a2e88a-66ac-57c9-918e-1dc52eb70372":{"name":"Chest","short_description":"This large wood rectangular trunk with a back-hinged lid is supported on four legs joined by a scalloped apron. The trunk is extensively inlaid with mother-of-pearl on its top, front, sides, and base. On the front, a flower and vase motif and a floral spray flank a central lattice-filled roundel. A highly ornate trefoil and geometric band runs along the edges of the central panel. The interior is unornamented with one compartment at left and two small shelves at right.","type":"Islamic, Indian & Southeast Asian works of art; furniture; inlaid woodwork","holder":"Shangri La, Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art","dates":"Hegira early 13th century / AD early 19th century","location":"Honolulu, Hawai'i","dimensions":"Overall: 105.4 x 165.1 x 69.9 cm","provenance":"Syria","dynasty":"Ottoman","keywords":["floral decoration","furnishing","inlay","Mother-of-pearl","Ottoman","Syria","wood"],"materials":["mother-of-pearl inlay, metal wire and hardware","Wood"]},"19a79dbf-5845-53ed-a137-ee4c74fd1299":{"name":"Inkpot and blotter","short_description":"Dimitrija Chupovski (1878-1940) devoted his life to raising the awareness of Macedonians about their national identity. He worked actively on the recognition of Macedonian as distinct Slavic language and prepared the grammar of the modern Macedonian language. He also contributed to opening schools for children in Macedonia to learn in their native language.","type":"Piece of a writing set","holder":"Museum of Macedonia","dates":"Early 20th century","location":"Skopje","author":"Nada Andonovska (author), Dragan Georgiev, historian (consultant)","copy_editor":"Daniel de la Vega","keywords":["Grammar","language","education","writing","ink"]},"19c131a2-1764-5332-adc2-8dd10e15a0f0":{"name":"Fragment of wooden ceiling.","description":"The ceiling, made of interlocking panels, is divided into geometric shapes by a frame with mouldings that intersect and intertwine with one another, creating squares or diamonds containing an eight-pointed star in their centre. The internal parts are carved richly and meticulously in arabesques, to form lace-like patterns. The decoration is made up of plant motifs and animals carved in full relief, including lions, gazelles, hares, birds of prey attacking their quarry and eagles with their wings outstretched. This type of decoration, with a highly worked background and the bands of the frame moulded with a simple geometric motif, is the same as is found in the more stylised stucco and plaster slabs from the medieval church of San Giuliano di Caltagirone, possibly used as decorative architectural dividers between the apse and the nave, or as an altar. The ceiling, which undoubtedly originated in a shared residence and may have come from the Royal Palace itself (suggested by the presence of figurative subjects as well as the traditional geometrical decorative motifs and arabesques) is an example of Fatimid ‘frozen realism’ (Scerrato 1979).","short_description":"Ceiling decorated with plant motifs and carved figures of common animals such as lions, gazelles and hares. Created by Fatimid craftsmen, this example almost certainly came from the Royal Palace.","type":"Woodwork, ceiling, wood","holder":"Regional Gallery of Sicily, Abatellis Palace","dates":"Mid-12th century.","location":"Palermo","dimensions":"Height 134 cm, width 74 cm.","method_for_datation":"By comparison with the Carrand ivories from Florence and shaped wood at the Museum of Islamic Art in Cairo and see Bibliography.","method_for_provenance":"From historical documents and see Bibliography.","provenance":"Royal (Norman) Palace, Palermo.","obtention":"Deposit, previously held at the Royal Museum of Palermo.","bibliography":"Delogu R., *La Galleria Nazionale della Sicilia*, Rome, 1977, pp.15, 59.  \nScerrato U., “Arte Islamica in Italia”, in *Gli Arabi in Italia* (eds. F. Gabrieli and U. Scerrato), Milan, 1979, pp.524–5 and fig. 196.","dynasty":"Norman","linkcatalogs":"IAM_IT_EN_001","author":"Rita Bernini","copy_editor":"Pier Paolo Racioppi","translator":"Laurence Nunny","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["Arab-Norman","carpentry","ceiling","Fatimid architecture","figurative decoration","geometric decoration"],"materials":["Carved wood."]},"1b9f2cfd-d948-5273-a47b-a0eb83cc7069":{"name":"Qur'an stand (*kursi*)","short_description":"This tall, hexagonal brass side table has a flat top, six-sided body, and six baluster-shaped feet. The table is inlaid with inscriptional panels offset by engraved or pierced vegetal patterns. The sides are composed of several panels inset within a frame. This stand may originally have been used to support the Qur’an as it was read. For protection, the Qur’an could be stored inside the stand by opening the small doors and placing the text within.","type":"Islamic, Indian & Southeast Asian works of art; Metalwork","holder":"Shangri La, Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art","dates":"Hegira c. 1317 / AD 1900","location":"Honolulu, Hawai'i","dimensions":"Overall: 86 x 47 x 47 cm","provenance":"Egypt, probably Cairo","dynasty":"Mamluk Revival","keywords":["brass","Copper","copper alloy","Egypt","furnishing","geometric motifs","inlay","inscription","kursi","Neo Mamluk","Neo-Mamluk","Qur'an","revivalism","silver"],"materials":["Copper alloy (brass)","inlaid with silver and copper inlay"]},"1ca4ae5b-e753-59d1-a5de-423460efb5d1":{"name":"Iconostasis in the Church of the Holy Saviour","short_description":"This iconostasis was created by one of the greatest Macedonian masters of woodcarving, Petre Filipovski Garka, who formed his own group of artisans and developed his outstanding style of wood-carving, which was widely recognizable in the Balkans in the early 19th century. This exquisite piece of wood-carving was made from walnut in the technique of high relief. The iconostasis depicts scenes from the Old and the New Testament in which biblical figures are rendered wearing traditional costumes worn in Macedonia. The detail shows the self-portraits of Petre Filipovski and his associate artisans.","type":"Work of art executed in wood-carving; iconostasis","holder":"The Church of the Holy Saviour","dates":"1824","location":"Skopje","provenance":"Skopje","author":"Nada Andonovska","copy_editor":"Daniel de la Vega","keywords":["Woodcarving","iconostasis"],"materials":["Wood (walnut); carving in high-relief"]},"1cc24be1-3e5f-5a9b-babb-1317370820d2":{"name":"Walls and ceiling of the Damascus Room","short_description":"The Damascus Room consists of eighteenth-century *‘ajami* wood panelling (four walls and a ceiling), which would have originally decorated a reception room (typically known as a *qa‘a*) of an affluent courtyard home in Syria. It is a quintessential example of late-Ottoman Syrian architectural decoration reconstituted to meet the needs of a twentieth-century environment and collector.","type":"Islamic, Indian & Southeast Asian works of art; Woodwork; painting; architectural decoration; panel","holder":"Shangri La, Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art","dates":"Hegira 1163–1215 / AD 1750–1800, with some panels added in hegira 1372–1374 / AD 1953–54","location":"Honolulu, Hawai'i","dimensions":"Various","provenance":"Syria, Damascus","dynasty":"Late Ottoman","keywords":["Ajami","Ajami room","Aleppo room","architectural decoration","ceiling","Damascus room","interior ornament","late Ottoman","painted wooden wall paneling","Syria","Syrian craft","wood","wood paneling"],"materials":["painted, gilded, with metal leaf and translucent glazes ('ajami technique)","Wood"]},"1d94b78b-1988-5dfa-9032-f8a590336d06":{"name":"Chest from Palencia Cathedral.","description":"Wood core and leather chest, covered with ivory plates and arrises (edges) reinforced with enamelled copper. It has a prismatic structure and a coffin-shaped lid. The fretwork ivory plates are finely decorated with chiaroscuro plant arabesques, formed by fan- and ring-shaped leaves and palmettes interspersed with peacocks, gazelles and griffins facing one another. The traditional themes of a lion attacking a deer and crossbowmen hunting also appear. The decoration is completed by an inscription in florid *kufic* characters that reads: 'In the name of God the Clement and the Merciful. Everlasting blessing, complete protection, constant peace, lasting fortune, renewed benefits, glory, wealth, constant favour and the hope to be heard, for its owner, may God prolong his life. Of that which was made in the city of Cuenca, under the orders of *hajib* Hisham al-Dawla Abu Muhammad son of al-Ma'mun Dhu'l-Majdayn, son of al-Zafir Dhu'l-Riyasatayn, Abi Muhammad son of Dhi'l-Nun, may Allah enlighten him! in the year one and forty and four hundred. The work of 'Abd al-Rahman bin Zaywan'. Although it would be inaccurate to speak of an ivory workshop in Cuenca, the creation of three 11th-century chests has nonetheless been documented: one from Silos (1026) which is now in the Museum of Burgos (Spain), this chest from Palencia (1049–50) and the box from Narbonne Cathedral (France), from a similar period as this one.","short_description":"The work on the ivory plates that cover this wooden chest was taken from the Caliphate tradition, although the relief is lower and the interpretation of its decorative plant and hunting scenes more schematic. It was made in Cuenca for one of the sons of the king of Toledo.","type":"Woodwork, chest, ivory, wood","holder":"National Archaeological Museum.","dates":"Hegira 441 / AD 1049–50.","location":"Madrid","dimensions":"Height 23 cm, width 34 cm, depth 23 cm.","method_for_datation":"The chest, signed by ‘Abd al-Rahman bin Zaywan, is dated 441 / 1049–50.","method_for_provenance":"It takes its name from Palencia Cathedral where it was found in use as a reliquary. However, we know from the inscription that it was made in Cuenca, which at that time belonged to the Taifa of Toledo.","provenance":"Cuenca, Spain.","obtention":"The chest was donated to the National Archaeological Museum by the Bishop and Chapter of Palencia Cathedral on 14 December 1911.","bibliography":"*Al-Andalus: Las Artes Islámicas en España*, Exhibition catalogue, Madrid, 1992, p.204, cat. no. 7. English edition: *Al-Andalus: The Art Of Islamic Spain* (ed. J. D. Dodds), New York, 1992.  \nAmador de los Ríos, R., “Arquetas Arábigas de Plata y Marfil”, in *Museo Español de Antigüedades*, Vol. VIII, 1877, pp.529–49.  \nFranco Mata, á., “La Eboraria de los Reinos Hispánicos Durante los Siglos XI y XII”, in *La Península Ibérica y el Mediterráneo Entre los Siglos XI y XII, Codex Aquilarensis. Cuadernos de Investigación del Monasterio de Santa María la Real*, 13, 1998, pp.143–66.  \nGómez Moreno, M., *El Arte en España: Guía del Museo del Palacio Nacional*, Barcelona, 1929, p.66, no. 2585.  \nZozaya Stabel-Hansen, J., “Los Marfiles de Cuenca”, in *Cuenca, Mil Años de Arte*, Cuenca, 1999, pp.75–114.","dynasty":"Taifa kingdom of Banu Dhu'l-Nun","author":"Ángela Franco","copy_editor":"Rosalía Aller","translator":"Laurence Nunny","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["calligraphy","Chest","figurative decoration","floral decoration","hunting","inscription","ivory","kufic","reliquary","sumptuary arts"],"materials":["enamel, deep carvings, mould cast.","Wood, ivory, copper"]},"1e282c8c-3fed-5331-b88b-4c2782ff7968":{"name":"Fragment of a painted wooden panel.","description":"In Palace B in the Raqqa region, we find a group of applied ornamental techniques executed in various materials. These include the use of plaster frames for doors and windows as well as wooden panels to cover walls and ceilings of formal imperial halls. Similar forms and techniques existed in the Umayyad period and may be found in Qasr al-Hayr al-Gharbi. This indicates a continuation of this type of palatial decoration between the Umayyad and Abbasid periods.  \nThis rectangular fragment from a painted wooden panel is decorated with stylised floral and vegetal motifs bracketed by geometric designs. The decoration is executed in black, red, yellow and brown applied in gradual shades to make the drawings seem three-dimensional.","short_description":"A painted wooden panel that once decorated the reception hall of an 'Abbasid palace in Raqqa reveals a high degree of expertise in three-dimensional shading of floral motifs.","type":"Woodwork, panel, wood","holder":"National Museum of Damascus","initial_owner":"Caliph al-Mu'tasim Billah (r. AH 218–27 / AD 833–42).","dates":"Hegira 218–27 / AD 833–42.","location":"Damascus","dimensions":"Length 52.2 cm, width 11.1 cm.","method_for_datation":"The object was found in Palace B in the Raqqa region. An inscription on plaster was found on one of the walls of the palace associating it with the Abbasid Caliph al-Mu'tasim Billah (r. 218–27/ 833–42). The palace is thought to have been built in around 220 (835).","method_for_provenance":"This piece of architectural ornamentation was found in palace B in the Raqqa region and was probably made *in situ*.","provenance":"Raqqa region, Syria.","obtention":"The object was recovered during archaeological excavations carried out in 1952 by the Syrian General Directorate of Antiquities under the direction of Nasib Salibi.","bibliography":"Abu al-Faraj al-Ush, M., *A Concise Guide to the National Museum of Damascus,*  \nDamascus, 1969, p.158.  \nAndalucia, J., de- (ed), *El esplendor de los Omeyas cordobeses*, exhibition  \ncatalogue, Granada, 2001.  \nDaiber, V., and Becker A., *Raqqa III*, Mainz, 2004.  \nKohlmeyer, K. (ed), *Land des Baal,* Mainz, 1982.","dynasty":"Abbasid","author":"Mona al-Moadin","translator":"Hilary Kalmbach (from the Arabic)","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Nasib Salibi","Raqqa","wood"],"materials":["Painted wood."]},"1ea97525-6563-5427-9f6b-2069ec80926d":{"name":"Pencase","short_description":"Little is known of the painter Muhammad Yusuf. As his signature attests, he was the son of Muhammad Zaman (active Hegira ca. 1072-1105 / AD ca. 1662-1694). Besides the pencase presented here, only two others are known, both of which are in the Museum of Decorative Arts in Tehran. Like his better-known brother Muhammad ʿAli, he apparently specialised in lacquer paintings. A fourth work is part of the so-called Plovtsova Album in St. Petersburg (VP-7153); it is dated Hegira 1108 (AD 1696/97) and so far the oldest known and published work by Muhammad Yusuf.  \n  \nThe pencase shows a sumptuously dressed young woman in a landscape on the front. With its many Europeanising motifs, it is typical of the landscapes of Muhammad Zaman and his brother Haji Muhammad (active Hegira 1084-1124 / AD 1673-1712). The young woman, on the other hand, goes back to a figure type that was popular in Safavid Persia from around 1660 to the late 1680s. \"Invented\" by Bahram Sofrakish (active Hegira 1030-1050s / AD 1621-1640s) probably in the Deccan in South India, he brought it to Isfahan around 1640, where it was further developed by Shaykh ʿAbbasi (active Hegira 1057-1094 / AD 1647-1683) and then taken up by other painters. The sides of the pencase are decorated with an array of different flowers. Such \"flower portraits\" are first found in the work of Shafiʿ Abbasi (active Hegira 1040-1066 / AD 1631-1656), and are later incorporated into the work of Muhammad Zaman and especially his brother.","type":"Pencase","holder":"Museum Rietberg","initial_owner":"1979-2017: private collection, USA","dates":"Hegira 1120 / AD 1708/09","location":"Zurich","dimensions":"Length: 22.7cm, Width: 3.6cm, Height: 3.8cm","method_for_datation":"Signature and date on object","method_for_provenance":"Information of previous owner was provided by Christie's, where the object was bought in 2017.","provenance":"Iran","obtention":"Acquisition with funds of the Rietberg Kreis","bibliography":"ʿAli Karimzada Tabrizi, Muhammad, “Muḥammad Yūsuf”, *Aḥvāl va asar-i naqqashan-i qadim-i Iran va barkhi az mashahir-i nigarʹgar-i Hind va ʻUsmani* (The Lives and Arts of Old Painters of Iran and a Selection of Masters from the Ottoman and Indian Regions), 3 (1997): 1115-6.  \nLanger, Axel, “Rohrfederschachtel, qalamdan”, in *Jahresbereichts 2017*, Zurich: Museum Rietberg, 2018: 26-31.","dynasty":"Safavid","author":"Axel Langer","copy_editor":"Jonathan Turnbull","materials":["Papier maché, opaque watercolour, lacquer"]},"1f803c2c-5108-54ea-bfed-5c226d537a0e":{"name":"Mirror","description":"The mirror, which has a gilded wooden frame and ground-glass edges with flower and plant ornaments, is probably the work of one of the numerous glass workshops on the island of Murano, near Venice. Its form most probably suited the sophisticated taste of the European nobility. There are similar mirrors in many manors and museum collections today.  \nUnfortunately, the original owner is unknown.  \nExhibited in the Baroque salon of the permanent collection of Varaždin’s Gothic-Renaissance castle, the mirror, together with other items of the collection, present the visitor with the most representative trends and refined atmosphere of the Baroque period in Varaždin.","short_description":"The mirror, which has a gilded wooden frame and ground-glass edges with flower and plant ornaments, is probably the work of one of the numerous glass workshops on the island of Murano, near Venice. It is representative of the trends and refined atmosphere of the Baroque period in Varaždin.","type":"Furniture (mirror)","holder":"City Museum, Varaždin","dates":"First half of 18th century","location":"Varaždin, North-West Croatia","dimensions":"H: 133 cm; w: 70 cm; glass: h: 50 cm; w: 37 cm","place_of_production":"Murano, near Venice, Italy","method_for_datation":"By the inscription and analysis of style.","bibliography":"Klemm, M., *Guide to the Permanent Exhibition of the Cultural History Department*, City Museum, Varaždin, 1989, p. 56.  \nKlemm, M., *Baroque in Croatia*, Zagreb, 1993, p. 237.  \nŠimunić, L., *Abitare il Settecento*, exhibition catalogue, 2008, p. 38.","workshop":"“Manifattura Veneziana” (Manufacture Venice), Murano","author":"Ljerka Šimunić","translator":"Ljerka Šimunić","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["floral decoration","furnishing","gilding","glass","wood carving"],"materials":["Gilded wood and ground glass"]},"204c2ab2-db81-52a6-a76c-ac1ed90fe523":{"name":"Window screen.","description":"A wooden panel consisting of a framed latticework is called a *mashrabiyya*. The area of this *mashrabiyya* is structured in three zones formed by carved frames of different sizes. Each zone is filled with a geometric design of woodwork. The vertical and horizontal bars of the outer area are combined with diagonals arranged in the same direction in each row giving the impression of a stem and leaf pattern. In contrast, the diagonal bars of the second zone lead away radially from an oval centre forming a pattern of abstract flowers. The hinged aperture situated in the upper part of the second zone is filled with a latticework consisting of round junctions, each with four diagonal bars leading away radially.  \nThe outer frame of the panel, assembled in a different way from the frame of the aperture, might be not original. The ledges are of various widths and are not carved like the two inner ones.  \nWooden latticework panels are intended to serve as windows onto the inner courtyard of a house or onto the street.","short_description":"Wooden panel consisting of a framed latticework, called *mashrabiyya*. The latticework is formed by vertical, horizontal and diagonal bars arranged in geometrical patterns. *Mashrabiyyas* serve as windows onto the courtyard of the house or onto the street.","type":"Woodwork, architectural decoration","holder":"Museum of Mediterranean and Near Eastern Antiquities (Medelhavsmuseet).","owner":"National Museum of Fine Arts, Stockholm. In order to reorganise the expanding collections, the main part of the Islamic collection has been on permanent loan to the Museum of Mediterranean and Near Eastern Antiquities since 1982.","dates":"Hegira 10th–13th centuries / AD 16th–19th centuries.","location":"Stockholm","dimensions":"Height 116.5 cm, width 89 cm.","method_for_datation":"The dating of this object is difficult. The latticework shows no specific features. Since the acquisition is also unknown, there is no *terminus ante quem*. Furthermore, it lacks a comparative study of the decorative patterns to establish a certain dating. To date, the only feature is the rough surface that could be evidence of a dating earlier than the 13th / 19th century.","method_for_provenance":"Window screens housed in the Louvre Museum, Paris, for which an Egyptian provenance seems to be proved, show a similar structure and design to this screen.","provenance":"Egypt.","obtention":"Gift to the National Museum of Fine Arts from the estate of Björkman, Paris.","bibliography":"Anglade, E., *Catalogue des Boiseries de la Section Islamique,* Paris, 1988.  \nLane-Pool, S., *The Art of the Saracens in Egypt*, London, 1886.","dynasty":"Ottoman","linkcatalogs":"IAM_TR_EN_001","author":"Friederike Voigt","copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["architecture","geometric design","latticework","Mashrabiyya","woodwork"],"materials":["latticework.","Wood"]},"20ddf7d0-c8c3-5985-8cd5-4be93c3b922b":{"name":"Qur’an box.","description":"This Qur’an box was constructed to contain a Qur’an made of 30 fascicles. It was probably produced at the request of a Mamluk sultan or a high dignitary, in order for them to donate it to a religious foundation (mosque, *madrasa* or mausoleum).  \nThe box, which is supported on four legs, consists of a square wooden box covered in brass plates. The sloping, desk-like lid is attached on the back by two hinges and has a buckle on the front through which to put a lock. Each brass plate is decorated and features inscriptions in gold and silver inlay. The inside of the box is upholstered in fabric and has two compartments, each with 15 divisions, in which to put a Qur’an. The outer sides are covered in Arabic inscriptions, in *kufic* and *thuluth* script, that protrude from the surface; the calligraphy covers a backdrop composed of small-scale plants including lotus blossoms. Quotations from the Qur’an run along the length of the outer surfaces (Sura 24 verse 35 and Sura 2 verse 255 ‘Ayat al-Kursi’). More quotations are found on the desk-like lid and on the narrow inscription friezes (Sura 3 verses 26–7, Sura 26 verses 192–9, Sura 56 verses 76–89 and 92–5, and Sura 59 verses 22–4). The underside is decorated with geometric patterns.  \nBoth a name and the 30 Qur’an fascicles are missing. Two related Qur’an boxes from the same period, around AH 730 / AD 1330, have survived in Cairo. One of these displays the name of the Mamluk sultan al-Nasir Muhammad and the date AH 723 / AD 1322. It now belongs to the library of al-Azhar mosque. The second, undated, box is housed in the Museum of Islamic Art in Cairo.  \nIn Mamluk Egypt, Qur’ans were usually kept in boxes (*sunduq*) or in freestanding metal cabinets (*kursi*). Because they were used constantly, few of the actual Qur’ans survived.","short_description":"This square box, supported on four legs, was made to hold a now missing Qur’an of 30 separate volumes, which were placed in two rows of 15 compartments. Magnificently executed Qur’anic inscriptions in different scripts lavishly decorate the exterior in gold and silver.","type":"Box, Quran, metalwork","holder":"Museum of Islamic Art at the Pergamon Museum","dates":"Around Hegira 730 / AD 1330.","location":"Berlin","dimensions":"Height 27 cm, width 42.5 cm, depth 42.5 cm.","method_for_datation":"The name of the maker of this Qur’an box also appears on a tall *kursi* (an octagonal cabinet which houses a Qur’an) housed in the Museum of Islamic Art, Cairo, and dated to 727–8 / 1327–8. It is thought that the Berlin Qur’an box dates from the same period.","method_for_provenance":"Inlaid Qur’an boxes such as this one were only known in Mamluk Egypt, and it was here where they were also made.","provenance":"Cairo, Egypt.","obtention":"Acquired from a private art gallery in Cairo in 1904 through B. Moritz.","bibliography":"*The Arts of Islam*, Catalogue, Hayward Gallery, London 8 April – 4 July 1976, London, 1976, no. 214.  \nAtil, E., *Renaissance of Islam: Art of the Mamluks*, Washington, 1981, no. 25.  \n*Islamic Art in Egypt 969–1517*, Catalogue, Cairo, 1969, nos. 60–2.  \nJames, D., *Qur’ans of the Mamluks*, London, 1988.  \nZaky, M. H., *Atlas of Moslem Decorative Arts*, Cairo, 1956, fig. 512.","dynasty":"Mamluk","linkcatalogs":"IAM_EG_EN_001","author":"Jens Kröger","translator":"Maria Vlotides, Brigitte Finkbeiner","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["inlay","metalwork","Qur’an","Qur’an box"],"materials":["Bronze sheets on a wooden core, gold and silver inlay."]},"232d8890-0876-5479-966e-ac44c41896b0":{"name":"Frieze panels.","description":"Two panels made of pine, each carved with an inscription in deep relief and background decoration in lower relief. Both levels of carving are decorated with plaster and with green, red, and white paint. The inscriptions, done in a style of calligraphy known as foliated *kufic*, consist of verses from the Qur'an: the first panel has part of *sura* 2, verse 164, while the second has part of *sura* 3, verse 191. Clearly these panels were part of a much larger ensemble, one which probably decorated the upper level of a building intended for religious use, such as a *madrasa* or a mosque. Friezes of Qur'anic quotations were common in such settings in many parts of the Islamic world; one such frieze in the Mosque of Ibn Tulun in Cairo was originally over 2 km long.  \n  \nThe style of the panels suggests an origin in Spain or North Africa under the Almohads. The Almohads are known to have had fairly ascetic views on art, yet it is worth noting that for them, a Berber dynasty with origins in the Sahara desert, wood would have been considered a luxury material.","short_description":"Two panels of pinewood carved in relief with inscriptions and (originally) decorated with paint and plaster. The inscriptions are Qur’anic verses, and the panels were probably once part of a frieze in a mosque. Wood was considered a luxury material in a desert environment like that of North Africa.","type":"Woodwork, carved, painted","holder":"Victoria and Albert Museum.","dates":"Hegira 6th / AD 12th or early AH 7th / AD 13th century.","location":"London, England","dimensions":"378B–1907: Height 16.8cm, width 101.4cm, depth 1.8cm; 378C–1907: Height 16.7cm, width 103cm, depth 2cm.","method_for_datation":"Both the style of calligraphy and the arabesque scrolls forming the background, are typical of Spanish and North African architectural decoration under the Almoravids (448–551 / 1056–1147) and Almohads (524–667 / 1130–1269).","method_for_provenance":"Stylistic comparisons.","provenance":"Spain or North Africa.","obtention":"Purchased by the Museum in 1907.","bibliography":"Stanley, T., with Rosser-Owen, M. and Vernoit, S., *Palace and Mosque: Islamic Art from the Middle East*, London, 2004, p.27.","dynasty":"Almohad","author":"Barry Wood","copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["carving","foliated","inscription","kufic"],"materials":["Carved, plastered and painted wood."]},"24c4d60c-f039-586c-b878-b41f99dc6b12":{"name":"Panel.","description":"The rectangular panel consists of an arch with small plain sections on each side. Its carved decoration shows a symmetrical floral composition. The centre forms a vase-like motif with a flower. Leaves of different sizes and shapes fill the space inside and outside the arch. The decoration consists of a variety of small elements, but the overall composition appears integrated since the curves form a relationship through all parts. The deep carved patterns are of charming clarity and possess sculptural depth.  \nThis type of decoration goes back to the stuccoes and wood carvings at Samarra. Samarra, situated some 60 miles up the Tigris from Baghdad, was the capital of the Abbasid caliphs from AH 224 / AD 838until AH 270 / AD 883. Ahmad ibn Tulun, the founder of the Tulunid dynasty in Egypt (AH 254–94 / AD 868–906) spent many years in Samarra and brought the Abbasid style of decoration and Abbasid craftsmen to his own capital, al-Qata'i. The so-called style C of the Samarra stuccoes is characterised by bevelling carved, symmetrical abstract patterns of leaf and vase motifs which match the shapes within the arch of the wooden panel. The wood carvings made in Tulunid Egypt at the end of the AH 3rd / AD 9th century represent the culmination of this style, although they have a tendency to break up the originally broad sculptured surface into smaller elements as in the case of this panel. The specific function of the panel is not known; it was possibly part of the architectural decoration.","short_description":"The carved decoration on this rectangular wooden panel shows a vase-like motif, with a flower in the centre and leaves inside and outside the arch. This decorative style goes back to Abbasid stuccoes and wood carvings in Iraq. The panel was possibly part of Tulunid architectural decoration.","type":"Woodwork, panel, wood","holder":"Museum of Mediterranean and Near Eastern Antiquities (Medelhavsmuseet).","owner":"National Museum of Fine Arts, Stockholm. In order to reorganise the expanding collections, the main part of the Islamic collection has been on permanent loan to the Museum of Mediterranean and Near Eastern Antiquities since 1982.","dates":"Hegira late 3rd century / AD late 9th century.","location":"Stockholm","dimensions":"Height 29 cm, width 68 cm.","method_for_datation":"The architectural decoration of the mosque of Ahmad ibn Tulun in al-Qata'i, completed in 266 / 879, is close to the style of this panel.","method_for_provenance":"The object was found during excavations in Egypt.","provenance":"Probably al-Qata’i, Egypt.","obtention":"Purchased by the Crown Prince of Sweden in December 1934 in Cairo.","bibliography":"Abu Khalaf, M., “Early Islamic Woodwork in Egypt and the Fertile Crescent”, Ph.D. dissertion, University of Oxford, 1985.  \nAnglade, E., *Catalogue des Boiseries de la Section Islamique,* Paris, 1988.  \nPauty, M. E., *Catalogue Général du Musée Arabe du Caire: Les Bois Sculptés*, Cairo, 1931.","dynasty":"Tulunid","author":"Friederike Voigt","copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["floral decoration","woodwork"],"materials":["Wood, carved."]},"25fd225a-8425-5648-a345-5ebb03d005da":{"name":"Gate of ash-Shibak Fort","short_description":"This magnificent gate once guarded the entrance to ash-Shibak Fort. Also known as *al-Bait al-Kabir* (literally “the Big House”), ash-Shibak Fort was built by Sheikh Ahmad bin Rabia’a al-Ismaili al-Himyari, a leading figure of the Yaruba Imamate under the rule of Imam Sultan bin Saif II al-Yarubi.  \nThe gate carvings features calligraphic, floral and animal motifs including the Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom and an Arabic inscription that reads:  \n  \n*To the Great Lord \\[al-Sayyid\\] Made in Surat  \nAhmad al-Ismaili In Muharram  \nal-Himyari \\[may he\\] consolidate Islam in the year 1126*  \n  \nToday, the gate stands as a unique example of defensive artistry and bears witness to the strong commercial and political ties that existed between Oman and India during the time of the al-Yaruba Imams, the Mughal Empire and the British East India Company.","holder":"National Museum Oman","dates":"Hegira 1126 / AD 1714","location":"Muscat","dimensions":"Height: 283.5cm, Length: 218.5cm, Width: 31cm","provenance":"Surat, Mughal Empire, India","dynasty":"Al-Yarubi","copy_editor":"Liz Cooper","materials":["Teakwood and brass"]},"268cfa7c-8dd4-56db-8479-fc02d03a57e6":{"name":"Door","short_description":"One part from a wooden door panel laid out in strap work following the structural lines of an infinite-repetition geometric star pattern (square plan of repetition, eight-pointed stars and other polygons), all compartments with panels carved with palmette and half-palmette designs.","type":"Woodwork, architectural","holder":"Dar al-Athar al-Islamiyyah","dates":"Hegira late 8th century / AD late 14th century","location":"Kuwait City","provenance":"Spain","dynasty":"Nasrid","keywords":["Door","geometric patterns","wood"]},"26fd8fdd-9bc0-5670-be93-f86c07c23383":{"name":"Dresser","short_description":"This wooden dresser contains four large drawers and one thin upper drawer. It is topped with a marble slab and rectangular mirror in a wooden frame, decorated with a wooden crest and carved with floral patterns. The wood is covered in a mosaic of bone or ceramic pieces, organised in a floral design. Each drawer has a keyhole and is opened by two individually painted knobs.","type":"Furniture; woodwork","holder":"Lebanese Heritage Museum","dates":"19th century","location":"`Ayn Najm","provenance":"Turkey","author":"Marie Therese Moujabber","copy_editor":"Flaminia Baldwin","keywords":["Woodwork","Furniture","Mosaic","Wood"],"materials":["Woodwork; bone, ceramic"]},"2761dfdd-179f-5f5e-bc92-ae41bdd8bcc2":{"name":"Door of the ante-chamber of the *maqsura*.","description":"This huge rectangular door is made up of a main-door framework containing two pass-doors. The door is divided into panels separated by uprights and cross-pieces which stand out in relief, carved with rich floral decoration. This decoration also covers the main surrounding framework, on which alternating relief panels (long hexagons and diamond shapes) make a base for even more striking carving. These panels are filled with furled tri-lobed fleurons all connected to a curving stem, which, according to some mysterious symmetry, seems to weave in and out in ever more fantastical convolutions. The top centre panel of the frame is a 16-sided star polygon, even more boldly and exuberantly decorated with pine cones and chalices, palm leaves and stalks, some carved with certain symmetry. One feels that this is the beginning of a break-away from the decorative repertoire of the *minbar* of the Great Mosque of Kairouan (built AH 248 / AD 866) towards the Fatimid art of Egypt, which itself had absorbed some Abbasid themes.  \nThe simpler decoration of the internal panels of the door and of the pass-doors is confined to a few geometric motifs. Some of these panels seem to have been restored during the Hafsid period.","short_description":"The decoration and manufacturing technique of this door are identical to those used for the *maqsura* (recess) at the Great Mosque of Kairouan. The framing and decoration of the panels that make up the two halves are simple and limited to geometric motifs, presenting similarities with Egyptian Fatimid art.","type":"Woodwork, door, wood","holder":"Museum of Islamic Art.","initial_owner":"The Zirid prince, al-Mu‘izz ibn Badis.","dates":"Hegira, second quarter of the 5th century / AD 11th century.","location":"Raqqada., Kairouan.","dimensions":"Height 284 cm, width 221 cm.","method_for_datation":"The decoration and structure of this door are absolutely identical to those of the *maqsura* built by the Zirid prince, al-Mu'izz ibn Badis. In fact, some believe it to be the door of the *maqsura* itself. But taking into consideration the differing dimensions of the two objects in question, especially the height, and the absence of any calligraphic inscription, some studies have concluded that this door was the entrance to a room adjacent to the *maqsura* and which is now the imam's audience-chamber. It is likely to have been the room from which the prince and his attendants entered the *maqsura* to join in prayers. This would date the door from the same period as the *maqsura* of al-Mu'izz (second quarter of the 5th / 11th century).","method_for_provenance":"The decoration leaves no doubt that the door is Kairouanese. The cedarwood used in its construction probably came from the forests of northwest Tunisia or from Sicily.","provenance":"Kairouan.","obtention":"Until the mid-1960s, this door was part of the relics of the Great Mosque of Kairouan and was kept in one of its storage rooms. As from 1978, it was displayed in the museum of the Great Mosque and then, in 1992, transferred to the Museum of Islamic Art at Raqqada. It will be on display in the second section, which is now undergoing refurbishment (2005).","bibliography":"*Ifriqiya: Thirteen Centuries of Art and Architecture in Tunisia*, pp.159–62.","dynasty":"Zirid","author":"Mourad Rammah","copy_editor":"Margot Cortez","translator":"David Ash","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["carving","floral decoration"],"materials":["Carved cedarwood."]},"2a413532-70d8-5c80-baa6-741f9adf4403":{"name":"Turban stand in Ottoman rococo style","short_description":"The Ottoman tombs of the 17th and 18th centuries are a testimony to the great symbolic power of the turban. While the tombstones of women are characterised by depictions of fruit and flowers, a stone turban symbolising rank crowns the tomb stele of a man. In the Ottoman Empire, court officials and members of the elite classes wore elaborately shaped turbans, the form, colour, and decoration of which signal the social position and status of the wearer. The profession of the turban winder, the *sarıkçı*, ensures that the turban corresponds to and complies precisely with clothing regulations. After being worn, the turbans were placed for their protection on turban stands (*kavukluk*). In 1829, Sultan Mahmud II abolished the turban and introduced the fez, a red felt headdress with a black tassel, as the national headwear. From this time on, the wearing of a turban is restricted to religious dignitaries. In 1925, both fez and turban were prohibited in secular Turkey.","type":"Household item","holder":"Weltmuseum Wien","dates":"18th century","location":"Vienna","dimensions":"H: 106.5cm, W: 41cm, Diameter: 26cm","method_for_datation":"Entry in the general inventory and archival documents.","method_for_provenance":"Entry in the general inventory book.","provenance":"Turkey","obtention":"Catalog entry: \"Collection Betty Grossmann, 1934.\"","dynasty":"Ottoman","materials":["Wood, pigments, gold leaf, velvet"]},"2a8f3f10-1a76-54cb-bfe6-0ccb6a3700bd":{"name":"Picture frame with photograph of James Camille Samson","short_description":"Part of the decorum of upper class houses in the late 19th century was the convivial circle of gentlemen who retired to the smoking room after dinner to enjoy cognac, cigars and conversation while the hostess entertained her female guests with tea in the ladies’ salon. In the period of the World’s Fair and modern tourism, a tremendous stylistic diversity was available for decorating the smoking room. Moorish-Oriental styles were fashionable: heavy Persian carpets on the floors, Anatolian kilims on the walls, furniture plushily upholstered, side tables with mother-of-pearl inlays, palm plants and hookahs and Caucasian daggers. Trophies and souvenirs of journeys, including picture frames with finely turned *mashrabiya* latticework were mostly mass-produced in Europe and purchased in specialised furniture shops.","type":"Household item","holder":"Weltmuseum Wien","dates":"Prob. 1885","location":"Vienna","dimensions":"H: 40.5cm, W: 29.4cm","method_for_datation":"Entry in the general inventory and archival documents.","method_for_provenance":"Entry in the general inventory book.","provenance":"Egypt, Cairo","obtention":"Catalog entry: \"Estate James Camille Samson, imperial and royal Secretary of Legation, 1908, inventorized addenda, 1926.\"","bibliography":"Steinmann, Axel, \"Wanderlust\", in Christian Schicklgruber (ed), *Weltmuseum Wien, exhibition catalogue*, Vienna: Weltmuseum Wien, 2017: 90-93.","materials":["albumen print","Wood, mother of pearl, bone, glass"]},"2e9bb9ef-0628-53b2-88c7-0bb1e2984d88":{"name":"Mint-mould for six coins","description":"A bronze mint-mould holding six coins, in use at the mint in Fez during the reign of Sultan Mulay al-Hasan I (r. 1873-94). It should be noted that, compared to earlier periods, coinage was evolving quickly in relation to industry at this time.","type":"Mint-mould","holder":"Batha Museum","dates":"1872","location":"Fez","dimensions":"H: 14cm, W: 8cm, Dia: 2.5cm","keywords":["Coin","coinage","currency","numismatics","gold","silver","bronze","mint","moulding","moulds","six-pointed star","ring","workshop","traditional coinage"],"materials":["Bronze"]},"2fa0159c-28bf-57b7-b310-d0bf0b2180c6":{"name":"Wooden panel.","description":"A wooden panel with inlaid decoration of bone, ivory and ebony in the manner of a mosaic. The ornamentation is composed of semi-circles, circles, arches, pillars and vegetal decorations that include five-lobed vine-leaves and half-fan palm-leaves. The artistic roots of these motifs lie in Sassanid, Byzantine and Coptic art. Egypt had acquired fame from the Pharonic period onwards for its craftsmanship in wood and inlay work in ivory, bone and ebony. The Copts inherited these skills, mastered them, and became outstanding artisans in this craft, producing doors, door-panels and partition screens. The woodcrafts flourished in Egypt during the Umayyad and Abbasid periods, and production included objects such as doors, windows, *minbars*, inscription bands, dining tables, tribunes and chairs. All of these objects were decorated with small pieces of ivory, bone and ebony which were set to adjoin each other and to create delicate and detailed geometric and vegetal designs, such as on this inlaid panel, believed to have been a side panel for a piece of furniture belonging to a residence or palace.","short_description":"Early Egyptian woodwork was decorated both by carving and by inlaying with ivory and bone. This piece is a good example of the second method.","type":"Woodwork, panel, wood","holder":"Museum of Islamic Art","dates":"Hegira 3rd century / AD 9th century.","location":"Cairo","dimensions":"Length 180 cm, width 51 cm.","method_for_datation":"The panel is dated based on an analysis of its geometric and vegetal decorative motifs; the style indicates a date during the Tulunid period of the 3rd / 9th century.","method_for_provenance":"Wooden inlayed panels such as this were used to furnish mosques and residences. Fustat in particular was famous for the production of such panels in the early Islamic period, and production flourished during the Fatimid and Mamluk periods. Many of these panels were discovered in Fustat.","provenance":"Fustat, Egypt.","obtention":"This panel was uncovered during the course of archaeological excavations carried out at Fustat.","bibliography":"Abu Sadaira, al-Sayyed Taha al-Sayyed, *Al-Hiraf wa al-Sina'at Masr al-Islamiya \\[Handicrafts and Manufactures in Islamic Egypt\\],* Cairo, 1991.  \nBrend, B., *Islamic Art,* London, 1991.  \nHassan, Z. M., *Al-Fan al-Islami fi Masr \\[Islamic Art in Egypt\\],* Cairo, 1935.  \nMarzuq, Muhammad Abd al-Aziz, *Al-Fununal-Zukhrufiya al-Islamiya fi Masr qabl 'Asr al-Fatimiyyin, \\[Islamic Decorative Arts in Egypt Before the Fatimid Period\\],* Cairo, 1974.  \nWilson, E., *Islamic Designs,* London, 1988.","dynasty":"Tulunid","author":"Muhammad Abbas Muhammad Selim","copy_editor":"Majd Musa","translator":"Amal Sachedina (from the Arabic).","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["geometric decoration","inlay","mosaic","panel","vegetal decoration","wood"],"materials":["Wood inlaid with bone, ivory and ebony."]},"305f4585-8d17-53d5-a7d9-3ce3b3fa0f2c":{"name":"Cupola from Torrijos.","description":"Nailed-board, octagonal cupola ceiling supported on smooth walls covered with tapestries or silks with ornamental drawings. Above the level of these fabrics, in the four corners, sit the squinches, decorated with honeycomb work, that give the ceiling its circular shape from the octagonal base section, where the noble coats of arms of the owners can be seen. A second, lower band bears chequered strips on all four sides, alongside others decorated with Gothic plasterwork, and in their centre large pilgrim shells and the heraldic 'S's of Don Gutierre de Cárdenas, who played an important role in the celebration of the marriage of the Catholic Kings. These two are alluded to in the inscription 'D Ferdinandus I D Isabel' that can be read on a frieze also from the Cardenas Palace, which is held at the National Archaeological Museum. The ceiling sections converge radially on the centre and are delicately decorated with knotwork based on a twelve-star or *sinos* pattern that develops around structures of various different forms known as *almendrillas*, *azafates*, *candilejos* and *costadillos*. The plasterwork is decorated in relief with palmettes, apexes and engravings. The cupola originally covered the room in the northeast corner of the palace of the Torrijos and the Dukes of Maqueda. This ceiling, like the other ones from the palace, currently outside Spain, were commissioned from the decorative painters García del Barco and Juan Rodríguez.","short_description":"An example of Mudéjar excellence in carpentry and the adoption of Muslim models by the Christian aristocracy in their search for luxurious and welcoming spaces. The huge number of separate parts in this hemispherical cupola overlap and interlink to form a great geometric design.","type":"Woodwork, cupola, wood","holder":"National Archaeological Museum.","dates":"Late 15th century.","location":"Madrid","dimensions":"Height 800 cm, diameter 550 cm.","method_for_datation":"From documentation of the Cardenas, friends of the Catholic Kings.","method_for_provenance":"Through historical documentation.","provenance":"Cardenas Palace, Torrijos, Toledo, Spain.","obtention":"The piece was purchased for the National Archaeological Museum from Adela and Elisa Páramo on 15 June 1969.","bibliography":"Franco Mata, á., “Antigüedades Cristianas de los Siglos VIII al XV”, *Guía del Museo Arqueológico Nacional*, 2nd edition, Madrid, 1992, p.96.  \nLongobardo Carrillo, J. and Peña Carbonero, J. de la, *Los Palacios de Torrijos*, Torrijos, 2001.  \nRepullés y Vargas, E., *El Palacio de Torrijos*, 2nd edition, Madrid, 1894.  \nSánchez de Rivera, G., *Don Gutierre de Cárdenas, Señor de Torrijos (materiales para una biografía)*, Toledo, 1984.","dynasty":"Mudéjar","linkcatalogs":"IAM_ES_EN_001","author":"Ángela Franco","copy_editor":"Rosalía Aller","translator":"Laurence Nunny","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["carving","Cupola","gilding","modelled","Mudéjar","plaster","Torrijos","wood"],"materials":["moulding, carving, gilding.","Wood, plaster"]},"30cafd37-23c3-561f-9f01-a12c90b5d8b6":{"name":"Base for a tray (*sinija*)","description":"The *Sinija* (Tr. *sini*) is a large, round tray made of copper or brass. It was used for serving food or as a floor dining table – a *sofra* (Tr. *sofra*). tTherefore it had an important place in the shared living culture of the Ottoman Balkans among urban populations of different confessional and ethnic backgrounds. The diameter of *sinijas* sometimes reached 1–2 meters or more. When used as a floor dining table, the *sinija* was placed on a wooden or iron base. Valued for their craftsmanship, locally produced or imported *sinijas* have also found a place in the interiors of the modern age as wall decor or top parts of decorative side tables placed on custom-made bases of different styles.","type":"Table","holder":"Museum of Applied Art","dates":"Hegira late 13th–early 14th century / AD late 19th–early 20th century","location":"Belgrade","dimensions":"Height: 34.5cm, width: 34.5cm","place_of_production":"Ottoman Empire","method_for_datation":"By stylistic analysis, material, technique, and analogy with other similar examples","obtention":"Purchased in 1954.","author":"Ana Samardžić","keywords":["carving","floor dining table","Ottoman Balkans."],"materials":["carving, turning","Walnut"]},"310da155-3663-5beb-b8de-caa608f5aade":{"name":"*Dhiil*","description":"The *dhiil* is a traditional Somali milk container, both practical and finely crafted, used mainly to collect and store milk from different livestock, and sometimes water. Traditionally made by Somali nomad women, the *dhiil* can be woven from the thorny *qabo* (a plant from the *Euphorbia* genus), as featured, or crafted from wood. Its construction involves peeling and softening the spiny *qabo* stems into long strips, which are then coiled and bound in a basketlike technique. The vessel has a hemispherical base that widens to a central ridge (*kelli*) before narrowing toward the top, capped with a fitted lid (*bugul*). Once woven, the *dhiil* is treated with *asal*, a dye and sealant made from red acacia bark (*qaroon*), giving it a rich colour and protective finish. The interior is traditionally smoked over *shilin* (wood) and cleaned carefully, a process that imparts a distinct smoky flavour to the milk. Milk is shared from the cup of the *dhiil*, called *harrubi*, in a tradition known as *waddagid* (\"sharing\").","type":"Traditional everyday object.","holder":"Islamic Museum of Australia (IMA)","owner":"Salim Mohamed","initial_owner":"Salim Mohamed","dates":"n.d","location":"Thornbury, VIC 3071","dimensions":"Depth: 20cm, Height: 40cm","place_of_production":"Somalia","method_for_datation":"Date not precisely known; established as at least three generations old based on family oral history.","method_for_provenance":"Provenance established through oral history provided by the lender, supported by family inheritance records.","provenance":"Belonged to Mohamed family in Somalia; passed down through generations before being inherited by Salim Mohamed.","obtention":"Loaned to the museum by the owner who inherited it from his grandmother.","copy_editor":"Alvaro Miranda","keywords":["Dhiil, milk container, haroub"],"materials":["Plant fibers (qabo) and cotton fabric"]},"3145dc39-d491-535e-aaa2-6545cc31f4e7":{"name":"Chair of Krste Petkov Misirkov","short_description":"Misirkov’s book “On Macedonian Matters” lays the foundations of the modern Macedonian language and grammar. Being one of the central figures of the “Slav-Macedonian Scientific Literary Society\" in St. Petersburg, he largely contributed to issuing the periodical Macedonian and Russian-language publication, “Makedonski Golos” (“Macedonian Voice\").","type":"Furniture","holder":"Museum of Macedonia","dates":"Early 20th century","location":"Skopje","author":"Nada Andonovska (author), Dragan Georgiev, historian (consultant)","copy_editor":"Daniel de la Vega","keywords":["Bi-lingual publication"]},"3281a778-30ea-57b8-8d73-b1b6ddf74613":{"name":"Wooden panel.","description":"A rectangular wooden panel decorated with two narrow borders flanking a broad central band. The two narrow borders are ornamented with an epigraphic inscription in *kufic* script, which consists of the *bismillah (In the Name of God)* and the 'Throne' verse (2: 255) as well as the expression '*Hasbi Allah*' ('Allah is sufficient for me'). The broad central band is ornamented with geometric motifs, which divide it into seven square-shaped sections. All sections are decorated with vegetal decorations, winged motifs, oval forms and tri-lobed leaf designs. The third and fifth squares hold a lobed arch, within which is vegetal decoration and, flanking the triangular areas between the outer curvature of the arch and the corners of the square-shaped section, are further vegetal motifs. Both the decorative style and the carving of this piece portray a Hellenic stamp, seen in the relief carving of decorative motifs, the oval shapes, the tri-lobed leaves and the vegetal stems. The panel also displays Sassanid influences seen in the winged motifs and lobed arches.","short_description":"Islamic art came into being on the shoulders of Hellenistic and Sassanid arts and then developed its own Islamic character. This piece demonstrates the blending of the three artistic styles.","type":"Woodwork, panel, wood","holder":"Museum of Islamic Art","dates":"Hegira 3rd century / AD 9th century.","location":"Cairo","dimensions":"Length 192 cm, width 32 cm.","method_for_datation":"This panel was dated based on study into the development of *kufic* script, the origins of the decorative motifs, and the technique of manufacture, which included high relief, decorative motifs, winged designs, oval forms and vegetal motifs. Furthermore, during the Abbasid period, entire texts were used as inscriptions on objects; it is possible, therefore, to date this piece to the early part of the Abbasid era.","method_for_provenance":"Wooden panels were used to furnish mosques and residences, and embellished tribunes and chairs. Egypt, Fustat in particular, was famous for the production of such panels in the early Islamic period, and production flourished during the Fatimid and Mamluk periods. Many of these panels were discovered in Fustat where they were used to protect the walls of small tombs from the dust and dirt that might fall from the grave onto the deceased.","provenance":"Fustat, Egypt.","obtention":"The object was discovered during the course of archaeological excavations at Fustat.","bibliography":"Abu Sadaira, al-Sayyed Taha al-Sayyed, *Al-Hiraf al-Sina'at fi Masr al-Islamiya \\[Handicrafts and Manufactures in Islamic Egypt\\],* Cairo, 1991.  \nHassan, Z. M., *Al-Fan al-Islami fi Masr \\[Islamic Art in Egypt\\],* Cairo, 1935.  \nMarzuq, Muhammad Abd al-Aziz, *Al-Funun al-Zukhrufiya al-Islamiya fi Masr qabl 'Asr al-Fatimiyyin \\[Islamic Decorative Arts in Egypt before the Fatimid period\\],* Cairo, 1974.  \nPauty, E., **Les bois sculptés jusqu'à l'époque ayyoubide*,* Cairo, 1931.  \nRizq, A. M., *Marakiz al-Sina'at fi Masr al-Islamiya \\[Manufacturing Centres in Islamic Egypt\\],* Cairo, 1989.","dynasty":"Abbasid","author":"Muhammad Abbas Muhammad Selim","copy_editor":"Majd Musa","translator":"Amal Sachedina (from the Arabic).","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["high relief","inscription","panel","vegetal decoration","wood"],"materials":["Wood decorated in high relief."]},"33a6c84f-b10f-5856-b654-7f8c5f9a715b":{"name":"Rectangular piece of wood.","description":"A rectangular piece of wood decorated with low-relief carvings, which was probably once part of a high frieze. The decorations are arranged along two narrow bands, which hem-in a wider band lying in between them. Both of the narrow bands are embellished with vegetal decorative motifs, such as branches, surrounded by tri-lobed rosettes and fan-leaf palmettes. The central band is embellished with scenes of naturalistic human and animal activity, such as a hunting scene; a bird with a human face is also present. The scene is played out against a background of vegetal decoration, and surrounded by geometric compositions. The decorative components were originally painted which would have highlighted the detail. Symmetry and alternation were the twin dynamics that helped harmonise and defuse the decorative components.  \nThis panel was unearthed together with some other rectangular wooden pieces in the tomb of the Mamluk Sultan al-Nasir Muhammad ibn Qalawun, and in the Bimaristan (hospital) Qalawun where they were used to cover the upper frieze. The decorative mode of this panel bears no relationship to the Mamluk period, but is exclusively in the Fatimid style. It is likely, therefore, that this wooden panel once graced a Fatimid palace, specifically the Fatimid Western Palace, which was built by Caliph al-Aziz bi-Allah and completed by al-Mustansir bi-Allah. However, it was on the ruins of the Fatimid Western Palace that the Bimaristan Qalawun was later built and it is, therefore, likely that these wooden frieze components were later re-used to embellish the hospital walls.  \nThese decorative panels are considered an important source for the study of Fatimid painting for they include scenes of hunting, music, entertainment, battle and excursions, as well as depictions of birds and other animals and reveal the life of opulence led by the Fatimid elite.","short_description":"This item is an example of carving on wood from the Fatimid period, influenced by Abbasid styles from Samarra that spread all over the Islamic world. Decoration is based on hunting scenes and animal shapes on a background of vegetation.","type":"Woodwork, low-relief carving, wood","holder":"Museum of Islamic Art","dates":"Hegira 5th century / AD 11th century.","location":"Cairo","dimensions":"Length 370 cm, width 30 cm.","method_for_datation":"This piece was dated through study of the decorative components that appear on it, the style of representation, and by comparison with other analogous decorative pieces.","method_for_provenance":"In view of the fact that the panel was almost certainly made for the Fatimid Western Palace, it is likely that it was made by craftsmen employed in the atelier of Caliph al-Aziz bi-Allah and produced especially to furnish the palace.","provenance":"Cairo, Egypt.","obtention":"The object was transferred from the Mausoleum of Qalawun in the *Nahassien* (coppersmith's) district, and received by the Museum in 1909.","bibliography":"Abu Sadira, al-Said T., *Al-Hiraf wa al-Sana'at fi Masr al-Islamiyya \\[Handicrafts and Manufacture in Islamic Egypt\\],* Cairo, 1991.  \nAl-Pasha, H., et al, *Al-Qāhira, tārikhuha, fūnunuha, Āthāruha \\[Cairo, Its History, Arts and Monuments\\],* Cairo, 1970.  \nAl-Maqrizi, *Al-mawā'iz wa'l-i'tibār bi-dhikr al-khiţaţ wa'l-āthār \\[Exhortations and Contemplation of the Recollection of Plans and Monuments\\],* 2 Vols, Cairo, 1853.  \n  \nHassan, M. Z., *Kunuz al-Fatimiyyin \\[Treasures of the Fatimids\\],* Cairo, 1938.","dynasty":"Fatimid","author":"Muhammad Abbas Muhammad Selim","copy_editor":"Majd Musa","translator":"Amal Sachedina (from the Arabic).","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["figurative decoration","geometric decoration.","Low-relief","vegetal decoration","wood"],"materials":["decorated with low-relief carving.","Wood"]},"366a9ff1-e485-57a9-ad1c-a5eb7cf07698":{"name":"Chest of drawers","short_description":"This chest has a European shape and the decoration is near to Indian or Near-Eastern motifs. It has an Arab inscription, but only the date could be read it. This chest was probably made in India or in Egypt for the European customers who lived there.","type":"Furniture","holder":"National Museum of Decorative Arts","dates":"1862","location":"Madrid","provenance":"India? Egypt?","author":"Ana Cabrera","copy_editor":"Anne Dowell","keywords":["Orientalism","Applied Arts","Westernization of the arts and design"],"materials":["Wood; inlaid with mother-of-pearl"]},"36773e08-5d5d-510b-9eaf-d6bc145e39d8":{"name":"Cigarette case","description":"The Orientalism or Neo-Mudéjar style gave new light to old motifs as decoration in ivory or bone, with flowers and interlaces, as in this cigarette case. The decoration is strongly influenced by Arab pieces.","type":"Accessories","holder":"National Museum of Decorative Arts","dates":"1850–1920","location":"Madrid","dimensions":"10 x 7,5 cm","provenance":"Spain?","author":"Ana Cabrera","copy_editor":"Anne Dowell","keywords":["Neo-mudejar style","Applied Arts","Production of applied arts in Europe in the Islamic mode"],"materials":["Bone, wood; carved and marquetry"]},"36adfe60-d1bb-5d20-835e-c6987c2d3ca0":{"name":"Coffee group","description":"Coffee is always served at the beginning of a visit and is repeatedly offered until guests politely signal that they have had enough by rocking their cup from side to side. In order to keep coffee hot and fresh for unexpected guests it goes through many stages. After roasting and grinding the coffee beans the grains are added to boiling water inside a large *dallah* (coffee pot) called a *khamra*. Next, the liquid is poured into a medium-sized coffee pot called a *taljeemah*. At this stage cardamom seeds, saffron and rose water may be added for flavour. From this jug, the coffee is poured into a serving *dallah* referred to as a *mezallah*, where the coffee is refined and filtered. The server must hold the *mezallah* with their left hand and distribute the *fanayeel* (coffee cups) using the right hand. The coffee should fill less than half of the cup.","holder":"Sharjah Heritage Museum","owner":"Sharjah Museums Authority","location":"Sharjah, United Arab Emirates","obtention":"Purchased","author":"Amanda Snyder, Mona Mukhashab","copy_editor":"Judy Harter","keywords":["beans","coffee","coffee beans"]},"373ae550-80af-546a-8e29-6fd330505a98":{"name":"Qajar lacquer Casket","short_description":"This lacquer casket depicts the second ruler of the 19th-century Qajar dynasty, Fath’Ali Shah. Seated on the legendary Mughal Peacock Throne, he is flanked by three of his sons, ministers, and other important figures. The side panels, decorated with raised medallions on a *gul-ol-bulbul* (rose and bulbul bird) background, show courtiers in Western clothing, landscapes, and hunting scenes. The caskets are mentioned in William Ouseley’s *Travels into Various Countries of the East; More Particularly Persia* (1823), based on his visits to Iran. Ouseley claims these caskets—made of paper and a serish glue—were mass produced in Isfahan; there are now a number of similar objects in various museums and collections. He also mentions beautifully painted, varnished boxes similar to the Fath’Ali Shah caskets. Common subjects included battle scenes and hunting parties as well as depictions of popular romances.","type":"Casket","holder":"MKG Museum for Applied Arts","dates":"Hegira 13th century / AD early 19th century","location":"Hamburg","dimensions":"Height: 42cm, Width: 30cm, Length: 24cm","method_for_datation":"By comparison with similar objects from the Qajar period.","method_for_provenance":"Weltausstellung 1873 Wien (World Exposition 1873 Vienna).","provenance":"Iran","obtention":"Purchased in 1873.","bibliography":"Khalili, N. D., Robinson, B. W. and Stanley, T., *Lacquer of the Islamic Lands*, London: Nour Foundation; Oxford: Oxford University Press; London: Azimuth Editions, 1993.  \nRobinson, B. W., *An Exhibition of 50 pieces of Persian, Indian and Turkish Lacquer: from 10 June to 27 June 1986*, London: Bernheimer Fine Arts, 1986.","dynasty":"Qajar","copy_editor":"Caitlin Link","keywords":["lacquer"],"materials":["Lacquer, wood"]},"38e58977-4147-5180-845f-11ffcd1daba9":{"name":"Pulley","description":"A wooden pulley in the form of a circular wheel with a recessed rim, around which the rope was wound to facilitate drawing a water bucket from the well. At its center is a round wooden piece fitted with various wooden boards arranged in a circular manner. Animals were used to pull the rope passing through the pulley.","type":"Pulley","holder":"Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim Al Thani Museum FBQ Museum","dates":"AH Late 13th century / AD 19th century","location":"Ash-Shahaniyah, Qatar","dimensions":"Diameter: 108cm","provenance":"The Arabian Peninsula","copy_editor":"Zeina Al Amad","keywords":["Arabian Peninsula","pulley","water","wells"],"materials":["Cutting and assembling","Wood"]},"3b494886-dcbc-53f0-858a-e56bcd9a8635":{"name":"Sculpturally conceived emblem","short_description":"This work of art belongs to a group of emblems which is an artistic interpretation of an Arabic letter or word that brings the Sufi farther along his path to God when he remembers or repeats it in his devotions (*dhikr*).  \nThis emblem is a symmetrical composition with the word *al-shafi* (the Healer), one of Allah’s many names.","type":"Ottoman emblem, wood","holder":"The David Collection","dates":"Hegira 12th–13th century / AD 18th–19th century","location":"Copenhagen","provenance":"Turkey","dynasty":"Ottoman","keywords":["blazon","calligraphy","inscription","Procession","Standard","Sufism","Symmetry"],"materials":["Wood"]},"3de78d7d-0ff4-5d07-a1ac-c4173aa7e91e":{"name":"*Peškun*","description":"Hexagonal *peškun* (Tr. *peşkun*) is made of carved walnut wood. It is divided into a bottom middle part with a hexagonal plate in the form of a shelf, making two stories for storing – an upper and a lower plate. Both plates are richly decorated with interlacing floral motifs. In the center of the upper plate, there is a motif of the six-pointed star, while beneath its edges a frieze of trefoil elements is formed. Each of the six vertical sides is divided by a plate into two zones with three openings in the shape of the oriental arch each.  \n*Peškun* is the name of a traditional piece of Ottoman furniture in the shape of a table or stool. It was originally meant for sitting, although it had different purposes throughout history, especially as a decorative table in Balkan oriental interiors of the 19th and of the first half of the 20th century. Over time, the larger table (in the set of usually three pieces,) began to be used as a coffee table, while the smaller ones were used as stools. *Peškun* were ordinarily made of walnut wood, ornamented with incrusted floral and geometric motifs made of mother of pearl and bone.","type":"Table","holder":"Museum of Applied Art","dates":"Hegira late 13th–early 14th century / AD late 19th–early 20th century","location":"Belgrade","dimensions":"Height: 44.5cm, width: 46cm","place_of_production":"Ottoman Empire","method_for_datation":"By stylistic analysis, material, technique, and analogy with other similar examples.","obtention":"Purchased in 1964/65.","author":"Ana Samardžić","keywords":["carving","Ottoman Balkans","peškun","side table","stool"],"materials":["carving, turning","Walnut"]},"3e6397b4-d839-55fb-83c0-463d120d0c76":{"name":"Tray stand","short_description":"This spectacular tray stand, made of sheet brass inlaid with silver, has a decorative scheme devoted entirely to glorifying the (unnamed) ruler for whom it was made. On the body, among other scenes, is that of the monarch between two pairs of servants, seated on a throne with lions below and winged angels above. Above and below this are astrological symbols, thus showing the ruler not only as an earthly but also a heavenly power.","type":"Metalwork","holder":"Museum of Islamic Art","dates":"Hegira 7th century  / AD 13th century","location":"Doha","dimensions":"Height: 24.8 cm, Diameter: 25.6 cm","provenance":"Northern Syria or Northern Iraq (probably Mosul)","obtention":"Sambon Collection, Paris , France until 1912, then Charles Gillot Collection, Geneva, Switzerland  \nJasim Al-Homaizi Collection, inv. no. I/345 until 1999; sold to Qatar Museums","bibliography":"Abdellatif, Rania, *Syria Matters*, Milano: Silvana Editoriale, 2018.  \nAl Khemir, Sabiha, *From Cordoba To Samarqand, Masterpieces from the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha*, Milan: Musée du Louvre Editions, 2006.  \nAllan, James W., *Metalwork Treasures from the Islamic Courts*, London: The Islamic Art Society, 2002.","dynasty":"Ayyubid or Zangid","author":"Tara Desjardins","keywords":["astrology","Ayyubid","inlay","Iraq","metalwork","Monarch","Syria","Tray stand","Zangid"],"materials":["Brass, Silver, Black compund, Solder","Inlaying, Hammering, Engraving, Chasing, Soldering"]},"3ea5c496-cc96-57ae-a6e7-f47f064d36cb":{"name":"Teak Panel.","description":"A wooden panel of dark-brown teak wood. The surface is carved with an abstract design, known as the 'bevelled' style, a pattern of repeated curved shapes with bevelled edges, usually moulded rather than carved, probably derived from stylised vegetal forms. This type of design is typical of the Abbasid period and can also be found on stucco wall panels. This piece would have been part of a larger panel of carved wood used for furniture or doors. It is close in style to wood panels and stucco found at Samarra, capital of the Abbasid dynasty (AH 177–655 / AD 749–1258). Wood, particularly teak, was highly valued in Iraq and was probably imported from South East Asia.","short_description":"A teak panel, carved with an abstract design in the technique known as the ‘bevelled style’. This stylised design was typical of the Abbasid period and was employed on stucco wall panels as well as on carved wood on walls and ceilings.","type":"Woodwork, architectural decoration","holder":"The British Museum.","dates":"Hegira 3rd / AD 9th century.","location":"London, England","dimensions":"Height 13 cm width 73 cm.","method_for_datation":"Through stylistic analysis: the 'bevelled' style was found on AH 3rd- / AD 9th-century architectural decoration from Samarra that was built in AH 221 / AD 836, and which was the Abbasid capital for only 37 years before the caliphate returned to Baghdad.","method_for_provenance":"The style of the carving resembles architectural decoration found at Samarra in Iraq.","provenance":"Samarra, Iraq.","obtention":"Acquired by the British Museum in 1944, from the Collection of Sir Sydney Bernard Burney, through the National Art Collections fund.","bibliography":"Ettinghausen, R. and Graber, O., The Art and Architecture of Islam: 650–1250, 1987, pp.102–9.  \n  \nNorthedge, A., 'Samarra', in Encyclopedia of Islam, 1995, pp.1039–41.","dynasty":"Abbasid","author":"Emily Shovelton","copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Abbasid furnishing design","Bevelled style","carving","furnishing","vegetal decoration"],"materials":["Carved teak wood."]},"3f812372-02bd-5235-89dd-a89ca9e526fd":{"name":"Desk","short_description":"This desk, an important object with great symbolic value, was offered by the Tunisian people to the great reforming minister, Khaireddine (Khayr al-Din) Pacha. The wooden desk is painted white, and a floral pattern decorates its drawers.","type":"Woodwork; furniture","holder":"Musée d’Histoire Moderne et Contemporaine de Kassar Saïd","dates":"19th century","location":"Le Bardo, Tunis","provenance":"Palais de Kassar Saïd","author":"Saloua Zangar","translator":"Flaminia Baldwin","keywords":["Khaireddine (Khayr al-Din) Pacha","reforming minister"],"materials":["Wood, gold leaf"]},"3fcb079f-6a10-569e-97e4-f341d5df2eca":{"name":"Ceiling, custom-made for Shangri La's living room","short_description":"The living room ceiling at Shangri La was custom-made by Moroccan artisans working under the supervision of the Rabat-based firm S.A.L.A.M. René Martin. It is carved, painted, and gilded throughout. The central field features recessed octagrams in interlocking, knotted niches, predominantly orange and brown in tone. The bottommost border consists of a moulded plaster frieze of floral motifs in an arcade repeated throughout.","type":"Islamic, Indian & Southeast Asian works of art; woodwork; painting; architectural decoration","holder":"Shangri La, Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art","dates":"Hegira 1355 / AD 1937","location":"Honolulu, Hawai'i","dimensions":"Overall: 1437 x 726.4 cm","provenance":"Morocco","dynasty":"French Protectorate","keywords":["architectural decoration","ceiling","floral decoration","French Protectorate","geometric motifs","gilded","Morocco","painted","wood","workshop"],"materials":["painted, gilded, varnished","Wood (cedar)"]},"410982f8-b847-57f8-9f76-389d106adfca":{"name":"Door jamb.","description":"The jambs and lintel of the door to the Casa Maturano bear a fairly complex decorative frieze, unlike the other significant wooden example from more or less the same period in Palermo, which is still *in situ* on the main door of the Church of Santa Maria dell'Ammiraglio dating back to 1143, the year the church was founded by Admiral Giorgio of Antioch. It is characterised by traditional decorative rectangular panels similar to Egyptian examples dating back to the 11th and 12th centuries. The central decorative band, framed by two lateral borders characterised by half-palmette plant motifs tightly intertwined, consists of a sequence of opposed double pentagons linked by a pair of semi-circles filled with vegetal spirals, interposed with 16-sided stars. The geometric elements have a beaded edge and are filled with tightly carved intertwined half-palmettes. According to Scerrato (1979), this type of decoration appears to derive from the Samarra stuccoes (Iraq), and presents notable similarities with the wooden ceilings of the Ibn Tulun mosque in Cairo.","short_description":"These wooden remains were the jambs and lintel of a door from the Casa Maturano in Palermo. Their decoration is reminiscent of the decorative motifs used in the Samarra stuccoes (Iraq), as well as the decoration on the wooden ceilings in the Ibn Tulun Mosque in Cairo.","type":"Woodwork, door, wood","holder":"Regional Gallery of Sicilia, Abatellis Palace","dates":"12th century.","location":"Palermo","dimensions":"Height 457 cm, width 227 cm.","method_for_datation":"From stylistic similarities with Fatimid carpentry.","method_for_provenance":"From historical documents.","provenance":"House of Goffredo di Marturano, next to the Church of Santa Maria dell'Ammiraglio, Palermo.","obtention":"Deposit, previously in the Royal Museum of Palermo.","bibliography":"Delogu, R., *La Galleria Nazionale della Sicilia*, Rome, 1977, p.10.  \nScerrato, U., “Arte Islamica in Italia”, in *Gli Arabi in Italia*, (eds. F. Gabrieli and U. Scerrato), Milan, 1979, pp.523–4 and fig. 197.","dynasty":"Norman","linkcatalogs":"IAM_IT_EN_001","author":"Rita Bernini","copy_editor":"Pier Paolo Racioppi","translator":"Laurence Nunny","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["Arab-Norman","carpentry","Fatimid architecture","floral decoration","geometric decoration"],"materials":["Carved wood."]},"42831546-e0c3-549c-9fd9-f6b1d2f06488":{"name":"Door","short_description":"Islamic art is often thought to be devoid of figural representation, yet many works of art made in the Islamic world do depict figures. Their presence is particularly notable in applied arts, or objects made for daily life, such as these doors showing idealized scenes of leisure and court life in Iran. The activities of the courtiers – including relaxation, entertainment, and the hunt – as well as their appearance are derived from paintings made during the seventeenth century.","type":"Islamic, Indian & Southeast Asian works of art; woodwork","holder":"Shangri La, Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art","dates":"Hegira 13th century / AD 19th century","location":"Honolulu, Hawai'i","dimensions":"Overall: 195.3 x 124.5 cm","provenance":"Iran","dynasty":"Qajar","keywords":["arabesque","courtly scene","Door","Iran","painted","Qajar","varnished","wood"],"materials":["Wood: painted, varnished, with metal hardware"]},"43014a3e-3f06-5cd3-953a-6674419c07b7":{"name":"Hand carding tool","description":"Tool used to card wool. Carding is the technique of separating the shorn wool fleece into individual long fibres to prepare them for spinning.","type":"Carding tool","holder":"The Jordan Museum","owner":"The Circassian Charity Association","dates":"AD 1860","location":"Amman","dimensions":"L:25cm, W: 10cm-15cm","method_for_datation":"The great-grandparents of the owners of this object brought it with them to Jordan when they immigrated in 1860.","provenance":"Caucasus","obtention":"Loan","author":"Najd Sweidan","copy_editor":"Lisa Kelman","materials":["Wood and iron"]},"4312ed57-80a5-53ca-a579-d77d2e79388d":{"name":"Hexagonal dinner stand.","alternate_name":"Dining pedestal.","description":"This piece assumes the shape of a hexagonal (six-sided) pedestal upon which dinner trays would be placed; it is therefore known as a dinner stand. Its top surface, which is also hexagonal in shape, has a central circular decoration comprising a radiating inscription in a plaited *kufic* script. The radiating form of the inscription increases its decorative impact as it appears to simulate the rays of the sun coming from a central medallion, in which the artist has inscribed the name of Sultan al-Nasir Hasan ibn al-Nasir Muhammad ibn Qalawun, for whom this table was probably made. Framing the surface of this piece, is an inscription in Mamluk *thuluth* script which includes the name of the sultan and a number of his titles, it reads: 'Glory to our lord the Sultan al-Malik al-Nasir al-'Alam, al-'Adil, al-Mujahid, al-Murabit, al-Muthaghir, al-Mu'ayyad, al-Mansur, the Sultan of Islam and the Muslims, the Destroyer of Apostates and Infidels, the Reviver of Justice to all, the Protector of the oppressed against the oppressors, the Protector of the Muslim community, the Protector of worldly and spiritual matters, ibn al-Sultan al-Malik al-Mansur Qalawun Al-Salihi'. And surrounding these inscriptions along the interior are a series of lobed semi-circles decorated with flying ducks that are distinguished by their vitality and movement.  \nEach of the six sides of the pedestal's surfaces is comprised of four decorated panels arranged vertically one on top of the other. In the centre of one of these panels is a small door with two arched leafs which open to reveal an internal shelf. The panels are ornamented with openwork arabesque designs, composed of intertwining vegetal leaves and stems, lotus blossoms, and epigraphic inscriptions in *thuluth* script, on a background of openwork decorative motifs. The table has six short 'supports', posts that rest on the legs. A series of inscriptions are recorded on them, which indicate the name of the craftsman and his titles the English translation of which reads: 'Made by the poor slave hopeful of his God's forgiveness, known as the son of the teacher professor Muhammad, son Sunqur al Baghdadi al-Sanqari, in the year AH 728 \\[1327\\] in the days of our lord al-Malik al-Nasir, glory to his triumph'.  \nSuch objects, although used extensively as stands for food trays, were also used to carry the Qur'an or torches at night in mosques or palaces, as well as to carry drinks, vases and incense burners. It is possible that this pedestal, which belonged to al-Nasir Muhammad, had been used to carry these types of items in his private palace or in his *madrasa* which was built on the street of the coppersmiths *(Shari' Nahhāsin)* in Cairo. This supposition is made more likely in view of the fact that the object was recovered from the Bimaristan (hospital) of al-Mansur Qalawun, which is adjacent to the Madrasa of al-Nasir Muhammad.  \nThe dinner stand is one of the most valuable acquisitions in the collections of the Museum of Islamic Art in Cairo for it demonstrates the prolific production of metalwork in the Mamluk period. The importance of this particular piece stems from its having been crafted specifically for Sultan al-Nasir Muhammad ibn Qalawun, not to mention the fact that it contains the name of the craftsman who made it along with the date of manufacture. Its exceptional quality is magnified when its splendour and size are considered.","short_description":"This type of table, made from metal or wood, was extensively produced during the Mamluk period in Cairo. It was used to hold food or items that need to be elevated from the floor. This table is made of brass inlaid with silver on which the name and titles of Sultan al-Nasir Muhammad and the maker's name were inscribed.","type":"Stand, hexagonal dinner, copper","holder":"Museum of Islamic Art","initial_owner":"Sultan al-Nasir Hasan ibn al-Nasir Muhammad ibn Qalawun who reigned three times: AH 693–4 / AD 1294–5; AH 698–708 / AD 1299–1309; AH 709–41 / AD 1309–40.","dates":"Hegira 728 / AD 1327.","location":"Cairo","dimensions":"Height 81 cm, diameter 40.5 cm.","method_for_datation":"This piece can be dated based on the inscription it carries, which includes the name of the craftsman who made it and the date it was manufactured. This is in addition to the inscriptions on the piece which specifically name Sultan al-Nasir Muhammad ibn Qalawun.","method_for_provenance":"It is highly probable that the piece was crafted in Cairo, especially in view of the fact that it is decorated with epigraphic inscriptions in Mamluk *thuluth* script, a style prevalent in Mamluk pieces attributed to Egypt. Additionally, the design technique used in its manufacture and the decoration, closely resemble those used in a number of other objects known to have been made in Egypt, including a box (for a Qur'an manuscript) made of copper and inlaid with gold and silver, currently housed in the library of al-Azhar Mosque, which bears the name of Sultan al-Nasir Muhammad ibn Qalawun and is dated 723 (1322). There is an almost identical box in the collections at the Museum of Islamic Art in Berlin, known to have been taken from a mosque in Cairo; this is inscribed with the name of the same craftsman as the pedestal under discussion here: Muhammad ibn Sunqur al-Baghdadi. There is also a silver inlaid candlestick currently in the collections of the Islamic Art Museum in Cairo (reg. no. 15080) which bears the name of Sultan al-Nasir ibn Muhammad ibn Qalawun.  \nFurthermore, in Cairo during the Mamluk period there was a *suq* dedicated to the manufacture and sale of inlaid metalwork. The author and historian al-Maqrizi refers to the market in his work *al-Khitat* (1853) as 'the *suq* of the inlay craftsmen' (Suq al-Koftiyin), which was located in a street that in present-day Cairo lies between al-Ghuriyya Street and al-Azhar Street. The market's documented presence further supports the supposition that this piece was crafted in Cairo.","provenance":"Cairo.","obtention":"This piece was transferred from the Bimaristan of Sultan al-Mansur Qalawun to the Museum of Islamic Art. It was one of the first pieces to enter the collections at the time of the inauguration of the Museum in 1903.","bibliography":"Al-Maqrizi, *Al-mawā'iz wa'l-i'tibār bi-dhikr al-khitat wa'l-āthār \\[Exhortations and Contemplation of the Recollection of Plans and Monuments\\],* 2 vols, Cairo, 1853.  \nAl-Pasha, H., et al, *Al-Qāhira,Tārikhuha, Fūnunuha, Āthāruha \\[Cairo: Its History, Arts and Monuments\\],* Cairo, 1970.  \nAllan, J., *Islamic Metalwork: The Nuhad Es-Said Collection,* London, 1982.  \nAtil, E., *Renaissance of Islam: Art of the Mamluks,* Washington D.C., 1987.  \nHamdi, A., et al, *Katalog Ma'rid al-fan al-islāmi fi misr \\[Catalogue of the Islamic Art Exhibition in Egypt\\],* Cairo, 1969.  \nStierlin, H. and Stierlin A., *Splendours of the Islamic World: Mamluk Art in Cairo (1250–1517),* London, New York, 1997.  \nWiet, G., “Les Objets en Cuivre”, in *Catalogue général du Musée arabe,* Cairo, 1932.","dynasty":"Mamluk","linkcatalogs":"IAM_EG_EN_001","author":"Salah Sayour","copy_editor":"Majd Musa","translator":"Amal Sachedina (from the Arabic).","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["copper.","decorative motif","furnishing","inlay","inscription","openwork","Thuluth","vegetal motif"],"materials":["Copper, inlaid with silver and decorated in filigree and openwork."]},"453d31a1-ac06-52d0-a282-f160b88b5219":{"name":"Wooden screen in two parts.","description":"A wooden screen that represents a masterpiece of woodcarving and which illustrates the “pivotal position” held by Syria in the field of Islamic woodwork. The screen is in two parts. The top, smaller, section of the screen is a wooden rectangular partition with various frames that divide the surface into rectangular fields. One frame is decorated with carved stylised vegetal motifs, its central field carved with the “Basmala” (“in the name of God the Compassionate the Merciful”), executed in geometric *kufic* script and openwork carving. The upper part of this partition also includes a *kufic* inscription, carved within a field of leafy vegetal patterns, which may be translated as follows: “Abu Ja'far Muhammad bin al-Hasan bin al-Ali, sincere friend of the Commander of the faithful \\[the caliph\\], God accepts this work from him in the months of the year 497 \\[AD 1103\\].” The text also includes Qur'anic verses: \"Your (real) friends are (no less than) God, His messenger, and the believers, those who establish regular prayers and pay alms and bow down humbly (in worship). As to those who turn (for friendship) to God, His Messenger, and the believers, it is the party of God that must certainly triumph,\" (5:55-56). On the other side of this panel is the expression “… God is Islam” centrally oriented and executed in *kufic* script and openwork carving. It indicates the final words of the Qur'anic verses (3:18-19) that are inscribed around the frame. The middle panel is decorated with vegetal motifs that spring from a small carved vase.  \nThe bottom section of the screen is much larger in size than the top. Rectangular and divided into three horizontal sections: the lowest is a row of lathed double columns with rectangular bases and capitals; the middle is a row of lathed single columns with vase-like bases and capitals; the top, a carved screen that is divided into various decorative fields set in polygonal frames consisting of geometric patterns made of carved and pierced pieces of wood and bone inlay.","short_description":"Furnishings of mosques and holy places are often executed in a highly developed style of woodcarving. This *maqsura* screen from an AH 5th- / AD 11th-century royal tomb in Damascus, is a prime example of the important role Syria played in the woodcarving tradition.","type":"Woodwork, screen, wood","holder":"National Museum of Damascus","initial_owner":"According to the inscribed date, the screen probably originally belonged to the mausoleum of the Seljuq Sultan Duqaq (r. AH 488–97 / AD 1095–1104), located in the Maydan, southwest of old Damascus. During the Atabeg period, nearly 100 years later, it was reworked and moved to the nearby Musalla al-Idain Mosque, built by Amir Ja'far Muhammad bin al-Hasan bin al-Ali.","dates":"Hegira 497 / AD 1104.","location":"Damascus","dimensions":"Top: height 0.79 m, width 2.46 m, bottom: height 2.13 m, width 2.46 m.","method_for_datation":"The year Hegira 497 (AD 1104) it is inscribed on the object.","method_for_provenance":"The distinguished archaeologist Michael Meinecke argued that the original location of the screen was next to the mausoleum of the Seljuq Sultan Duqaq (r. 488–97 / 1095–1104), and that it was moved afterwards to the Musalla al-Idayn Mosque, because the mosque was constructed about a century after the date inscribed on the object.","provenance":"Maydan quarter in southern Damascus.","obtention":"The object was expropriated by the General Directorate of Antiquities in 1927.","bibliography":"Abu al-Faraj al-Ush, M., *A Concise Guide to the National Museum of Damascus,* Damascus, 1969, p.206.  \nEttinghausen, R., Grabar, O., and Jenkins-Madina, M., *Islamic Art and Architecture 650–1250*, New Haven, 2001, p.254.  \nKohlmeyer, K. (ed), *Land des Baal,* Mainz, 1982, pp.287–8, p.290.  \nMeinecke, M., *Patterns of Stylistic Change in Islamic Architecture: Local Traditions versus Migrating Artists,* Hagop Kevorkian Series on Near Eastern Art and Civilization, New York, 1996.","dynasty":"Atabeg","author":"Mona al-Moadin","translator":"Hilary Kalmbach (from the Arabic)","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["carving","inlay","Ja’far Muhammad","kufic","Mausoleum","Michael Meinecke","Mosque","Screen","Sultan Duqaq","wood"],"materials":["carved and inlaid with bone.","Poplar"]},"4708ea66-8ef0-527a-910d-4a3afc383d49":{"name":"Carved wooden panel","short_description":"This panel may originally have formed the side of a cenotaph. Its centre is decorated with square, rectangular and polygonal panels carved with vegetal roundels and arabesque scrolls and set into a geometric framework. *Naskhi* inscriptions giving verse 255 from *sura Al-Baqara* and scrolling friezes surround the central panel.","type":"Woodwork","holder":"Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilisation","dates":"Hegira early 7th century / AD early 13th century","location":"Sharjah","provenance":"Egypt or Syria","dynasty":"Fatimid / Ayyubid","keywords":["calligraphy","carving","funerary object","inscription","naskhi","panel","wood"]},"486b00c2-21f3-53e2-a770-a7f64b267074":{"name":"Door (one of a pair)","short_description":"Tiny, geometric inlay patterns of hexagons and stars cover the surface of this large door. To create the intricate designs, long, narrow strips of green-painted bone, ivory, and wood were glued together in the form of hexagons or stars. The long strips were then cut in thin, widthwise segments, each sliver of which was adhered to the wood base of the object. The final step was to sand and seal the surface with a varnish.","type":"Islamic, Indian & Southeast Asian works of art; inlaid woodwork","holder":"Shangri La, Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art","dates":"Dated both hegira 1228 and AD 1813","location":"Honolulu, Hawai'i","dimensions":"Overall: 219.1 x 108.6 x 3.2 cm","provenance":"Iran, Tehran","dynasty":"Qajar","keywords":["brass","calligraphy","Door","geometric motifs","inlay","inscription","Iran","ivory or bone","khatamkari","Qajar","wood"],"materials":["inlaid with painted wood, ivory or bone, brass (?) (khatamkari technique)","Wood"]},"49103ef0-90f2-547a-8043-173577467243":{"name":"Dates group","description":"As a sign of hospitality guests are given *fuala* (light refreshments). Coffee, dates, *betheetha* (a sweet made of dates and fired flour), *khabees* (a sweet made of saffron, ghee and fried flour), leavened bread, and *dibs* (date molasses) were served on a *saroud* (palm mat) and covered with a *mechabeh* (palm food cover) to protect the food from dirt and insects.  \nWhen guest finished eating they were offered a *ghasool* (a bowl of water) or a *maghsal al yad* (pitcher and vessel) to wash their hands. At the end of a visit, guests were perfumed with a *merash* (perfume sprinkler) filled with rose water and other fragrances. Guest were also perfumed with '*oud* incense'.","holder":"Sharjah Heritage Museum","initial_owner":"Sharjah Heritage Museum","dates":"Hegira mid 14th century/AD mid 20th century","location":"Sharjah, United Arab Emirates","obtention":"Purchased","author":"Amanda Snyder, Mona Mukhashab","copy_editor":"Judy Harter"},"4a08eb73-aef2-5e58-9066-f1c85dd23da4":{"name":"Bracket Clock","description":"The case, made of gilt wood, has rich Rococo decoration. Its outline is composed of elongated C-scrolls primarily. The clock has a brass chapter ring with incised Roman numerals for the hours and Arabic numerals for minutes (at five-minute intervals). Semi-precious stones are applied at the outer edge of the chapter ring, at the centre of which is a small movable disc with alarm-setting marks from 1 to 12, and above it an aperture showing the control pendulum. All gaps as well as the arch of the dial have applied ornaments – C-scrolls, *rocaille* and leaves – made of silvered brass.  \nThe movement between plates is spring-driven with a verge escapement and a short pendulum. The hours, half and quarter hours are struck on bells. It has a separate alarm movement with a verge escapement and short pendulum.  \nThis clock is unusual for having above its main movement another, smaller one also with a verge escapement and pendulum. This served to drive the alarm and connected to the centre of the lower movement with a lever. It is wound up through the opening in the arch of the dial.  \nThe clock was in use in the Maruševec Manor near Varaždin. At the beginning of the 18th century Count Krsto Vragović owned the manor, he died in 1717 in a battle against the Turks. After that, Maruševec belonged to the Paszthory and Patačić families. In the 19th century, its owners were count Artur Schlippenbach and Oskar Pongratz.  \nAfter the Second World War, the state confiscated the manor.","short_description":"A richly decorated bracket clock from Maruševec Manor near Varaždin the case, made of gilt wood, has Rococo decoration.","type":"Clock, timepiece","holder":"City Museum, Varaždin","initial_owner":"A noble family of Maruševec Manor","dates":"About 1750","location":"Varaždin, North-West Croatia","dimensions":"H: 60 cm; w: 33 cm; d: 16 cm","place_of_production":"South Germany (?)","method_for_datation":"By stylistic analysis and comparative material.","provenance":"From Maruševec Manor","obtention":"Originally, the clock was in Maruševec Manor near Varaždin. After the Second World War, the state confiscated the manor and the clock was moved to the Cultural History department of the City Museum in Varaždin Castle.","bibliography":"Kućni sat: *Stilski razvoj kroz vjekove.* *Beograd: Muzej primenjene umetnosti*, 1964, p. 79, cat. 23.  \nKlemm, M., *Stari satovi u muzejima sjeverozapadne Hrvatske, Varaždin: Muzejsko društvo sjeverozapadne Hrvatske*, 1990, p. 12, cat. 6.  \nLovrić Plantić, V., *Udomljeno vrijeme: Kućni satovi kontinentalne Hrvatske – nepoznata baština*, Zagreb, 2008, p. 166, cat. 15.","workshop":"Unknown","author":"Vesna Lovrić Plantić, Ljerka Šimunić","translator":"Vesna Lovrić Plantić","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["cast brass","furnishing","gilding","glass","precious gems","timekeeping","wood carving"],"materials":["brass, cast, engraved and silvered","glass","semi-precious jewels","Wood, carved and gilded"]},"4a51e3f4-294d-54c9-a5ea-baa4868a2d16":{"name":"Sickle (*mijaz*)","description":"The sickle is a tool that has been employed worldwide for its utility: it is a manual agricultural tool that consists of a curved blade that is usually used for harvesting grain crops or cutting weeds used to feed livestock.","type":"Sickle (*mijaz*)","holder":"National Museum of Oman","owner":"National Museum of Oman","dates":"Hegira 14th century / AD 20th century","location":"Muscat","dimensions":"Height: 3.5cm, length: 49cm, width: 3.5cm","place_of_production":"Oman","provenance":"Local acquisition","obtention":"Local acquisition.","dynasty":"al-Busaid","copy_editor":"Alvaro Miranda","materials":["Wood and iron"]},"4b719ab5-caa8-53d7-a185-809f12af918c":{"name":"Venetian mirror","short_description":"This magnificent wooden mirror, carved and decorated with gold leaf, is deeply moulded (14cm) and engraved with floral patterns. Two different tones of gold leaf, matte and gloss, were used. This Italian style carving was very fashionable with the 19th century nobility.","type":"Carving; ironwork; decorative item","holder":"Musée d’Histoire Moderne et Contemporaine de Kassar Saïd","dates":"19th century","location":"Le Bardo, Tunis","dimensions":"H. 200 cm, l. 120 cm","provenance":"Palais Kassar Saïd","author":"Saloua Zangar","translator":"Flaminia Baldwin","keywords":["Palace furnishings","gold leaf carving"],"materials":["Wood, plaster, gold leaf"]},"4c16a8ad-8dfc-54dd-bc70-ac76e6862585":{"name":"Decorative wooden panel.","description":"A cedarwood panel comprising wood imported mainly from Lebanon that was part of a wider scale procurement process which took place during the implementation of the grand Umayyad project to erect the Haram al-Sharif. The development of the Haram included the construction of the Dome of the Rock, al-Aqsa Mosque and other buildings. The panel presented here is one of a collection of pieces similar in size and carving technique, although different with regard to the decorative program. The Islamic Museum has acquired 16 of these panels, while the Palestinian Museum (Rockefeller Museum) holds some pieces from the collection. In addition to these decorative cedarwood panels, the Islamic Museum holds a large collection of undecorated pieces, including undecorated wooden beams, some of which extend to more than 10 m in length, and date back to the Umayyad period. These panels and beams were retrieved during restoration works at al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock, and form a basic resource for the study of woodworking techniques used in Umayyad constructions. Additionally, the Islamic Museum has acquired other collections of woodwork dating to the Abbasid, Fatimid, Ayyubid, Mamluk and Ottoman periods. The comprehensive woodwork collection at the Museum is considered to be a rare resource for the study of Islamic woodworking throughout the ages.  \nThis panel has been carved in low relief, which has led to a notable projection of the decoration. The decoration consists of whirling vegetal motifs and various geometric forms. The decorative style is not dissimilar to that of the Umayyad period, which combined several different styles including Byzantine, Sassanid, Coptic, and local Syrian.  \nThe piece under discussion is adorned with decoration. Central to the overall scheme is a vase in the form of a goblet out which emerges a whirling plant in the shape of three pairs of branching and intertwining leaves that lengthen along the extent of the panel. The decoration is contained within a rectangular frame that is contained on the outside by vegetal motifs; these aim towards connecting this panel with its neighbours, thereby facilitating the transfer from one decorative theme to the next.","short_description":"This piece of woodwork was used in the building of the Dome of the Rock. Its is thought to be the oldest Islamic woodwork still extant in its original location. The wood is decorated with very beautiful geometric and vegetal motifs and is a reflection of Umayyad decorative arts whose sources derived from different pre-Islamic arts.","type":"Woodwork, panel, wood","holder":"Islamic Museum, al-Aqsa Mosque / al-Haram al-Sharif.","initial_owner":"Caliph 'Abd al-Malik bin Marwan (r. AH 65–86 / AD 685–705) or Caliph al-Walid bin 'Abd al-Malik (r. AH 86–96 / AD 705–15).","dates":"Hegira 1st century / AD 8th century.","location":"Jerusalem","dimensions":"Height 193 cm, width 55 cm, depth: 8–10 cm.","method_for_datation":"The date for this panel has been established by comparison with other related pieces: for example, the decoration and technique used to carve this piece were compared with similar woodwork at Khirbat al-Mafjar (Hisham's Palace) in Jericho. Comparisons have also been drawn with other Umayyad pieces.","method_for_provenance":"Jerusalem was narrowed down as the place of production by means of documents pertaining to the restoration of al-Aqsa Mosque, which have been preserved by al-Aqsa Mosque Restoration Committee.","provenance":"Jerusalem.","obtention":"The piece was initially placed in the al-Aqsa Mosque following construction, by order of 'Abd al-Malik or his son al-Walid, and subsequently transferred from al-Aqsa Mosque to the Islamic Museum in 1938.","bibliography":"Abu Khalaf, M., *Islamic Art through the Ages: Masterpieces of the Islamic Museum of al-Haram al-Sharif,* Jerusalem, 1998.  \nHamilton, R. W., *The Structural History of al-Aqsa Mosque: A Record of Archaeological Cleaning from the Repairs of 1938–42,* London, 1949.  \nMarçais, G., “The Panels of Carved Wood in al-Aqsa Mosque at Jerusalem”, in Creswell, K. A. C., (ed), *Early Muslim Architecture* (Vol. 2), Oxford, 1940.","dynasty":"Umayyad","linkcatalogs":"IAM_JO_EN_001","author":"Nazmi Al-Ju'beh","copy_editor":"Majd Musa","translator":"Amal Sachedina (from the Arabic).","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["cedar","high relief","low relief","panel","vegetal decoration","woodwork"],"materials":["Cedarwood with decorative carving."]},"4c67ed2f-ee8b-5b76-827e-611ac07238ea":{"name":"Pearl Trader’s Scales Box","short_description":"This wooden box was designed to contain a sophisticated scales set, which incorporated both a large balance and bowls for weighing quantities of pearls and a smaller version, with several, graded weighing bowls for smaller quantities. The weighing systems for pearls was complex and highly sophisticated to allow for the accurate assessment of mixed batches of pearls of varying sizes and quality. The largest and most valuable pearls were separated and assessed individually. The other pearls would be passed through graded sieves and separated into three batches of specific size.  Apart from the very best items, pearls from these batches were sold by weight.","type":"Wooden box for scales","holder":"Sharjah Maritime Museum / Sharjah Museums Department","dates":"Hegira late 13th – early 14th century / AD late 19th – early 20th century","location":"Sharjah","provenance":"Sharjah Emirate","author":"Ulrike Al-Khamis","materials":["Wood"]},"4c71acf9-d06b-5c50-b777-26a1cf2db6b5":{"name":"Door panel with carved decoration","short_description":"A single door panel with three identical inset decorative panels each carved with a combination of different vegetal motifs in the bevelled style. The carving is characteristic of the Samarra style as it was developed in the building of the homonymous city in the ninth century. Marble wall revetments from the caliph’s palace in the same city contain identical ornamentation.","type":"Woodwork, door panel, wood","holder":"Benaki Museum","dates":"Hegira 3rd century / AD 9th century","location":"Athens","dimensions":"H. 238 cm.","provenance":"Iraq","dynasty":"Abbasid","keywords":["Bevelled style","carving","Door panel","wood"],"materials":["Wood, carved"]},"4c9b3c73-f021-537b-b1bc-a5a3c53c31bf":{"name":"Frieze.","description":"The upper part of this long panel is decorated with a traditional Marinid ribbon of eight-petal rosettes between two fillets. The main section sits below this band and is divided into two decorative areas.  \nThe lower area consists of plant motifs in low relief: noduled foliage and smooth double palms.  \nThe upper area consists of alternating high-relief arcatures in two different sizes. They consist of two superposed arches separated by a groove: the upper arch is undulated and the lower arch consists of double-palm lobes and is rendered in *cavetto*.  \nThe large arcatures are crowned with fleurons that cut into the rosette band. They contain an inscription in twisted pseudo-*kufic* characters with floral upstrokes and bear a mirror image of the word '*yumn*' (prosperity), similar to the motifs used in Marinid architectural decoration.  \nThe smaller ones are stamped with a ribbed six-lobe palmette and crowned with plant decoration surrounded by two bound lobes and flanked by adventitious floral upstrokes that extend beyond the sides of the large arcatures.  \nThe movement of the floral motifs, which is harmoniously adapted to the shape of the epigraphic decoration, and the spacing of the spandrels of the arches, as well as their large and rigorous rendering, make this well-made Marinid piece particularly interesting.","short_description":"The decorative elements of this panel (rosette frame, arches, pseudo-epigraphic inscriptions, palmette and floral motifs) along with their layout and execution are reminiscent of the decorated friezes found at the top of gallery walls in Fez's Marinid *madrasas*.","type":"Woodwork, frieze, wood","holder":"Kasbah Museum.","owner":"Batha Museum, Fez.","dates":"Hegira 8th century / AD 14th century.","location":"Tangiers.","dimensions":"Height 31.5 cm, length 244.5 cm, depth 5 cm.","method_for_datation":"From comparative analysis. The decorative elements of this panel, rosette frame, arches, pseudo-epigraphic inscription, palmettes and floral motifs, as well as their layout and execution are reminiscent of the ornamentation found on friezes on top of the walls in the galleries of Marinid *madrasas* in Fez, in particular the Buinaniya.","method_for_provenance":"Salvaged in Fez.","provenance":"Fez.","obtention":"Salvaged.","bibliography":"Cambazard-Amahan, C., *Le décor sur bois dans l'architecture de Fès*, Paris, 1989.  \nMarçais, G., *L'architecture musulmane d'Occident*, Paris, 1954.  \nTerrasse, Ch., *Médersas du Maroc*, Paris, 1927.  \nTerrasse, H. and Hainaut, J., *Les arts décoratifs au Maroc*, Paris, 1925.","dynasty":"Marinid","linkcatalogs":"IAM_MA_EN_001","author":"Naima El Khatib-Boujibar","copy_editor":"Margot Cortez","translator":"Laurence Nunny","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["epigraphic decoration","floral decoration","geometric decoration"],"materials":["Sculpted and vanished cedarwood."]},"4cdf29ad-f45a-562e-8ea4-fa190cc10ab3":{"name":"Wooden panel with epigraphic blazon.","description":"A wooden panel with a central field and narrow border. Within the central field a round tripartite, epigraphic blazon is set against an arabesque ground. The titles of Sultan Quaytbay (r. AH 872–901 /AD 1468–96) occupy the centre ground, his name is given above and his victory evoked below. The three inscriptions, rendered in *thuluth* script read: ‘al-sultan al-malik al-ashraf’ (centre) ‘Qaytbay’ (above) ‘izz nasrihi’ (below). The central field is surrounded by a stylised split-palmette scroll. Qai’tbay was a prolific patron of both the arts and architecture, he commissioned a large number of mosques, public fountains (*sabil)* religious schools (*madrasa*) and inns (*wikala*). It has been suggested that this panel originally came from the *Wikala* of Sultan Qa’itbay in Cairo, but without further details it is difficult to assign this piece with certainty to that particular complex.","short_description":"This wooden panel carries the composite blazon of the Mamluk sultan Qaytbay. Qaytbay was an outstanding patron of the arts and of architecture. He commissioned a large number of mosques, public fountains, religious schools and inns (*wikalas*). This panel is said to come from his *wikala* in Cairo.","type":"Woodwork, carved wood","holder":"National Museums of Scotland (NMS).","dates":"Hegira 872–901 / AD 1468–96.","location":"Edinburgh, Scotland","dimensions":"Height 59.69, width 39.37 cm.","method_for_datation":"The epigraphic blazon in the centre of the panel gives the titles and the name of the Mamluk Sultan Qaytbay (r. 872–901 / 1468–96).","method_for_provenance":"The epigraphic blazon in the centre of the panel gives the titles and name of the Mamluk Sultan Qaytbay; it is possible that this panel was commissioned for the *Wikala* of Sultan Qaytbay in Cairo.","provenance":"Possibly from the Wikala of Sultan Qaytbay in Cairo, Egypt.","obtention":"Purchased by the NMS from the Maurice Collection in 1884.","bibliography":"Atil, E., *Renaissance of Islam: Art of the Mamluks*, Washington D.C., 1981, pp.204–5, cat. no. 101 (for a similar panel).","dynasty":"Mamluk","linkcatalogs":"IAM_EG_EN_001","author":"Ulrike Al-Khamis","copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["blazon","calligraphy","coat of arms","Sultan Qaytbay","Thuluth","Wikala"],"materials":["Carved wood."]},"4e79bace-bc0e-55dc-9c99-de21e6fc0f6b":{"name":"*Kelek* raft","description":"The Iraqi word for raft is *kelek*, a name that can be traced from Sumerian (*ka-la*) via Akkadian (*kalakku*). Most *keleks* were made on banks of the Tigris in mountainous areas of what is now Iraqi Kurdistan and southern Turkey. *keleks* were traditionally constructed using a grid of long, straight poles made from tree saplings – an important export from the northern highlands to Mosul and Baghdad since ancient times, used in construction and for a wide range of purposes after the rafts had been dismantled.  \n  \nThe *kelek* differs from log rafts as its poles are supported on floats to increase buoyancy: traditionally these were made from inflated animal skins (more recent versions have been known to use tyre inner tubes). The poles and floats are tied together with cordage made from leather, goat-hair, or other materials sourced from further afield.  \n  \nSome *keleks* were used simply to transport the wooden poles that made up the raft; others carried additional heavy cargoes, including giant millstones and the raw stone used to build ancient Mesopotamian cities. *Keleks* from the northern highlands generally made only one downstream journey before being dismantled and used for their materials. *Keleks* were photographed on the Tigris in the early AH 14th / AD 20th century and were used by archaeologist A. H. Layard to transport statues from Nineveh downstream to Baghdad in the AH mid 13th / AD mid-19th century.  \n  \n*Keleks* are depicted on at least two Assyrian reliefs from the reign of Sennacherib (705-681 BC): in one scene the raft carries passengers and a fisherman, while another shows it carrying two large stone blocks. Both rafts are propelled by oarsmen seated at the front of the raft. One is guided by a swimmer on an animal skin float.  \n  \nThe *kelek* in the collection of the Open Museum for Water Culture is a reconstruction made in AH 1446/ AD 2024 by a craftsman from Sulaymaniyah, Iraqi Kurdistan.","type":"Watercraft","holder":"Open Museum Initiative for Water Cultures","owner":"Safina Projects CIC","initial_owner":"Safina Projects CIC","dates":"AH 1446/ AD 2024","location":"Basra","dimensions":"Length: 3m, height: 0.4m, width: 2.4m","method_for_datation":"Production was supervised by current owner.","method_for_provenance":"Production was supervised by current owner.","provenance":"Sulaymaniyah, Iraq","obtention":"Made in workshop organised by Safina Projects.","bibliography":"Agius, D. A.,*Classic Ships of Islam: from Mesopotamia to the Indian Ocean.*, Leiden: Brill, 2014.  \n  \nAl-Behadli, J., 'The Ark for Iraq Programme: the Experience of Safina Projects in the Study of Traditional Boats and their Revitalisation', *Al-Turath al-Sha’bi*, (2024), 325 \\[Published in Arabic\\].  \n  \nMcGrail, S., *Boats of the World: from the Stone Age to Medieval Times*, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001.  \n  \nRitter, H., 'Mesopotamische Studien', *Der Islam: Zeitschrift für Geschichte und Kultur des Islamischen Orients* (1919).","author":"Hannah Lewis, Rashad Salim","keywords":["boat","raft","Transport","Watercraft"],"materials":["carpentry, knotting.","Poplar wood, inflated goat skins, cordage"]},"507be032-d0a6-59ec-914d-6665a856598d":{"name":"Table","short_description":"This table bore witness to the signing of the so-called \"Treaty of Bardo\" the 12 May 1881 by Mohamed Sadok Bey and the General Bréart. This circular marble table has a diameter of around 120 cm and an ebony base, carved and embellished with gold leaf.","type":"Woodwork; furniture","holder":"Musée d’Histoire Moderne et Contemporaine de Kassar Saïd","dates":"19th century","location":"Le Bardo, Tunis","provenance":"Palais de Kassar Saïd","author":"Bechir Yazidi","translator":"Flaminia Baldwin","keywords":["Mohamed Sadok Bey","General Bréart","French protectorate in Tunisia"],"materials":["Wood, marble, gold leaf"]},"50c3aa93-d400-5d9f-824f-b394e33b63a6":{"name":"Beylical salon","short_description":"This beylical salon is furnished with carved wood from the beylik era, and consists of three large double-seater benches and four smaller benches with full armrests and topped with a pediment. The set is decorated with rectangular panels in the middle and square panels on the sides, all decorated with a mashrabiya. A wood carved table completes the set.","type":"Woodwork; furniture","holder":"Musée National du Bardo","dates":"19th century","location":"Le Bardo, Tunis","provenance":"Palais du Bardo","author":"Saloua Zangar","translator":"Flaminia Baldwin","keywords":["Palace","Husainid dynasty","carved wood","mashrabiya"],"materials":["Wood"]},"51c01d82-0b4a-5399-8607-c519021252c0":{"name":"Switchboard (*Telefon Santrali*)","short_description":"In 1840, the Ministry of Post made an announcement describing the postal service, declaring it necessary in order to facilitate communication among people. The first regulations about the postal organisation were taken from French Law in 1840. Ottoman Postal Code included 44 specific headlines. In 1855 the first telegraph service and in 1909 the first telephone service were put into common use as a demonstration of modern communication. In order to improve the technology of the telegraph systems, Ottoman authorities imported well-known machines with trademarks such as Siemens & Halske and Western Electric. As a result of this technological improvement, Ottoman officials decided to establish a telegraph factory. Between 1869 and 1915 this factory produced many devices and accessories.","type":"Electronic","holder":"Istanbul Postal Museum","dates":"1895","location":"Istanbul","provenance":"Istanbul","copy_editor":"Daniel de la Vega","keywords":["architecture","Vedat Tek","postal service","communication"],"materials":["Metal"]},"521d6cfc-68ec-53af-a60c-48b720b5bbf7":{"name":"Armchairs","short_description":"The armchairs are veneered with ivory, engraved with flowers and leaves as well as mythical beasts and birds. Featuring a central mirror framed with studded tortoiseshell above various openwork rails, the back embellished with metal jewel-like cartouches. The seat on flutes solid ivory front legs and swept forward back legs are supported by engraved gilt brass and gold peacocks with mechanical springs that make the wings flap when weight is applied to their backs. The association of peacocks with thrones, however, goes back to Shah Jahan's famous peacock throne, built in AD 1635.","type":"Wood","holder":"Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia","dates":"c. Hegira 1300 / c. AD 1900","location":"Kuala Lumpur","dimensions":"125 x  61 x 58cm","provenance":"India, Vizagapatam","obtention":"From a private collection in France","bibliography":"Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia, *IAMM Guide Book*, Kuala Lumpur: IAMM Publications, 2014: 37.","dynasty":"Mughal","materials":["carving, joining, revert and slotting, soldering, stone setting, engraving, weaving, repousse, chasing and bending","Wood, ivory, glass, textile, velvet, beads, tortoiseshell, brass, iron and ruby stones"]},"530f0310-0111-5a9b-bcd8-d43868876a42":{"name":"Panel with abstract decoration","short_description":"This carved panel comes from Egypt, where wood, on account of its rarity and cost, was decorated with care and used in contexts generally reserved for luxury materials. Although it is impossible to say how this wood panel was used originally, it is possible to assign it to the late 3rd/late 9th century on the basis of its distinctive decoration. Decorated in the bevelled style, the panel depicts highly stylised leaves that have been transformed into abstract motifs. As is typical of this style, it is impossible to distinguish between background and foreground or between natural and abstract forms. The bevelled style may have first been developed at Samarra, in northern Iraq, which replaced Baghdad as the Abbasid capital, from Hegira 221–279 / AD 836 to 892. This style was quickly adopted in other parts of the Islamic empire including Egypt, as exemplified by the decoration in the Mosque of Ibn Tulun, Cairo.","type":"Architectural Elements","holder":"Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA)","dates":"Hegira late 3rd century / AD late 9th century","location":"Los Angeles","dimensions":"64.2 x 20.3cm","method_for_datation":"It is datable on the basis of its distinctive decoration in the so-called bevelled style as in the mosque of Ibn Tulun and can likewise be ascribed to Egypt.","method_for_provenance":"The style of the panel relates to the architectural decoration of the mosque of Ibn Tulun in Cairo, completed in Hegira 265 / AD 879.","provenance":"Egypt","obtention":"Collection of Nasli M. Heeramaneck (1902-1971), New York, until 1973 (sold to); LACMA, The Nasli M. Heeramaneck collection, gift of Joan Palevsky.","bibliography":"Komaroff, Linda, *Islamic Art at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art*, Rev. ed., Los Angeles: Museum Associates, 2005: 14, fig. 9.  \nKomaroff, Linda, *Lo Terrenal y lo divino: Arte islámico siglos VII al XIX Colección del Museo de Arte del Condado de Los Angeles*, Santiago, Chile: Centro Cultural La Moneda, 2015: 35, 207.  \nKomaroff, Linda, *Beauty and Identity: Islamic Art from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art*, Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 2016: 87.  \nPal, Pratapaditya (ed), *Islamic Art: The Nasli M. Heeramaneck Collection*, Los Angeles: Museum Associates, 1973: 176.","dynasty":"Tulunid","author":"LACMA Staff","keywords":["Abbasids","Bevelled style","carving","Samarra","Tulunid","vegetal decoration","woodwork"],"materials":["Wood, carved"]},"53178417-31fa-543d-866e-9ede2d175694":{"name":"Door Panel","short_description":"Ivory inlays were frequently combined with wood in the production of furniture and architectural fittings in late medieval Egypt. This elaborate method of fabrication, which used costly ivory and rare woods like ebony, required that individual elements, often of minute size, be cut, carved with intricate motifs, and then carefully constructed like a mosaic to form a larger unit of generally geometric design. Accuracy in cutting and assembling was essential since every piece affects the whole. It is difficult to say exactly how the present door functioned, but most likely it was one of a pair, perhaps for a cupboard set into a wall of either a religious or a secular building.","type":"Architectural Elements","holder":"Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA)","dates":"Hegira second half of 7th century / AD second half of the 13th century","location":"Los Angeles","dimensions":"91.4 x 27.3 x 3.8cm","method_for_datation":"The ornamentation and technique suggest a date in the early Mamluk period.","method_for_provenance":"The materials, techniques and design relate this panel to Mamluk Egypt.","provenance":"Egypt","obtention":"Collection of Habib Anavian (1915-1995), New York, until June 1981 (sold to); Collection of Maan Z. Madina (1926-2013), New York, until 2002 (sold to); LACMA, The Madina Collection of Islamic Art, gift of Camilla Chandler Frost.","bibliography":"Komaroff, Linda, *Beauty and Identity: Islamic Art from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art*, Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 2016: 140-141.  \nKomaroff, Linda, *Lo Terrenal y lo Divino: Arte Islámico siglos VII al XIX Colección del Museo de Arte del Condado de Los Ángeles*, Santiago: Centro Cultural La Moneda, 2015: 112-113.  \nKomaroff, Linda, *Islamic Art at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art*, Los Angeles: Museum Associates, 2005: 40.  \nKomaroff, Linda, *Collecting Islamic Art at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art: A Curatorial Perspective*, Los Angeles: Art Catalogues; LACMA, 2017: 28-29.","dynasty":"Mamluk","author":"LACMA Staff","keywords":["architectural element","carved decoration","carving","Door","ebony","geometric design","inlay","ivory","Mamluk","marquetry","panel","wood"],"materials":["Wood, carved ivory, marquetry"]},"550798b2-2ff6-5c87-b3f5-df183a1a2b89":{"name":"Bridal cushions","description":"Bridal cushions from Ma’an, Jordan, traditionally prepared by a bride as part of her trousseau for her new home, are among the most distinctive examples of Jordanian domestic textiles. Their fabrics and techniques reflect connections with textile traditions from the Caucasus, Syria, Turkey, and Central Asia, shaped through centuries of travel, trade, pilgrimage, and cultural exchange. These influences reached Ma’an through its position as an important crossroads on regional routes, particularly as a key stop along the Hejaz Railway, built during the Ottoman period to facilitate travel between Damascus and the holy cities of Mecca and Medina. The background image is from the G. Eric and Edith Matson Photograph Collection at the Library of Congress, showing the Hejaz Railway, which connected communities across the Ottoman Empire and facilitated movement for travellers, pilgrims, and merchants between the Levant and the Hijaz.","type":"Furniture","holder":"Tiraz: Widad Kawar Home for Arab Dress","owner":"Tiraz","dates":"ca. 1935","location":"Amman","dimensions":"Height: 64-70 cm; width: 35-40 cm","place_of_production":"Ma'an, Jordan","provenance":"Purchased by the collector","author":"Laila Mushahwar","copy_editor":"Danielle Morcom","keywords":["ceremony","Furniture","marriage","textile","wedding"],"materials":["Cotton, silk"]},"55e346ff-6f0e-5e17-90fe-1d309d2d7056":{"name":"Painted chest","short_description":"The main façade of the chest is adorned with a composition of flowers, branches and fruits in curvilinear compartments, while the corners depict female figures flanked by columns. The interior of the lid shows a landscape with five male figures: a man with a European garment sitting on the ground observing another figure dressed in European clothes, two figures on horseback with Ottoman costumes and a European traveller. The panels in the style of rocailles that adorn both the main and the side views of the chest, the compositions of fruit and flowers and the soft colours refer to the prevailing influence of the rococo style that is dominant in the frescos of the mansions of Lesvos the late 18th century. Both the structure of the mansions and the decorative repertoire follow Ottoman aesthetic as these were by influenced by European art but blending baroque, rococo and neoclassical styles.","type":"Furniture","holder":"Benaki Museum","dates":"Late 18th century","location":"Athens","dimensions":"45 cm","author":"Xenia Politou","keywords":["furniture","rococo","baroque"],"materials":["Painted wood"]},"56669d0c-f1dc-5ef6-92fc-a676c2150aa7":{"name":"Wooden shelving unit","short_description":"This shelf belonged to a traditional house in the town of Ksar Hellal. It would been hung from a wall as decoration, holding vases and perfume sprinklers, as well as weapons. It is characterized by its floral patterns with birds, flowers and leaves painted in stylised colours on a pale green background, all surrounding a multicolour fish.","type":"Woodwork","holder":"Dar Ayed – Ksar Hellal","dates":"19th century","dimensions":"H. 148 cm, l. 197 cm","author":"Saloua Zangar","translator":"Flaminia Baldwin","keywords":["Woodwork","floral paintwork"],"materials":["Wood, paint, gold leaf"]},"571c2e73-e0f1-5b98-b748-e41a5e7ff2b7":{"name":"Door carved on wood","short_description":"This door from the interior of the museum of the Palais du Bardo is made of carved and studded oak, with two panels on either side. The frames are studded along their horizontal axis, and the panels are richly decorated with flower vase motifs.","type":"Woodwork","holder":"Musée National du Bardo","dates":"19th century","location":"Le Bardo, Tunis","provenance":"Palais du Bardo","author":"Saloua Zangar","translator":"Flaminia Baldwin","keywords":["Musée du Bardo","carved wood"],"materials":["Wood"]},"58752dc4-a710-5e08-bb58-f1e52b715cb4":{"name":"Axe","description":"The traditional hand-forged axe is a simple but highly functional implement which dates back to antiquity in Oman. It is used to shape, chop and split wood, with its steel head serving as a wedge to force wood fibres apart and its wooden handle acting as a lever to increase force at the cutting edge.","type":"Axe","holder":"National Museum of Oman","owner":"National Museum of Oman","dates":"Hegira 14th century / AD 20th century","location":"Muscat","dimensions":"Height: 6cm, length: 63.3cm, width: 18.5cm","place_of_production":"Oman","provenance":"Local acquisition","obtention":"Local acquisition.","dynasty":"al-Busaid","copy_editor":"Alvaro Miranda","materials":["Wood and iron"]},"58d8569e-9dce-5ab4-bed2-63c6b0b22bb0":{"name":"Cabinet on stand","description":"The Neo-Mudéjar style gave new light to different workshops and techniques. As a consequence of this revival woodwork technique for furniture, such as the inlay in Granada style, was recreated in different pieces of furniture such as this cabinet. The decoration of stars and interlacing arabesques at the front of the cabinet shows the influence of the Mudéjar art.","type":"Furniture","holder":"National Museum of Decorative Arts","dates":"Early 20th century","location":"Madrid","provenance":"Granada","author":"Ana Cabrera","copy_editor":"Anne Dowell","keywords":["Neo-mudejar style","Applied ArtsProduction of applied arts in Europe in the Islamic mode"],"materials":["Wood; marquetry decoration"]},"5bd0b400-e2a7-5040-8e6d-9c15256ea7f9":{"name":"Wooden panel.","description":"This long decorative panel, carved in low relief and with slightly damaged ends, consists of five well-balanced sections arranged symmetrically along a longitudinal axis. These sections and the panel sides are framed with grooved and cabled borders.  \nThe lower section is delimited with a lobed arcature containing an arch supported on floral capitals and twisted columns rendered in relief on a dense floral background. This consists of bouquets of palmettes and finely veined single and double palms on either side of ascending stems reminiscent of the tree of life theme.  \nThe second section is decorated with circular foliage bearing, at regular intervals, veined nodules, single veined calyx palms, double digitate palms and concave coil palms.  \nThe third section is decorated with geometric ornamentation: an octagonal braid in relief embellished with pearls crowns a composition of mixtilinear knotwork that radiates from an eight-pointed star. A longitudinal groove cuts across this strip.  \nThe fourth section is similar to the second. The fifth consists of grooved knotwork combining squares and four-lobed curvilinear stars. These polygonal figures created by the knotwork lines are filled at different levels with floral motifs that soften the geometric composition: veined symmetrical calyx palms inserted between two asymmetrical palms with intertwined stems and six-petal rosettes.  \nAll of these well ordered and finely executed decorative themes, inspired by flora, geometry and architecture, are found in different Almoravid buildings and objects.","short_description":"This long ornate panel, carved in low relief, is decorated with finely executed and hierarchically arranged plant, geometric and architectural motifs, as found in different Almoravid buildings and objects known today.","type":"Woodwork, panel, wood","holder":"Batha Museum.","dates":"Hegira 6th / AD 12th century.","location":"Fez.","dimensions":"Height 95 cm, length 18.5 cm.","method_for_datation":"Through comparative study. Several of the motifs chosen to decorate this piece and their relief, ornamental composition and abundance are also found in other dated Almoravid pieces, such as the *minbar* of the Great Mosque of Algiers, the decoration on the domes of the Qarawiyyin and the Marrakesh *qubba*. This enables us to date this panel to the Almoravid period and specifically to the reign of 'Ali ibn Yusuf (500–37 / 1106–42).","method_for_provenance":"Salvaged in Fez.","provenance":"Fez.","obtention":"Salvaged along with other ancient wooden pieces.","bibliography":"Cambazard-Amahan, C., *Le décor sur bois dans l'architecture de Fès*, Paris, 1989.  \nMarçais, G., “La chaire de la Grande Mosquée d'Alger”, *Hespéris*, 1921, Vol. I, fasc. 4, pp.359–86.  \nMarçais, G., *L'architecture musulmane d'Occident*, Paris, 1959.  \nMeunié, J. et Terrasse, H., *Nouvelles recherches archéologiques à Marrakech*, Paris, 1957.  \nTerrasse, H., *L'art hispano-mauresque des origines au XIIIe siècle*, Paris, 1932.  \n*Andalusian Morocco: A Discovery in Living Art*, p.104.","dynasty":"Almoravid","linkcatalogs":"IAM_MA_EN_001","author":"Naima El Khatib-Boujibar","copy_editor":"Margot Cortez","translator":"Laurence Nunny","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["architectural decoration","geometric decoration","vegetal decoration"],"materials":["Sculpted cedarwood."]},"5e718b75-a6e3-5eae-9b65-a96062887c90":{"name":"*Dlu*","alternate_name":"Traditional leather well bucket","description":"The *dlu* is a traditional leather bucket used in Moroccan oases to draw water from deep wells. Typically crafted from thick goat leather treated with natural oils, it was strong enough to withstand constant immersion while remaining flexible. Attached to a rope and pulley system, the *dlu* was lowered into wells to collect water, then hoisted up for domestic, agricultural, and animal use. Its design reflects both simplicity and efficiency, adapted to arid environments where groundwater was the primary source of survival. In Tafilalet, where *khettaras* and wells structured daily life, the *dlu* was indispensable to communities before mechanised pumps. It represents the resilience of rural craftsmanship and the crucial role of traditional tools in sustaining livelihoods in desert societies.","type":"Water-drawing vessel","holder":"Mohammed VI Museum of Water Civilisation","owner":"Mohammed VI Museum of Water Civilisation","initial_owner":"Rural communities of Tafilalet","dates":"AD 14th / AD 20th century","location":"Marrakech","dimensions":"42cm × 25cm","place_of_production":"Tafilalet","method_for_datation":"Based on typology and ethnographic evidence.","method_for_provenance":"Museum records and oral accounts.","obtention":"Museum acquisition (details not available).","bibliography":"El Faïz, M., *L’eau et les hommes au Maghreb*, Rabat: L’Harmattan, 2002.","workshop":"Rural leathercraft workshops, Tafilalet","author":"MUSEUM Staff, Layan Shahin","copy_editor":"Judy Harter","keywords":["dlu","leather","leathercraft","Tafilalet","water extraction","well bucket"],"materials":["Goat leather, stitched and waterproofed with natural oils","rope handle"]},"5eacbf30-4e9e-5c27-a757-04efcf633b45":{"name":"Wooden frieze.","description":"An almost complete frieze that would undoubtedly have come from a religious monument. Its surface is decorated with a flowery and twisted *kufic* inscription repeating the end of Qur'anic verse 73 of Sura 22 ('Pilgrimage'). The *kufic* characters are embellished with vegetal elements in the form of tri-lobed demi-fleurons and five-lobed fleurons that prolong the angle of the bevel.  \nThe text is carved on a plant background consisting of a dense floral composition with absolutely no empty spaces. This decorative element uses pinecones and palms carried by foliage or decorating the involutions: asymmetric smooth palms with calyxes and branches stretching into loops and veined double palms with acanthus leaves whose offshoot, which separates the veins into twos, assumes an oval shape reminiscent of a pinecone scale.  \nThis frieze, with its low-relief decoration covering the entire surface and where a taste for abundance and ornamental opulence has supplanted Almohad rigour and simplicity, well illustrates the aesthetic choices of Marinid art, which adopts some elements of Almoravid art.","short_description":"This incomplete frieze would almost certainly have come from a religious monument. It is decorated with a Qur'anic inscription in flowery, twisted *kufic* characters on an unbroken background of plant decoration in low relief, a good illustration of aesthetic choices in Marinid art.","type":"Woodwork, frieze, wood","holder":"Batha Museum.","dates":"Hegira 7th century / AD 13th century.","location":"Fez.","dimensions":"Height 21.6 cm, length 107 cm, depth 3.5 cm.","method_for_datation":"From stylistic analysis. The rendering of the letters and the floral forms, which can also be seen in the decoration of the Bab Mrissa gateway in Salé dating from the second half of the 7th / 13th century, as well as its decoration suggests the style of the beginning of the Marinid era.","method_for_provenance":"Information taken from the inventory register.","provenance":"Fez.","obtention":"Salvaged.","bibliography":"Cambazard-Amahan, C., *Le décor sur bois dans l'architecture de Fès*, Paris, 1989.  \nMarçais, G., *L'architecture musulmane d'Occident*, Paris, 1959.  \nTerrasse, H., *L'art hispano-mauresque des origines au XIIIe siècle*, Paris, 1932.","dynasty":"Marinid","linkcatalogs":"IAM_MA_EN_001","author":"Naima El Khatib-Boujibar","copy_editor":"Margot Cortez","translator":"Laurence Nunny","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["epigraphy","floral decoration","Religion","vegetal decoration"],"materials":["Raised and sculpted cedarwood."]},"63191935-a807-58a4-b11e-292c88a654f7":{"name":"Dawud Pasha’s living room","short_description":"This bedroom belonged to the first *mutasarrif* (ruler) of the Mount Lebanon *mutasarrifiyya*, Dawud Pasha, who governed from 1861–68). The room is furnished with four armchairs and one large sofa. The sofa has a high wooden back, covered with a mosaic of white, beige and brown ceramic and bone pieces, organised in floral and geometric patterns. The seat cushions are covered with navy and beige silk decorated with similar patterns. The sofa was reserved for guests, which Dawud Pasha would receive from his large armchair, a sign of power and authority. The room is lit by two glass lanterns painted with white and golden floral patterns, and a round copper table sits in the centre of the room.","type":"Furniture; woodwork","holder":"Lebanese Heritage Museum","dates":"1860s","location":"`Ayn Najm","provenance":"Turkey","author":"Marie Therese Moujabber","copy_editor":"Flaminia Baldwin","keywords":["Woodwork","Furniture","Floral decoration"],"materials":["Woodwork; bone, ceramic, silk"]},"64ac8dbf-8dd2-5b1c-a223-2129d475ce2e":{"name":"Case for the crown of Stefan Bocskai","short_description":"This decagonal domed case is made of wood and covered with fabric. The clasp at the front and the hinges at the back are silver-gilt. The fabric of the cover is costly Persian silk and is decorated with a figural scene surrounded by flowers. Half sitting, half reclining, a lady is reading a book. Beside her kneels a servant with a wide, sweeping *turban*, offering her a bowl with his right hand and holding a bottle in his left. Between the two figures lies a bowl containing fruit. In the lady's open book can be read the signature of the artist Mu'min, in Arabic script. On the inside of the case, the fabric retains all the freshness of its original colours, and is typical of the refined taste of the court of Shah 'Abbas the Great (AD 1587–1628) at Isfahan. Technically, it can be described as a double-woven lampas of coloured silk. Glued to the floor of the case is an Italian fabric from the early 17th century. Its ground is warp satin in red silk; the pattern, which takes the form of pinnate leaves and blossoms, is yellow silk woven in twill and intervowen with silver.","type":"Textile; case","holder":"Kunsthistorisches Museum","dates":"Hegira c. 1014 / AD c. 1605","location":"Vienna","provenance":"Iran? Turkey?","dynasty":"Ottoman; fabric: Safavid","keywords":["court life","figurative decoration","floral decoration","Italian textiles","lampas","Mu´min","Safawid","satin","Shah `Abbas the Great","textile","women","woodwork"],"materials":["Textile, wood, silk, silver, gilt"]},"64ec1971-c448-5f70-9a89-e93744796b79":{"name":"Screen.","description":"The screen consists of three wooden hinged panels filled with latticework. Each panel is structured in square and rectangular sections of different sizes that show a diversity of geometric designs. Vertical, horizontal and diagonal bars linked by balls with flattened surfaces form the small and large squares, hexagons and abstract flower-like motifs of the latticework. The combination of all these elements in varying density creates the vivid impression of the surfaces. In addition, small hinged apertures and a bay window are integrated in the pattern of the two external panels and the middle panel.","short_description":"Screen consisting of three panels filled with latticework. Each panel is structured in square and rectangular sections. They show geometric designs formed of vertical, horizontal and diagonal bars. Small hinged apertures and a bay window are also integrated in the pattern.","type":"Woodwork, architectural decoration","holder":"Museum of Mediterranean and Near Eastern Antiquities (Medelhavsmuseet).","dates":"Hegira 11th–13th centuries / AD 17th–19th centuries.","location":"Stockholm","dimensions":"Height 183, width 62.5 cm, 77 cm, 66 cm.","method_for_datation":"Screens with the same technique and similar designs are housed in the Louvre Museum, Paris, for which an Egyptian provenance from palaces and houses dating from the 11th–13th / 17th–19th centuries is proved.","method_for_provenance":"Screens with the same technique and similar designs are housed in the Louvre Museum, Paris, for which an Egyptian provenance from palaces and houses dating from the 11th–13th / 17th–19th centuries is proved.","provenance":"Egypt","obtention":"There is no information about acquisition.","bibliography":"Anglade, E., *Catalogue des Boiseries de la Section Islamique*, Paris, 1988.  \nBrisch, K. (ed.), *Islamische Kunst: Loseblattkatalog unpublizierter Werke aus deutschen Museen*, 2, Mainz, 1985, cat. no. 385.  \nLane-Pool, S., *The Art of the Saracens in Egypt*, London, 1886.","dynasty":"Ottoman / Muhammad Ali period","linkcatalogs":"IAM_TR_EN_001","author":"Friederike Voigt","copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["geometric design","Screen","woodwork"],"materials":["latticework.","Wood"]},"65a53b99-07d5-5553-b2ed-33b6de70f6c6":{"name":"Covered Vessel with Relief Design of Arabic Inscription in *Kufic* Script","short_description":"A circular steatite vessel with a thin, flat lid with a vertical, eared wing handle that has a mushroom-shaped cut-out in the center. Around the exterior of the lid is a band of cross-hatching, and another band of the same width crossing the diameter of the lid. This band is also cross-hatched on one half, up to where it intersects with the handle, then becomes \"transparent,\" filled only with the raised relief inscription beneath that covers the remaining surface of the lid.  \nThe vessel has straight sides with an upper and lower border of cross-hatching, enclosing a relief band of inscription. The stone is carved to form an Arabic inscription in relief, in an angular script style known as *Kufic*. The tops of the taller letters end in leaves and flowers, a popular calligraphic device in the 10th century. On opposing sides of the vessel are bar-like handles with deep gouges on their outer edges. The area where each handle attaches to the vessel is bordered by cross-hatching.","type":"Stone and Mineral","holder":"Saint Louis Art Museum","dates":"Hegira Late 2nd to late 4th / AD 10th century","location":"Saint Louis","dimensions":"Height with cover: 14.9cm; Diameter of cover: 21.9cm; Height of vessel without cover: 10.2cm; Diameter of mouth: 22.2cm; Width across handles: 24.8cm; Diameter of base: 22.2cm","method_for_datation":"The stone is carved to form an Arabic inscription in relief, in an angular style known as *kufic*. The tops of the taller letters end in leaves and flowers, a popular calligraphic device in the 10th century.","method_for_provenance":"Steatite vessels such as this one were used for cooking in the 9th–10th centuries in the northeastern Iranian city of Nishapur. Many small steatite objects have been excavated, but this is the largest complete vessel known.","provenance":"Nishapur, Khorasan, Iran, Asia","obtention":"Museum Purchase, 1949","dynasty":"Seljuq","keywords":["Asia","bowl","Covered","Iran","Khorasan","Mineral","Nishapur","Persian","steatite","stone"],"materials":["Steatite"]},"66b6c62d-5658-5fa6-8f5b-88e0825b6ea8":{"name":"Bureau cabinet for the display of porcelain","description":"A tripartite-body bureau cabinet with varied veneering, it has a chest of drawers at the bottom with three wavy fronted drawers; a bureau with a fall-front in the middle, and a glazed top section with doors that shut onto an interior lined in green silk, with shaped, carved, gilded shelves and consoles to display porcelain.  \nWhile the design for this type of furniture is typical of Venetian production, its purpose reflects contemporary European enthusiasm for the Far East and its art, especially porcelain and lacquer. Although lacquer and porcelain objects were imported into Europe, craftsmen there attempted to master the techniques of lacquer production, and the first European porcelain factories were opened around this time. The popularity of these wares resulted in special porcelain and lacquer display halls in mansions and palaces and the use of bureau cabinets such as this one.","short_description":"A tripartite-body bureau cabinet with varied veneering, the top section consists of a carved gilded structure with consoles for displaying porcelain closed by a double glazed door. The bureau’s purpose reflects contemporary European enthusiasm for the Far East and its art, especially porcelain and lacquer, which resulted in special porcelain and lacquer display halls in mansions and palaces and the use of bureau cabinets such as this one.","type":"Furniture","holder":"Museum of Arts and Crafts","dates":"Second quarter of the 18th century","location":"Zagreb, North-West Croatia","dimensions":"H: 272 cm; w: 180 cm; d: 76 cm","place_of_production":"Venice","method_for_datation":"Comparison with similar furniture types and morphology (see bibliography below).","obtention":"Originally used in Opatija, the bureau was bought from a private collector in Zagreb in 1959.","bibliography":"*Muzej za umjetnost i obrt, 1880–1970.* *Katalog izabranih djela* (Museum of Arts and Crafts, 1880–1970: catalogue of selected works), Zagreb, 1970, p. 309.  \nMorazzoni, G., *Il mobile veneziano del' 700*, Milan-Rome-Florence, 1927, CLXXXII–CLXXXIII.","author":"Vanja Brdar Mustapić","translator":"Nikolina Jovanović","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["domestic vessels","exoticism","furnishing","gilding","glass","porcelain halls","wood carving"],"materials":["Walnut veneer, carved and gilded wood, brass knob and mounts, glass"]},"67c03df2-c806-5779-b549-c93b16f6fdb8":{"name":"Box","short_description":"From the fifteenth century onward, lacquer objects—including bookbindings, pen cases and boxes such as this one—gained popularity in Iran, peaking in the nineteenth century. Constructed of papier-mâché and sometimes wood, lacquer objects were decorated with small-scale paintings of popular motifs like floral patterns, birds, and royal scenes before a varnish was applied that protected the painting and added a pleasing amber glow. This box is decorated with beautifully painted animal scenes that hark back to earlier Persian manuscript illustrations and the lid depicts Sagittarius, the centaur archer, aiming a bow at his tail, which ends in a dragon head, a long-established image in Iran.","type":"Furnishings","holder":"Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA)","dates":"Hegira 13th century / AD 19th century","location":"Los Angeles","dimensions":"22.8 x 37.2 x 25cm","method_for_datation":"The lacquer medium and the style of painted decoration suggests this box was made in nineteenth-century Iran.","method_for_provenance":"Lacquer was a particularly popular and established medium in Qajar Iran and the painted decoration relates to an earlier tradition of Persian manuscript illustration.","provenance":"Iran","obtention":"Collection of Nasli M. Heeramaneck (1902-1971), New York, until 1973 (sold to); LACMA, The Nasli M. Heeramaneck collection, gift of Joan Palevsky.","bibliography":"Komaroff, Linda, *Lo Terrenal y lo Divino: Arte Islámico siglos VII al XIX Colección del Museo de Arte del Condado de Los Ángeles*, Santiago: Centro Cultural La Moneda, 2015: 201.  \nPal, Pratapaditya (ed), *Islamic Art: The Nasli M. Heeramaneck Collection*, Los Angeles: Museum Associates, 1973: 180, cat. no. 367.","dynasty":"Qajar Iran","author":"LACMA Staff","keywords":["animal decoration","Archer","centaur","dragon","Iran","lacquerwork","Qajar","wood"],"materials":["Wood, papièr maché, and lacquer"]},"685a2ad1-af1f-51a1-a4f2-d4dc7fc2a7f0":{"name":"Wooden Sideboard with Mother of Pearl Inlay","short_description":"This tall, intricately carved sideboard consists of two parts, the mirror section with intricately carved openwork and mashrabiya ornamentation enhanced with mother-of-pearl inlay, and the narrow table section decorated with similar elements and with its four front legs supporting an elaborate system of lobed arches. the sideboard is further enhanced by religious inscriptions, some of which seem to suggest a Christian context. Sideboards and other European-style furniture were unknown in the Middle East until the second half of the12th/ 18th century. By the 13th/ 19th century, the urban elites in Ottoman cities enthusiastically imported domestic furniture from Italy, France and England or bought locally-made hybrid pieces that combined European and traditional Islamic elements like the item shown here. Many European entrepreneurs like the Italian Furino Brothers, based in Cairo, set up shop in Ottoman cities and specialised in this so-called Arabesque style, especially fashionable for furniture.","type":"Furniture","holder":"Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilisation / Sharjah Museums Department","dates":"Hegira late 13th – early 14th century / AD late 19th – early 20th century","location":"Sharjah","dimensions":"Height 2485 mm, width 1100 mm, depth 415 mm","provenance":"Syria or Egypt","author":"Ulrike Al-Khamis","keywords":["Furino Brothers"],"materials":["Carved wood inlaid with mother-of-pearl"]},"68860d9a-5a4b-577c-8584-cef6ff62671a":{"name":"Pair of clogs","alternate_name":"ar. *qabqâb* or tr. *nalın*","description":"The high heeled clogs (ar. *qabqab*, tr. *nalın* are an emblematic item of the hamam reflecting the atmosphere of such public baths. They were worn when entering the bath complex to protect the wearer from the dirty water as well as from the hot marble floor. Wearing these shoes meant that the wearer was obliged to walk slowly to avoid falling. This slower pace was in tune with the temporality dictated by the rhythms of the hamam and its cleansing rituals.  \n  \nThis pair of clogs is attributed to Syria. They are made of wood inlaid with silver and multi-coloured triangular pieces of mother-of-pearl. The front and rear parts of the sole are incrusted with repoussé silver bands decorated with floral motifs encircled with two dotted lines. They are embellished with long silver chains ending in trinkets which must have created a gentle tinkling with each step highlighting the sound dimension of the hamam.  \n  \nThe strap holding the foot is made of various layers of leather for comfort. It is topped with a large silver band intricately designed and solidly nailed to the sole.  \n  \nThis pair of clogs is particularly high, suggesting that it might have been the property of the hamam owner who traditionally wore sophisticated clogs with heels higher than those of the clients. Often offered as part of the dowry of the bride in a toiletry trousseau providing her with all the hamam essentials, the clogs were a statement on the social status of their owner and could also bear many symbolic meanings through their decoration.  \n  \nAlthough strongly associated with femininity, hamam clogs, with lower heels and different ornamentation, were also worn by men in their own establishments.","type":"Shoes","holder":"Institute of the Arab World","dates":"AH c. 1267 / AD c. 1850","location":"Paris","dimensions":"Height: 35cm, length: 23cm","provenance":"Syria","obtention":"Purchased in a specialised gallery, Paris.","bibliography":"Bașkan, A., ‘A Research on the Temporal Transformation of Objects in Turkish Bath Culture’, in","dynasty":"Ottomans","author":"Dounia Handis","keywords":["clogs","hammam, ablutions","nalın","Ottomans","qabqab","water"],"materials":["Wood with silver and mother-of-pearl overlay"]},"690dbb87-8510-5df7-8b14-e1bf920ecdbc":{"name":"Turkish council seats","short_description":"Seats such as these were used to furnish Ottoman councils. They are made of thin mattresses (c. 5cm thick) covered in thick, dark coloured fabric, usually in navy, burgundy or beige.","type":"Furniture","holder":"Lebanese Heritage Museum","dates":"19th century","location":"`Ayn Najm","provenance":"Turkey","author":"Marie Therese Moujabber","copy_editor":"Flaminia Baldwin","keywords":["Furniture"]},"6af5bf51-a5aa-558d-8578-3ac815792a90":{"name":"*Zaima* reed boat","description":"The *zaima* is a small reed canoe from the Marshlands of southern Iraq, made of reed bundles of narrow diameter sewn together to form a flat base and sides. Its internal bracing may be made from flexible stems such as cane, palm frond, date bunch stalk (forming the prow), or small branches of trees such as willow, acacia or *gherib*, and it is waterproofed with an outer coating of bitumen. Evidence of these boats' existence in recent decades is sparse, but reports from earlier centuries suggest they were once much more common. Travellers to Mesopotamia in the AH 12th / AD 18th and AH 13th / AD 19th centuries reported that the Marshes were full of canoes made from reeds and cane, tarred on the outside.  \n  \nDuring the AH 14th / AD 20th century, especially in the 1970s when the extent of the Marshes and the density of boat traffic reached a peak, the majority of canoes (*meshoufs*) were made of planked wood joined with nails. Images and accounts of reed or cane canoes in this period are exceptional. The only known photographs identified as a *zaima* were taken by the British explorer Wilfred Thesiger in the AH 1370s / AD 1950s. Rashad Salim, during his fieldwork in AH 1438-1441/ AD 2016-19, gathered a handful of oral accounts of reed and cane boats, some known as *zaimas* and some with other names. These were among the simplest and cheapest types of boat made locally by Marsh dwellers.  \n  \nThe boatbuilding community of Huwair, where Safina Projects’ Meshouf-building workshops were held, had no direct experience of constructing *zaimas*, but they agreed to attempt to reconstruct reed and cane canoes, drawing on their familiarity with these widely available local materials (also used in vernacular architecture). They also applied knowledge Rashad Salim had collected in the form of oral history interviews – recorded in both Huwair and Amara – and the photographs and writings of Thesiger. The *zaimas* in the collection of the Open Museum are the result of these experimental workshops.","type":"Boat","holder":"Open Museum Initiative for Water Cultures","owner":"Safina Projects CIC","initial_owner":"Safina Projects CIC","dates":"AH 1441/ AD 2019","location":"Basra","dimensions":"Length: 3m, height: 0,35m, width: 0,7m","method_for_datation":"Production was supervised by current owner.","method_for_provenance":"Production was supervised by current owner.","provenance":"Huwair, Basra Governorate, Iraq","obtention":"Made in workshop organised by Safina Projects.","bibliography":"Al-Behadli, J., 'The Ark for Iraq Programme: the Experience of Safina Projects in the Study of Traditional Boats and their Revitalisation', *Al-Turath al-Sha’bi*, (2024), 325 \\[Published in Arabic\\]  \n  \nMcGrail, S., *Boats of the World: from the Stone Age to Medieval Times*, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001.  \n  \nThesiger, W., *The Marsh Arabs*, London: Penguin, 1964.","workshop":"Huwair Traditional Boat Workshop","author":"Hannah Lewis, Rashad Salim","keywords":["basketry","boat","Transport","Watercraft"],"materials":["basketry, bracing, tarring","Reeds, wood"]},"6b26c1cf-dd38-5093-abf7-2f93ccfd4db3":{"name":"Chair","short_description":"This carved wood chair has narrow, curved arms and an elaborate back support. It is extensively inalid with small pieces of ivory, ebony, and other woods. The pieces are predominantly of triangular shape, and have been inset in bands of interlocking hexagons and hexagrams on the exterior surfaces of the chair. The raised seat is upholstered in a William Morris-like print whereby rows of tri-tipped peach floral sprays alternate with white lily sprays, all on a yellow ground.","type":"Islamic, Indian & Southeast Asian works of art; Woodwork; furniture","holder":"Shangri La, Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art","dates":"Hegira early 13th century / AD early 19th century","location":"Honolulu, Hawai'i","dimensions":"Overall: 117.8 x 61.6 x 66.7 cm","provenance":"Iran","dynasty":"Qajar","keywords":["brass","ebony","furnishing","geometric motifs","inlay","Iran","ivory","khatamkari","Qajar","textile","William Morris","wood"],"materials":["inlaid with wood, ivory, brass, ebony (khatamkari technique)","Wood"]},"6b6b4b3d-5bf3-5fad-ab1e-65d67c460f9d":{"name":"Dining room set with bench","description":"Displayed in the reception room of Yusuf Al-Sabai's former residence, now part of the FBQ Museum, is a striking dining set comprising a table, chairs, and a bench crafted in the Islamic arabesque style. Renowned for its intricate inlay craftsmanship, this set incorporates mother-of-pearl, ivory, and wood, utilising even the smallest wood chips and other available materials. This approach not only enhances aesthetic appeal but also minimises waste and encourages sustainable practices.  \nThe set features intricate geometric patterns and architectural elements such as arches and squinches influenced by the Coptic art of Egypt. This piece embodies the essence of Islamic decoration, characterised by unity and meticulous craftsmanship. Its rich ornamentation reflects the concept of *horror vacui* (fear of emptiness), and is evidence of the artist’s desire to fill any available space with intricate details.","type":"Furniture","holder":"Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim Al Thani Museum","owner":"His Excellency Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim Al Thani","dates":"Hegira first hald of 13th century / AD early 20th century  (Yusuf Al-Sabai's former residence: AH c. 1232/1398 / AD 1917–1978)","location":"Doha, Qatar","dimensions":"Height: 157cm, length: 183cm, width: 60cm","place_of_production":"Egypt","method_for_datation":"The date and origin were established in research-based comparison from an examination of material, techniques, style, inscription, analogies and the provenance or historical background of the items.","method_for_provenance":"The date and origin were established in research-based comparison from an examination of material, techniques, style, inscription, analogies and the historical background of the items.","provenance":"Egypt","obtention":"Purchased","author":"Mahmoud Saber","copy_editor":"Judy Harter","keywords":["furniture, wood, mother-of-pearl, Yusuf Al-Sabai, Egypt"],"materials":["mother-of-pearl, ivory, carving, inlay","Wood"]},"6be8c6ea-dc17-5a88-b3da-1b18dceccd50":{"name":"*Namban* Folding Screen (*Namban Byobu*)","description":"The *Namban Byobu*, of which there are more than 70 extant, are some of the most impressive visual testimonies to the way Japanese painters perceived the first Europeans to arrive in Japan. The arrival of the Portuguese in 1543 and their expulsion almost a century later in 1639, gave rise to the so called *Namban Bijutsu* artwork, a result of the meeting of the Japanese and European cultures.  \nA pair of six-fold painted screens, they both follow the most current theme of the *Namban Byobu*, depicting the arrival of the Portuguese in Japan. On the left, the screen depicts a great ship from Macao, or *kurofune* (“the black ship”), and on the right a procession, or *Namban Gyoretsu*, passing a Japanese street observed by curious inhabitants. Waiting for them are the Jesuits, whose church is built in the Japanese style with interior rooms that largely follow local models, such as the use of *tatami* to cover the floor or of *shoji* to divide the inner space. The daily life of the Jesuit mission is depicted in these *byobu* (*biombo* in Portuguese). The works convey their approach to “accommodation”, according to which special attention was paid to the European priests' and brothers' integration into Japanese society.  \nThe procession is composed of a Captain-Major, standing underneath a state parasol surrounded by other officers, as well as sailors, African slaves, Indians and Malays. The ornaments worn by the aristocrats and rich merchants are visible and notable: gold chains, crucifixes and daggers. While the majority of the characters wear *bombacha* – large baggy trousers used in the East to protect them from mosquitoes, their doublets have buttons, which were unknown to the Japanese, who called them *botan* from the Portuguese *botão.* This in itself is an interesting example of linguistic appropriation as a result of newly acquired cultural habits.  \nThese exotic objects, of which much care was taken, included Chinese folding-chairs, lacquered boxes, porcelain, bundles and bales of silk, Persian horses and caged animals. Their different places of origin were the result of Portuguese trade. By the 16th and 17th centuries Portugal had established trade routes along the coastline of the Indian Ocean, the Southern Seas and the China Sea. Some of the traders were born in Asia and many of them were the result of the progressive hybridism that characterised the lives of the Europeans in Asia during the period.","short_description":"In around 1543, the Portuguese (or *Namban-jin*) arrived in Japan, and so began a period of rich cultural exchange. Similar to several other *Namban* objects, this pair of folding screens – made by artists from Nippon – is a unique visual document that relates to the Portuguese presence in Japan.","type":"Furnishing that can be included in the *Shoheiga* category, meaning a large painted architectural surface, including folding screens. In this case, it is more specifically *Byobu*, meaning a painted folding screen.","holder":"National Museum of Ancient Art","owner":"Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga","initial_owner":"Tadao Takamisawa, António da Costa Carneiro, Portuguese ambassador in Japan","dates":"c.1593–1600","location":"Lisbon, Lisbon","dimensions":"H: 172.8 cm; l: 380.8 cm; depth 2 cm","place_of_production":"Japan","method_for_datation":"Tadao Takamisawa attributed the paintings to Kano Domi based on stylistic grounds, and thematic and pictorial parallels with other folding screens and works executed by the Kano school of painting, including Kano Naizen's *Namban Byobu*, also in the Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga.","obtention":"Acquired in the 1930s by Tadao Takamisawa from a *daimyo*'s (Great Lord) castle near Osaka, and later purchased by the Portuguese ambassador –António da Costa Carneiro – in Tokyo. Having belonged to the Ministry of Finance since 1952 it has been on permanent loan to the Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga in Lisbon ever since.","bibliography":"Okamoto, Y., *The Namban Art of Japan*. New York–Tokyo, 1972.  \nSakamoto, M., “Namban Byobu (Southern Barbarian Screens)”, *Nihon no bijustsu*, No. 135, Tokyo, 1977.  \n*Arte Namban*, Lisbon, 1981.  \nPinto, M., Mendes, H., *Biombos Namban*, Lisbon, 1988.  \n*Arte Namban. Os Portugueses no Japão*, Lisbon, 1990.","workshop":"Kano School (Kanoha)","dynasty":"Azuchi-Momoyama period","copyright":"Copyright images: Divisão de Documentação Fotográfica/ Instituto dos Museus e da Conservação,I.P.","author":"Alexandra Curvelo","translator":"Alexandra Curvelo","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Byobu","folding-screen","furnishing","genre painting","Kano","Namban","Shoheiga"],"materials":["Colour (tempera) on paper and gold leaf on silk","lacquered frame and metal"]},"6ce9b353-6fa5-545f-8dcd-8780df1109a4":{"name":"Weed cutter (*mahassha*)","description":"This scythe-like agricultural hand tool is traditionally used for cutting weeds in cultivated fields. It also finds use as a reaping tool for crops and animal fodder. The hand-forged steel blade of the cutter is angled for maximum efficiency and attached to a handle made of fig, jujube or lime wood.","type":"Weed cutter (*mahassha*)","holder":"National Museum of Oman","owner":"National Museum of Oman","dates":"Hegira 14th century / AD 20th century","location":"Muscat","dimensions":"Height: 7cm, length: 36cm, width: 9cm","place_of_production":"Oman","provenance":"Local acquisition","obtention":"Local acquisition.","dynasty":"al-Busaid","copy_editor":"Alvaro Miranda","materials":["Wood and iron"]},"6d56bfde-b2d7-5b3d-b418-0b9d3e98d0e8":{"name":"Qur’an Cabinet","short_description":"This Qur’an cabinet from Istanbul would embellish rooms in private homes, mosques, *madrasas* (Islamic education centres), and mausoleums. Crafted in the Ottoman style, the box stands on four legs, mother-of-pearl inlaying, geometric patterns and calligraphy.  \n  \nThis rare type of Qur’an cabinet (called *sunduq* or *kursi*) attracts with an unusual form several compartments for religious items and scripts, and the dome-shaped cover. The calligraphy in *Diwani* style reads *Al Fatiha* (the opening chapter of the Qur’an) and *Al Zalzalah* (the 99th chapter).  \n  \nIn the 19th century, the mother-of-pearl style called Damascene became increasingly popular in Ottoman Turkey. Artisans arranged precious materials including mother-of-pearl, tortoiseshell, metals and ivory into interlocking asterisks, octagons and hexagons.","type":"Religious relics","holder":"FBQ Museum","owner":"Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim Al Thani","dates":"20th century","location":"Shahaniya","dimensions":"Length: 163cm, Width: 52cm, Height: 52cm","place_of_production":"Turkey, Istanbul","method_for_datation":"The date and origin were established in research-based comparison from an examination of material, calligraphy and style.","method_for_provenance":"The date and origin were established in research-based comparison from an examination of material, calligraphy and style.","provenance":"Turkey","obtention":"Purchase","bibliography":"Hattap, E. S., \"Geometric Patterns and the Art of Kundekari in Traditional Turkish Woodworking\", *Digital Wood Design*, (2019): 463–478.  \nJames, D., *Qur’ans of the Mamluks*, London: Thames and Hudson, 1988.","dynasty":"Ottoman","author":"Sarah Schroeder","copy_editor":"Janice Medina","keywords":["Istanbul","Ottoman","Quran Box","Quran Cabinet","Turkey"],"materials":["Inlaying","Wood, mother of Pearl"]},"6da7c160-94fa-5f96-a7c1-9c73200419b5":{"name":"Mihrab.","description":"A wooden *mihrab* with a rectangular section in the centre that is a curved niche. The facade of the *mihrab* is rectangular in form and at the centre it has a rectangular opening, crowned by a pointed arch. The facade is decorated with assembled hexagonal panels, which flank other panels, in the form of six-pointed stars. This design is considered to be the starting point for the use of the decorative component known as 'the star-shaped medallion', which became one of the most important decorative components in wooden objects during the Mamluk period. This *mihrab* is the earliest dated piece on which this decorative component appears. At the top of the facade, are two lines of inscription in floriated *kufic* script that reads: 'One of the things commissioned by the honourable, protected, and great personage, al-Amiriyya, whose service was undertaken by al-Qadi Abu al-Hasan Maknun and who is served now, by al-Amir al-Sadid 'Afif al-Dawla Abu al-Hasan Yumn al-Fa'izi al-Salihi, intended for the shrine of al-Sayyida Ruqayya, the daughter of the Commander of the Faithful, 'Ali'. From the inscription, it is understood that this *mihrab* was made by order of al-Sayyida 'Ulam al-Amiriyya (d. AH 535 / AD 1140), the wife of the caliph, al-Amir bi-Ahkam Allah (r. 495–524 / AD 1101–30), for the tomb of Sayyida Ruqayya. The tomb was built in AH 527 / AD 1133, probably in Cairo. Qur'anic texts written in floriated *kufic* script, from 'al-Baqara' (2: 247), surround the rectangular facade of the *mihrab* and its niche.  \nBoth sides of the *mihrab,* and the back, are decorated with panels carved with vegetal stems that emerge from vases, and three- and five-lobed vine leaves which surround large clusters of grapes. These decorations indicate the apex of beauty attained in the art of vegetal decoration at the end of the Fatimid period.","short_description":"Patronage of religious institutions and providing them with furniture were not confined to men. Many women shared in this practice. This *mihrab* was commissioned by the Caliph's wife for the shrine of Sayyida Ruqayya, the daughter of the Fourth Righteous Caliph, 'Ali ibn Abi Talib.","type":"Woodwork, mihrab, wood","holder":"Museum of Islamic Art","initial_owner":"‘Ulam al-Amiriyya, wife of the caliph, al-Amir bi-Ahkam Allah.","dates":"Hegira 6th century / AD 12th century.","location":"Cairo","dimensions":"Height 210 cm, width 111 cm, depth 45 cm.","method_for_datation":"The *mihrab* was dated based on the inscription present in the higher reaches of its façade which state clearly that the *mihrab* was built for the tomb of Sayyida Ruqayya in 527 / 1133","method_for_provenance":"The inscription on the *mihrab* states that it was made for the tomb of Sayyida Ruqayya, the patron, who was the wife of the Fatimid Caliph who ruled in Cairo; it is very likely, therefore, that it was commissioned and made in Cairo.","provenance":"Egypt.","obtention":"In 1297 / 1880, the Egyptian government began to collect together artefacts from the country's mosques and historic buildings and preserve them in al-Hakim Mosque. These later became the basis of the collection at the Museum of Islamic Art in Cairo. This *mihrab*, which was transferred from the Sayyida Ruqayya Shrine, is considered to be one of the most important of these early acquisitions.","bibliography":"Dimmand, M. S., *Al-Funun al-Islamiya \\[Islamic Arts\\], (trans.* A. Issa)*,* Cairo, 1958.  \nFikri, A., *Masajid al-Qahira wa Madarisuha \\[Mosques and Madrasas of Cairo\\],* Vol. I, Cairo, 1958.  \nHamdi, A., *et al, Katalog Ma'rid al-fan al-islāmi fi misr \\[Catalogue of the Islamic Art Exhibition in Egypt\\],* Cairo, 1969.  \nHassan, Z. M., *Funun al-Islam \\[Arts of Islam\\],* Cairo, 1948.  \nPauty, E., *Bois sculptés d'églises coptes (époque fatimide*), Cairo, 1930.","dynasty":"Fatimid","author":"Al-Sayyed Muhammad Khalifa Hammad","copy_editor":"Majd Musa","translator":"Amal Sachedina (from the Arabic).","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["floriated kufic script","high relief","mihrab","Mosque interior decoration","panel","patronage","religious objects","six-pointed star","star-shaped","vegetal decoration","wood"],"materials":["Assembled wood","decorated in high relief and pierced."]},"6de30ff8-0fff-5ed3-8984-48abb285b414":{"name":"Double door.","description":"Wooden doors, decorated with a braided pattern of stars, were common in Rum-Seljuq mosques, because such complex geometric forms, carved and designed by exceptionally talented wood craftsmen, were much loved. This double door’s decoration is rendered very impressive by the large central panels featuring a geometric design within which individual areas are decorated with arabesque tendrils consisting of individual floral motifs. The geometric design is based on a repeated pattern of small pentagons and hexagons, diamonds and triangles. It is not composed in the usual manner of placing single panels adjacently one after another; instead it consists of a single continuous pattern covering the panel’s entire surface. The wide frieze framing the panels on all sides is decorated with overlapping arabesque tendrils.  \nInscriptions written over a blue background in the upper part of the doors cite Sura 9 verse 18 from the Qur’an: ‘None should come to the mosque of God except those who believe in God and in the Judgement Day’. This inscription was once continued on the door of a neighbouring room to the south. This latter door can also be seen in the Museum of Islamic Art, Berlin. It declares ‘and prayer is said and the poor tax is paid’. Thus, the most important duties of a follower of the Islamic faith were mentioned: confession of faith, prayer and almsgiving. Unlike the double doors that belonged in the front hall and that are decorated over the lower part with plant motifs, these doors are completely covered with decorative geometric patterns. The door from the front hall can be seen today in the Museum in Konya (inventory no. 330).","short_description":"The inscription from the Qur’an (IX: 18) – ‘None should come to the mosque of God except those who believe in God and in the Judgement Day’ – is appropriate for this wooden door that once led into the Bey Hakim Mosque in Konya, Turkey. The geometric and arabesque patterns are typical of Seljuq art.","type":"Carved woodwork","holder":"Museum of Islamic Art at the Pergamon Museum","dates":"Hegira 7th century / AD 13th century.","location":"Berlin","dimensions":"Height 182 cm, width 116 cm.","method_for_datation":"This double door comes from the Bey Hakim mosque in Konya, dated to the mid 7th / 13th century. Stylistic comparison further demonstrates that this double door comes from this period.","method_for_provenance":"V. Enderlein (see Bibliography) established that this double door comes from the Bey Hakim mosque in Konya. He made this discovery from the inscriptions on both doors, which form a complete text.","provenance":"Bey Hakim Mosque, Konya, Turkey.","obtention":"Bought from a private owner in 1913.","bibliography":"Enderlein, V., “Der Mihrab der Bey Hakim Mosche in Konya: Ein Denkmal und Seine Geschichte”, in *Forschungen und Berichte* 17, 1976, pp.33–40, plate 2.  \nLöytved, J. H., *Konia – Inschriften der Seldschukischen Bauten*, Berlin, 1907, p.87.  \nRice, D. T., *Islamic Art*, London, 1965, 2nd edition, 1975, p.174, fig. 176. (door to the side-wing of the mosque).  \nSarre, F., *Seldschukische Kleinkunst, Erzeugnisse Islamischer Kleinkunst*, Part II, Leipzig, 1909, p.32, plate XII.","dynasty":"Seljuqs of Rum (Anatolian Seljuq)","author":"Annette Hagedorn","translator":"Maria Vlotides, Brigitte Finkbeiner","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["braided","carving","double doors","Mosque","Seljuq"],"materials":["Walnut wood, carved woodwork, partly painted."]},"6ef65a75-a6f9-5d0d-8c90-492c934302b3":{"name":"Window frame.","description":"A twisted strip and a carved band decorated with a braid of eight-pointed stars runs around the outside of this quadrangular window frame. It consists of three sections: an upper frieze, a balustrade and the gemelled arcature of the opening. All of the wood is covered with a red base and painted in two shades of brown, yellow ochre, ivory white and some green.  \nThe frieze and the balustrade consist of *mashrabiyya* latticework arranged in a chequered or a diamond pattern. Above this latticework, grooved strips on the balustrade form a knotwork pattern consisting of eight-pointed stars and, on the upper frieze, poly-lobed arches and eight-pointed stars on each side frame a square central medallion bearing the votive inscription 'Mohammed's blessing' in rectangular *kufic* characters.  \nThe opening, surrounded by two frames, the first in turned wood and the second carved into eight-pointed star knotwork, consists of two gemeled horseshoe arches. These arches are supported on a small column and two small engaged demi-columns in turned wood that are fluted at the base and have simulated capitals. All of the components of this last section are decorated with polychrome plant motifs borrowed both from the Moroccan–Andalusian repertoire and the Ottoman repertoire: foliage, single and double palms, fleurons and carnations.  \nWith its harmonious polychromy, this external window frame, which looked over the courtyard of a wealthy residence of the 13th / 19th century is a good example of the careful work of the Meknès carpenters who gained renown in this art when their town became the capital of the 'Alawid kingdom under the reign of Mulay Isma'il (AH 1083–1140 / AD 1672–1727).","short_description":"The outer frame of a window overlooking the courtyard of an expensive house is an example of turned, painted wood from Meknès, an art form that flourished in the imperial city from the beginning of the 'Alawid era. The plant decoration is borrowed from Hispano-Maghrebic and Ottoman repertoires.","type":"Woodwork, frame, window, wood","holder":"Dar Jamai Museum.","dates":"Hegira 12th-13th centuries / AD 18th-19th centuries.","location":"Meknès.","dimensions":"Height 177 cm, length 112 cm.","method_for_datation":"From stylistic and comparative analysis. This type of carpentry, which gives pre-eminence to polychromy and can be found in other museum examples, was first seen in the late 11th / 17th century and became particularly widespread in the 13th / 19th century when middle-class residences, where this sort of work can still be seen, were built in increasing numbers.","method_for_provenance":"From the place it was purchased and its style, which is typical of Meknès.","provenance":"Meknès.","obtention":"Purchased in 1963.","bibliography":"Barrucand, M., *L'architecture de la qasba de Moulay Ismaïl à Meknès*, Casablanca, 1978.  \nMarçais, G., *L'Architecture musulmane d'Occident*, Paris, 1954.  \nPaccard, A., *Le Maroc et l'artisanat traditionnel islamique dans l'architecture*, Vol. 2, Paris, 1979.  \nTerrasse, H. and Hainaut, J., *Les arts décoratifs au Maroc*, Paris, 1925.","dynasty":"'Alawid","linkcatalogs":"IAM_MA_EN_001","author":"Naima El Khatib-Boujibar","copy_editor":"Margot Cortez","translator":"Laurence Nunny","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["civic architecture","epigraphic decoration","floral decoration","geometric decoration","religious epigraphy"],"materials":["Sculpted, decorated, turned and painted wood."]},"6f75d3d3-2fb1-5c23-869d-1f05845e0403":{"name":"Writing desk.","description":"Clerk's chest with a flat lid that fits into the top of the box, making a rectangular prism. It is decorated with different types of wood, mother-of-pearl and bone inlay. The centre of each side of the piece shows a combination of interlinked polygons and eight-pointed stars, while the spaces in between are taken up by four-pointed stars. The whole is framed by a narrow red border followed by other geometrical, smooth and crenellated bands of different widths. The same decorative scheme is repeated on the visible areas of the inside, and the remainder is simply painted.  \nThe writing desk has retained all of its bronze fixtures: two large hinges that join the lid to the back of the chest, a folded metal sheet riveted to each corner, a keyhole at the front, a handle on the top of the lid fitted with a grip and two handles on the sides for moving it. All of the fixtures are cast and decorated with engravings. The inside of the chest contains a number of compartments intended to store the writing materials.  \nThe Spanish word *taracea* (marquetry), which is derived from the Arabic word *tarsi* (to insert, inlay), describes a technique that consists of inlaying pieces of wood, bone or mother-of-pearl into a piece of hardwood, such as walnut. This technique of Eastern origin had been perfected in Córdoba in the AH 4th / AD 10th century at the time when al-Hakam II's *minbar* (pulpit), which has not survived,was built. Later, during the Nasrid period, the technique was simplified and the precisely cut pieces were stuck on to a base of paper or parchment, and this was then stuck on to the object.  \nThis type of desk could be considered to be a precursor of the Spanish *vargueno*.","short_description":"Possibly a writer’s chest that could be carried using the top or side handles. The inside is split into compartments in which writing implements were stored. Inlays of bone, mother-of-pearl and different woods decorated its outer surfaces.","type":"Woodwork, desk, wood","holder":"National Archaeological Museum.","dates":"Hegira 8th century / AD 14th century.","location":"Madrid","dimensions":"Height 20 cm, width 45 cm, depth 28 cm.","method_for_datation":"Parallels with similar pieces from the National  Archaeological Museum and elsewhere, such as the writing desk of Jaen Cathedral or the chest of the Hispanic Society of America, all dated to the 14th and 15th centuries.","method_for_provenance":"The type of marquetry and decorative design are characteristic of Granada. The insides of the doors of the Nasrid cupboard of the Palace of the Infantas in Granada, which is kept in the National Museum of Hispano-Muslim Art in that city, are decorated with the same stars inscribed in interlinked squares.","provenance":"Kingdom of Granada, Spain.","obtention":"The piece was purchased for the National Archaeological  Museum on 26 March 1973.","bibliography":"*Al-Andalus: Las Artes Islámicas en España*, Exhibition catalogue, Madrid, 1992, p.268. English edition: *Al-Andalus: The Art Of Islamic Spain* (ed. J. D. Dodds), New York, 1992.  \nHispanic Society of America, *A History of the Hispanic Society of America, Museum and Library, 1904–1954*, New York, 1954, p.118.  \nPavón Maldonado, B., “Jaén Medieval: Arte y Arqueología árabe y Mudéjar”, *Al-Qantara*, 5, 1984, pp.361–6.  \nZozaya, J., “Antigüedades Andalusíes de los Siglos VIII al XV”, in *Guía General del Museo Arqueológico Nacional*, Vol. II, Madrid, 1991, p.70.","dynasty":"Nasrid","author":"Margarita Sánchez Llorente","copy_editor":"Rosalía Aller","translator":"Laurence Nunny","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["bone","Box","furnishing","geometric decoration","Granada","incision","Inkwell","marquetry","Mother-of-pearl","Nasrids","polychrome decoration"],"materials":["marquetry, polichromy, engraving.","Wood, bone, mother-of-pearl, bronze"]},"6fdbe124-1e12-5bc3-a524-5bbe4a6ae42f":{"name":"Painted wooden board.","description":"This cedarwood board comes from the ceilings of the prayer hall of the Great Mosque of Kairouan, where the roof structure is composed of lintels resting on columns and on the walls, following the north–south direction of the nave. The tie-beams, perpendicular to these elements, are supported at each end by carved and painted corbels.  \nThe oldest part of the ceilings of the Great Mosque of Kairouan dates from the AH 3rd / AD 9th century. It is decorated with foliate scrolls and fleurons.  \nThe panel has a red background and is composed of four squares with concave sides. Painted green and blue in each of the squares are two intertwining stylised flowers with four petals. They form a sort of octagonal star enclosing a blue or green circle.  \nEach petal ends in a bud surrounded by two flared foliate scrolls. Straight out of the Middle Ages, the painted ceilings of the Great Mosque of Kairouan represent an unique collection in Muslim art, which renders any attempt at research into the origin of their decoration quite difficult. In fact, decorated ceilings covered the central nave of the Great Mosque at Córdoba, but the *ante quem* limit of their dating hardly goes back beyond the AH 4th / AD 10th century, and the magnificent ceilings of the Palatine Chapel at Palermo date from the AH 6th / AD 12th century.","short_description":"Originally part of the ceilings of the prayer room in the Great Mosque of Kairouan, this piece is beautifully decorated with foliage and fleurons on a red background. The painted ceilings of the Great Mosque of Kairouan constitute the only collection of its type in Islamic art.","type":"Woodwork, board, wood","holder":"Museum of Islamic Art.","dates":"Hegira 3rd century / AD 9th century.","location":"Raqqada., Kairouan.","dimensions":"Length 135 cm, width 27.5 cm.","method_for_datation":"The board's decorative motifs can be found in some of the panels of the carved *minbar* and in the painted wood half-dome of the *mihrab* niche of the Great Mosque of Kairouan, which date from the middle of the 3rd / 9th century. They are certified as being Syrian Umayyad art.  \nThese indications, as well as comparison with the different types and models of painted wood forming the ceilings collection from the Great Mosque of Kairouan, date this board from the end of the 3rd / 9th century, probably from the time of the restoration work on the doors and ceilings of the prayer hall ordered and funded by the Aghlabid prince, Ibrahim II (r. 261–89 / 875–902). The dating of this panel from the 5th / 11th century is refutable, since the models, boards and beams of this period are not comparable.","method_for_provenance":"These decorative motifs appear in some of the carved panels of the *minbar* and in the painted wood half-dome of the *mihrab* niche of the Great Mosque of Kairouan.","provenance":"Kairouan.","obtention":"After the restoration of the Great Mosque of Kairouan, between 1962 and 1972, some beams, boards and joists were taken out and completely replaced. This piece was placed along with thousands of other fragments in the storerooms of the National Institute of the Patrimony of Kairouan. It was selected for display when the Museum of Islamic Art at Raqqada was extended.","bibliography":"*De Carthage a Kairouan* (exhibition catalogue), Paris, 1982, p.207.  \n*Les Andalousies* (exhibition catalogue), Paris, 2000, pp.194–5.  \n*The Arts of Islam* (exhibition catalogue), London, 1976, p.284, cat. no. 440.  \n*30 ans au service du patrimoine* (exhibition catalogue), 1986, p.262.  \nMarçais G., *Coupoles et plafonds de la grande Mosquee de Kairouan*, Tunis and Paris, 1925.  \n*Ifriqiya: Thirteen Centuries of Art and Architecture in Tunisia*, pp.175–6.","dynasty":"Aghlabid","author":"Mourad Rammah","copy_editor":"Margot Cortez","translator":"David Ash","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["floral decoration","geometric decoration"],"materials":["Wood, painted decoration."]},"7045f484-1e6a-55ad-9fd3-497bdc3dd415":{"name":"*Meshouf* (canoe collection)","description":"The Open Museum for Water Cultures (Basra) holds in its collection 11 *meshoufs* of various types and sizes. *Meshouf* is a generic term for a flat-based canoe made in the region of Iraq's southern marshlands. *meshoufs* range from 3-11m in length and have a narrow form, often with a distinctive crescent-shaped prow.  \n  \nVariants range from small flat-prowed canoes like the *matour* (a one-man canoe used for hunting waterfowl), to larger types with a prominent curved prow such as the *chilaika*, the prestigious *tarada* (hunting and war canoe of the Marsh Sheikhs), and working vessels like the *barkash*, used for harvesting and transport.  \n  \n*Meshoufs* became almost extinct from the Iran-Iraq war (1980s) onwards. In Huwair, once a well-known centre for their making, modernised boatbuilding methods and carpentry remained common forms of livelihood. *Meshouf* production was revived with the support of the Safina Projects initiative from AH 1440 / AD 2018 onwards. In addition to the Open Museum’s collection, by AH 1447/ AD 2025 over 70 *meshoufs* were in use across the Iraqi Heritage Boat Clubs Network established by Safina.  \n  \nBoats of a comparable form have been recorded since the Sumerian period (from around 2500 BC), although in the modern-day *meshouf* the prow is typically much taller than the stern, whereas in the Sumerian version prow and stern are of equal height.  \n  \nRashad Salim’s research with Safina Projects has concluded that the AH 14th/ AD 20th century *meshouf* was strongly influenced by the availability of industrially manufactured nails and tools and imported wood. In the pre-industrial period, wood was scarcer, and many marsh dwellers made *meshoufs* from reeds.  \n  \nThe extended family who built the *meshoufs* in this collection are among the most renowned boatbuilders of Huwair. They are part of the Beni Asad tribe, who came to the marshes 300-400 years ago from Arabia, learned boatbuilding methods from the Mandaean-Sabean population, and gradually took over as the main practitioners of the craft.","type":"Boat","holder":"Open Museum Initiative for Water Cultures","owner":"Safina Projects CIC","initial_owner":"Safina Projects CIC","dates":"AH 1441/ AD 2019","location":"Basra","dimensions":"Length range: 4.5-11m, beam length range: 0.75-1.5m, minimum height range: 0.25-0.55 m, prow height range: 0.3-2m","method_for_datation":"Production was supervised by current owner.","method_for_provenance":"Production was supervised by current owner.","provenance":"Huwair, Basra Governorate, Iraq","obtention":"Made in workshop organised by Safina Projects.","bibliography":"Agius, D. A.,*Classic Ships of Islam: from Mesopotamia to the Indian Ocean.*, Leiden: Brill, 2014.  \n  \nAl-Behadli, J., “The Ark for Iraq Programme: the Experience of Safina Projects in the Study of Traditional Boats and their Revitalisation”, *Al-Turath al-Sha’bi*, (2024), 325 \\[Published in Arabic\\].  \n  \nPotts, D. T., *Mesopotamian Civilisation: the Material Foundations*, Ithaca and London: Cornell University Press, 1997.  \n  \nThesiger, W., *The Marsh Arabs*, London: Penguin, 1964.","workshop":"Huwair Traditional Boat Workshop","author":"Hannah Lewis, Rashad Salim","keywords":["boat","transport.","Watercraft","woodwork"],"materials":["carpentry, waterproofing.","Pine wood (Russian import), teak wood (Javanese import), sidr wood, mulberry wood, tar"]},"707017b0-ac19-5968-8e9b-29b8a4f1aeab":{"name":"Weighing armchair","short_description":"Weighing armchairs were used for medical purposes. Early metabolism studies were made by weighing the test subjects before and after eating or any other activities. They were also used to weigh handicapped people and old patients who could not stand up. The chair is made of polished brown walnut wood. There are two rows of metal plates in front of the seating area. There is a decoration made by punched holes on the backside of the armchair. There is a wooden footrest attached with metal bars to the main body of the armchair. On the rear side there is a weighing mechanism.","type":"Medical material","holder":"Cerrahpaşa Medical History Museum","dates":"1890–1923","location":"Istanbul","dimensions":"Width 55 cm, height 108 cm","provenance":"Istanbul","copy_editor":"Daniel de la Vega","keywords":["Health","medical equipment"],"materials":["Wood and metal"]},"70e81fc7-992c-56d9-a3b4-5af8b1052c23":{"name":"Prayer pulpit (*minbar*).","description":"This *minbar* features seven steps that are held up by two pentagonal sides, decorated with triangular, square and trapezium-shaped panels that have been joined through tenons and mortises. An interrupted horseshoe arch is positioned at the foot of the steps on two supports that are ornamented with vegetal decoration. This structure is linked at its sides by two lateral arches of the same height, which are likewise resting on two supports, their upper parts interlinked by a banister. The upper section of this entrance is adorned with candleholders.  \nThe panels are sculpted in bas-relief, embellished with floral or geometric decoration; the frontal arch features floral decoration, and, embracing the shape of the arch, a *kufic* inscription reads, rising from the right-hand side, 'In the name of Allah, the Merciful Benefactor. This pulpit was created'; sideways: 'The first of the month of Rajab; and rising from the left, 'of the year 490 \\[AD 1097\\]. The work of Muhammad'.","short_description":"This seven-stepped pulpit with side panels bears geometric and floral motifs, and a *kufic* inscription dating the object and naming its maker. The first step is covered by a pointed horseshoe arch.","type":"Woodwork, minbar, prayer pulpit, wood","holder":"National Museum of Antiquities and Islamic Arts","dates":"Hegira 490 / AD 1097.","location":"Algiers","dimensions":"Height 230 cm, length 264 cm, width 73 cm.","method_for_datation":"The inscription that features *kufic* characters on the arch preceding the steps of the *minbar* holds the date 490 (AD 1097.","method_for_provenance":"The *minbar* had been used in the Great Mosque of Algiers.","obtention":"Donation from the Religious Affairs Ministry; a ministerial decision taken in 1998 entrusted the *minbar* to the National Museum of Antiquities and Islamic Arts.","bibliography":"Bourouiba, R., *L'art religieux musulman en Algérie*, Algiers, 1973.  \nBourouiba, R., *Les inscriptions commémoratives des mosquées d'Algérie*, Algiers, 1984.  \nMarçais, G., *L'architecture musulmane d'Occident*, Paris, 1954.  \nMarçais, G., *Manuel d'art musulman,* Paris, 1927.  \nMarçais, G., “Note sur la chaire à prêcher de la Grande Mosquée d'Alger”, *Hespéris*, 1926, pp.419–22.","dynasty":"Almoravid","author":"Leila Merabet","copy_editor":"Margot Cortez","translator":"Maria Vlotides","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["Almoravids","Ascencion","calligraphy","engraving","floral and geometric adornments","floral decoration","geometric decoration","Great Mosque of Algiers","heaven","inscription","interior design","kufic","lettering","Minbar","Mosque","Mosque interior decoration","Muhammad","prophet","pulpit","religious objects","spiritual objects","stand","wood"],"materials":["Wood assembled through tenons and mortises, bas-relief carving and marquetry."]},"711fba2c-8e7a-5558-8785-0e3951b191e0":{"name":"Table","description":"In Arab households symbols of hospitality and the embrace of visitors were deeply ingrained in the cultural fabric, taking on multiple forms. Chairs and tables in spaces like reception halls often bore inscriptions extending warm greetings to guests, occasionally integrating profound aphorisms and verses of poetry. These inscriptions served as decorative elements and cultural expression, and reflected philosophical ideals central to the household’s ethos.  \nThe FBQ museum holds a remarkable 19th-century Syrian wooden table adorned with meticulously carved inscriptions in *thuluth* script featuring mystical verses attributed to Ibn al-Farid. These poetic excerpts, drawn from his renowned poetry “If my position in love with you\", epitomise the fusion of artistic refinement and intellectual depth, enhancing the ambiance of hospitality within the domestic sphere. It says:  \nأُمْنِيّة ظفِرَتْ روحي بها زَمَناً واليومَ أحسَبُها أضغاثَ أحلام  \nولو علِمْتُ بأَنّ الحُبّ آخِرُهُ هذا الحِمَامُ (الموت ) لَمَا خالَفتُ لُوّامي.  \nA wish my soul held onto for a while,  \nToday I deem it mere illusions that beguile.  \nHad I known love’s end is but a final breath,  \nI'd not have shunned the counsel, evading death.  \nIbn al-Farid (1181–1234) was an acclaimed Arab poet born in Cairo to parents originating from Hama, Syria. Revered as the greatest mystic poet among Arabs, his literary compositions are reputed to have been penned during states of spiritual inspiration.  \nThe table is crafted from wood with intricately-carved inscriptions inlaid with mother-of-pearl. The carving process involves meticulous engraving with overlapping work. This fusion of techniques reflects the cultural sophistication and skilled craftsmanship of 19th-century Syrian artisans.","type":"Woodwork","holder":"Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim Al Thani Museum","owner":"His Excellency Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim Al Thani","dates":"Hegira 13th century / AD 19th century","location":"Doha, Qatar","dimensions":"Height: 75cm, length: 80cm, width: 55cm","place_of_production":"Syria","method_for_datation":"The date and origin were established in research-based comparison from an examination of material, techniques, style, inscription and analogies.","method_for_provenance":"The date and origin were established in research-based comparison from an examination of material, techniques, style, inscription and analogies.","provenance":"Syria","obtention":"Purchased","author":"Mahmoud Saber","copy_editor":"Judy Harter","keywords":["wood, mother-of-pearl, hama, Syria, Thuluth, Ibn al-Farid, Cairo, Egypt"],"materials":["mother-of-pearl, carving, inlay","Wood"]},"72a2a91b-5a58-5ade-a2c7-b36c74afcc72":{"name":"Hand carder","description":"Carding is the preparation of raw, unordered or washed fibres to prepare them for spinning into long spirals. Carding can be used to create blends of different fibres or colours. Once carded, fibres can be used in a variety projects including spinning, weaving and felt making.","type":"Carding tool","holder":"Jordan River Foundation Bani Hamida Weaving Project","dates":"1916","location":"Mukawer","dimensions":"L: 20cm, W: 13cm","method_for_datation":"Owners","provenance":"Bani Hamida","obtention":"Bought","author":"Halima Al Qa'dan","copy_editor":"Lisa Kelman","materials":["Wood and iron"]},"73b0b112-a63b-5da2-be06-3f358b1dbd58":{"name":"Spindle","description":"Spindle made from a single bar or crossed bars with a metal hook. Goat hair and wool are teased by hand to prepare for spinning fibres.","type":"Spindle","holder":"Department of Antiquities","owner":"Department of Antiquities","dates":"Early 20th century","location":"Amman","dimensions":"L: 38cm, W: 5cm","method_for_datation":"Early 20th century treadle loom weavers from Syria and Palestine settled in Jordan. They produced rugs, saddle bags and more.","provenance":"Amman","obtention":"Purchased","bibliography":"Rashid, Abdallah, *Traditional life in Amman from 1878-1948*, Amman: Ministry of Culture and Youth, 1983.","author":"Samia Khouri","copy_editor":"Lisa Kelman","materials":["Wood"]},"7543bcd1-8c93-54f6-b8f4-189d3506360e":{"name":"Jewellery casket","short_description":"Tamanrasset, home of the Tuareg is a desert oasis surrounded by moonlike landscapes. Situated on the edge of the Ahaggar Mountains it is the last large town in Algeria before the border with Niger and Mali. A travelling smith fabricates a casket from the chipboards of a packing crate which has become useless. He comes from Mali, and is working temporarily in Tahaggart on the edge of the oasis. He decorates the box according to the traditional palette of colours and patterns: green, yellow and red, lozenges, circles, triangles, wavy lines. In addition, he ornaments it on all sides with studs. He signs his work: \"I, Bilan, son of Shakany, made this.\" The casket is intended for storing female jewellery. It can also be used for storing implements for tea. At least that's what it says in the inventory volume. In a shop in Tamanrasset, the female collector acquires industrially produced tea glasses and a bulgy teapot of blue enamel. Cheap imported wares, such as these are used by the Tuareg in daily life.","type":"Household item","holder":"Weltmuseum Wien","dates":"Before 1982","location":"Vienna","dimensions":"Casket: L: 33cm, W: 19cm, H: 24cm","method_for_datation":"Entry in the general inventory and archival documents.","method_for_provenance":"Entry in the general inventory book.","provenance":"Algeria, Tamanrasset; Tuareg","obtention":"Catalog entry: \"Purchased from Mrs Getraud Bogner, Vienna, 1982.\"","bibliography":"Steinmann, Axel, \"Waste\", in Christian Schicklgruber (ed), *Weltmuseum Wien, exhibition catalogue*, Vienna: Weltmuseum Wien, 2017: 18-21.","materials":["Chipboards, metal, pigment"]},"767d4db4-9712-508d-b378-dd184496be44":{"name":"Door.","description":"This single leaf of a door shows a geometric ornamentation based on stars and polygons in the main field. These elements are arranged in an all-over repeat pattern composed of a rosette in the middle and quarter sections of the central motif in the four corners. Strips marked with grooves form the strictly geometric structure of the tracery whose openings are filled with small bevelled panels. The strips and panels are connected by tongue and groove joints to achieve an unbroken surface.  \nOriginally, the door seems to have been of symmetrical composition with a section with two plain rectangular panels in the upper and lower part and a large ornamented area in the middle. Possibly for a different use, the door was lengthened below by the addition of a section of two plain rectangular panels.","short_description":"Single leaf of a door. The geometric ornament is formed of stars and polygons; the rosette in the middle is repeated in the four corners. The door, now lengthened, seems originally to have been of symmetrical composition with two plain rectangular panels above and below.","type":"Woodwork, door, wood","holder":"Museum of Mediterranean and Near Eastern Antiquities (Medelhavsmuseet).","dates":"Hegira late 9th–early 10th century / AD late 15th–early 16th century.","location":"Stockholm","dimensions":"Height 209.5 cm, width 97 cm.","method_for_datation":"A pattern based on the geometrical elements of a star and polygons is a characteristic decoration scheme of Mamluk doors. This door was assigned to the late 9th –early 10th / late 15th–early 16th centuries because of the unornamented polygons. A carved wooden panel from a building of Sultan Qaytbay at Jamaliyya dated 885 / 1481 in the Museum of Islamic Art in Cairo shows two small fields with the same geometric organisation.","method_for_provenance":"The geometrical pattern of a plain star and polygons was a characteristic decoration of Mamluk furniture.","provenance":"Egypt.","obtention":"There is no information about acquisition.","bibliography":"Anglade, E., *Catalogue des Boiseries de la Section Islamique*, Paris, 1988.  \nKühnel, E. “Der Mamlukische Kassettenstil”, *Kunst des Orients* I, 1950, pp.55–68.  \nLane-Pool, S., *The Art of the Saracens in Egypt*, London, 1886.","dynasty":"Mamluk","linkcatalogs":"IAM_EG_EN_001","author":"Friederike Voigt","copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["architectural decoration","geometric design","woodwork"],"materials":["strap-work.","Wood"]},"76f2b2fe-3a46-55c5-9ef0-fc7350403192":{"name":"Pair of Doors with Design of Ten-Pointed Stars and Geometric Motifs","short_description":"Double doors of hollow-core construction. Posterns are centered in the lower section of each door. Decorated overall with elaborate marquetry of small inlaid wood pieces (lazo-work). Each piece is decorated with an arabesque in white and black, painted on an overall red ground in a ten-pointed star motif with an infinite geometric design. The doors and each postern are secured with a iron throw-bolt lock. Each throw-bolt is made of three iron eyelets connected to a hanging lever. The main throw-bolt is large and elaborate, forged with a twisted spiral lever joined at a square panel with a carved crest on the surface. The postern bolts are smaller and plain. Studded iron rivets fasten wide iron strapwork that reinforces the doors horizontally. Some traces of gilding remain on the iron rivets.","type":"Architectural Element; Sculpture","holder":"Saint Louis Art Museum","dates":"Hegira Mid 9th to early 11th century / AD 15th–16th century","location":"Saint Louis","dimensions":"Height: 455cm x Width: 269.2cm","method_for_datation":"Scholarly review and/or comparison to similar objects from the period.","method_for_provenance":"Scholarly review and/or comparison to similar objects from the period.","provenance":"Toledo, Spain, Europe","obtention":"Museum Purchase, 1937","dynasty":"Mudéjar","keywords":["architecture","Door","Europe","gilding","Mudéjar","Paint","sculpture","Spain","Toledo","wood"],"materials":["gilding","Painted wood, iron"]},"79123b79-bd2b-5af1-8898-89d1cb8e5327":{"name":"Throne of Sultan Ahmed I.","description":"The throne of Sultan Ahmed I is one of the best examples of 11th / 17th century Ottoman woodwork. Made in the form of a baldachin, the throne has three low steps that lead up to the one-person seat. The baldachin itself is crowned with a dome.  \n  \nThe throne was made by the important 11th- / 17th-century architect Sedefkâr Mehmed Agha, the head architect of the Ottoman palace; it is dazzlingly beautiful with a mosaic of superb mother-of-pearl and tortoiseshell work side by side with countless precious gems.  \n  \nThe throne is made of walnut wood. Its entire surface is decorated with a mosaic of mother-of-pearl and tortoiseshell. The vegetal decoration includes tulips, carnations, roses and peonies connected to each other by scrolling tendrils and rising from a vase. The vegetal motifs are executed in a naturalistic style in mother-of-pearl, while the remaining area is covered with tortoiseshell.  \n  \nThe inner part of the seat of the throne is decorated with a composition of motifs in a lacquer technique known as *Edirnekari*. Floral motifs in yellow are painted against a red background in the naturalistic style.  \n  \nThe floral motifs which reflect the characteristic style of the Classical Ottoman period are arranged in a most successful composition. The vase and the flowers themselves are further enlivened by the addition of precious gems, including emeralds, jade, turquoise, and diamonds. The use of precious gems in various colours makes the throne even more attractive.  \n  \nThe throne is one of many objects which display the wealth of the Ottoman Palace. It is an important example of the high level of quality attained in vegetal decoration in 11th / 17th century Ottoman art.","short_description":"This magnificent throne with superb mother-of-pearl and tortoiseshell inlay work and numerous gems was made for Sultan Ahmed I. The floral motifs reflect the classical Ottoman period and are successfully rendered in very lively compositions.","type":"Woodwork, wood, lacquered, gems, mother of pearl, tortoise shell","holder":"Topkapı Palace Museum.","initial_owner":"Sultan Ahmed I.","dates":"During the reign of Sultan Ahmed I (Hegira 1011–26 / AD 1603–17).","location":"Sultanahmet, Istanbul.","dimensions":"Height 285 cm, width 102 cm, depth 66 cm.","method_for_datation":"The throne belongs to the Topkapı Palace; documents in the palace archive inform us that it belonged to Sultan Ahmed I and was made by Sedefkâr Mehmed Agha.","method_for_provenance":"The throne was made for Sultan Ahmed I by the head architect of the palace, Sedefkâr Mehmed Agha. Thus, it is highly likely that it was produced in the palace workshops.","provenance":"Topkapı Palace workshops, Istanbul, Turkey.","obtention":"The throne was probably made in the palace workshop and is still on display in the Treasury section of the Topkapı Palace Museum.","bibliography":"Barışta, ö., “Geleneksel Türk Sanatlarından Sedef Kakmacılık (Mother-of-Pearl Inlaying, A Traditional Turkish Art)”, *Türkiye'de Sanatın Bugünü ve Yarını (The Today and Tomorrow of Art in ),* Ankara, 1985, pp.393-400.  \nKerametli, C., “Osmanlı Devri Ağaç İşleri, Tahta Oyma, Sedef, Bağa ve Fildişi Kakmalar (Ottoman-Period Woodwork, Wood Carving, Mother-of-pearl, Tortoise Shell and Ivory Inlays)”, *Türk Etnografya Dergisi,* 4 (1961), pp.5–13.  \nTürkoğlu, S., “Woodwork”, *Traditional Turkish Arts* (ed. M özel), Istanbul, 1992, pp.42–73.","dynasty":"Ottoman","linkcatalogs":"IAM_TR_EN_001","author":"Sevinç Gök Gürhan","translator":"Barry Wood, İnci Türkoğlu","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Edirnekari","lacquer","Mother-of-pearl","Sedefkâr Mehmed Agha","Sultan Ahmed I","throne","tortoiseshell","vegetal decoration","wood"],"materials":["Wood, lacquered (Edirnekari technique), and inlaid with mother-of-pearl, tortoiseshell, and gems (emerald, jade, diamond, turquoise, etc.)."]},"7bf56987-b874-51e5-91e1-bf19f3afba07":{"name":"*Tabica* (small board).","description":"The splendid collar-beam framework of Teruel Cathedral, which has been erroneously described as a coffered ceiling, is one of the examples of Mudéjar carpentry most studied by art critics for several reasons, including its extraordinary iconographic and iconological complexity and its significance in the social context, and the interest generated by its style and dating, which has been helped by analysis of the wood. Among other items, the National Archaeological Museum holds two *tabicas* (small wooden boards) from the gables or planking, one of which shows a male figure and the other, the one examined here, a female figure.  \nThe woman is from the working class, a water bearer dressed in a long-sleeved, corded tunic or dress tied at the waist. The decorative horizontal lines give her a characteristic air. Her hair is short and her head appears to be uncovered, uncommon in figures on ceilings. She is carrying a two-handled jar. The flat colours are dominated by reds, whites and black outlines.  \nIt is possible to determine the *tabica*'s original position in the eighth section on the left, in the very place where a bomb fell during the war in 1936","short_description":"This *tabica* (small wooden board) decorated the planks in the roof of Teruel Cathedral, showing the different classes of Mediaeval society. The figure is a water bearer dressed in contemporary costume: a long-sleeved dress tied around the waist.","type":"Woodwork, board, tabica, wood","holder":"National Archaeological Museum.","dates":"Late 13th century.","location":"Madrid","dimensions":"Height 36 cm, width 23.8 cm, depth 1.7 cm.","method_for_datation":"From its style and from dendrochronological analysis of the wood.","method_for_provenance":"When giving this and three other pieces to the National Archaeological Museum, the donor, Pablo Gil y Gil, a professor at the University of Saragossa in 1869, reported that they came from the roof.","provenance":"Cathedral of Santa Maria de Mediavilla, Teruel, Spain.","obtention":"The piece was donated to the National Archaeological Museum on 19 August 1869.","bibliography":"Alquézar Yáñez, E., Arias Sánchez, I. and Franco Mata, A., “Carpintería y Elementos Arquitectónicos Mudéjares en el Museo Arqueológico Nacional Procedentes de Aragón”, in *Actas del VI Simposio Internacional de Mudejarismo, Teruel, 16–18 September 1993*, Teruel, 1996, p.874.  \nRabanaque, E., Novella, A., Sebastián, S. and Yarza, J*., El Artesonado de la Catedral de Teruel*, Saragossa, 1981.  \n*Mudéjar Art: Islamic Aesthetics in Christian Art*, pp.82 and 107–10.","dynasty":"Mudéjar","linkcatalogs":"IAM_ES_EN_001","author":"Ángela Franco","copy_editor":"Rosalía Aller","translator":"Laurence Nunny","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["collar-beam roof","Mudéjar","polichromy","Tabica","Teruel","wood"],"materials":["polychromy.","Wood"]},"7e873aac-dc37-595c-aaf1-3d2a947dd436":{"name":"Hexagonal table","short_description":"Carbon-14 analyses show that the well-preserved table was made in the 11th-12th century. Along with the one in the al-Sabbah Collection, Kuwait, it is the oldest known table of a popular type in the Islamic world. The type was also made in other materials, such as ceramics and metal.  \nIts decorative details are elements, also found in slightly older Samanid ceramics.","type":"Woodwork, table, paper","holder":"The David Collection","dates":"Hegira 5th–6th century / AD 11th–12th century","location":"Copenhagen","provenance":"Afghanistan","dynasty":"Ghaznavid-Ghurid","keywords":["furnishing","Ghaznavid","Paper"],"materials":["Poplar, tabletop covered with paper and colored lacquer, and with incised decoration"]},"7f95a1e1-30bf-5b30-abfb-8955cb750a4b":{"name":"*Isbiya* or *Kaiya* barge (model)","description":"The *isbiya* (also known locally as the *kaiya*) is a cargo barge traditionally built in the town of Hit on the Western bank of the River Euphrates in Anbar province. It is documented in archival photographs and texts from the AH 13th / AD 19th and AH 14th / AD 20th centuries, and is believed to have existed in a similar form for several millennia, although its organic construction left no known physical remains.  \n  \nIt is built using a technique comparable to wattle-and-daub architecture, with no use of metal (tools or fixings) or planked wood. Like many traditional boats, the *isbiya* is a technology specific to its place of origin, made with locally sourced materials. It is a vertical-sided box, constructed using a framework of branches and sticks, including palm fronds (*isb*) from which it derives its name, mulberry wood and gharb wood. These are bound together with palm leaf cordage, and ringed with thick coils of halfa grass before being waterproofed with several layers of tar. The community are involved in a collective construction process known as *fezaa*.  \n  \nArchaeological evidence suggests that cargoes of stone, lime and bitumen used to build Ur (3800 – 500 BC) and other ancient cities in southern Mesopotamia were transported using *isbiyas* or similar boats. This trade continued into the AH 14th / AD 20th century to supply tar used to waterproof roofs, boats and as an adhesive. Each *isbiya* made a one-way journey, propelled by the river, and was broken up on arrival, with the materials sold mainly for use as fuel.  \n  \nProduction of the *isbiya* ceased in the late 1950s, when its function was replaced by metal barges, then by road cargo transport. In 2019 a full-sized *isbiya* and its smaller guide-boat, the *delil*, were reconstructed in a workshop organised by Safina Projects with community members in Hit, including elder Haji Noaman, who had assisted in building the last *isbiya* as an apprentice in the late AH 1370s / AD 1950s. In 2024 a scale model *isbiya* was produced for the collection of the Open Museum for Water Culture (Basra).","type":"Boat","holder":"Open Museum Initiative for Water Cultures","owner":"Safina Projects CIC","initial_owner":"Safina Projects CIC","dates":"AH 1446/ AD 2024","location":"Basra","dimensions":"Length: 140cm, height  60cm, width: 60cm","method_for_datation":"Production was supervised by current owner.","method_for_provenance":"Production was supervised by current owner.","provenance":"Hit, Anbar Governorate, Iraq","obtention":"Made in workshop organised by Safina Projects.","bibliography":"Al-Behadli, J., “The Ark for Iraq Programme: the Experience of Safina Projects in the Study of Traditional Boats and their Revitalisation”, *Al-Turath al-Sha’bi*, (2024), 325 \\[Published in Arabic\\].  \n  \nRitter, H., “Mesopotamische Studien”, *Der Islam: Zeitschrift für Geschichte und Kultur des Islamischen Orients*, (1919).","author":"Hannah Lewis, Rashad Salim","keywords":["basketry","boat","model","Transport","Watercraft"],"materials":["basketry, waterproofing.","Mulberry wood, gharb wood, palm fronds, halfa grass, tar"]},"800c391d-1714-509b-9718-f253f7cec93e":{"name":"*Jendoul* (reconstruction from illustration by al-Wasiti from the Maqamat al-Hariri)","description":"The Arabic term *jendoul* here refers to a boat class that exists across many cultures, the Venetian Gondola being the best-known example. Designed as passenger transport for canals, a *jendoul* features a seating area (usually cushioned and sometimes canopied or featuring a cabin) and is typically no longer than 11 metres in length, enabling it to manoeuvre around canal junctions (although similar craft for open waters may be larger). Whether rowing or poling, the boatman or crew usually stands at the back, overlooking the passenger area and steering the boat (sometimes with another crew member at the front).  \n  \nA *jendoul* typically includes ostentatious ornamentation, representing the status and affluence of its passengers. The materials used are of high quality, and an array of artisan crafts may be exhibited, such as decorative metalwork, wood carving, inlay, lacquerwork, textiles and upholstery, cordage, tassels, and glass lanterns.  \n  \nExamples of the *jendoul* boat class can be found in historical cultures including Ottoman Turkey, Fatimid Egypt, Kish, Phoenicia, and in South and South-East Asia. A Sumerian boat with the characteristics of a *jendoul* is depicted on a cylinder seal impression (4th millennium BC, Uruk 3 period) found in the wetlands of Uqair in Diyala, Iraq.  \n  \nA specific type of *jendoul* is depicted by Yahya al-Wasiti in one of his AH 7th / AD 13th century miniatures illustrating the “Maqamat” of al-Hariri: a richly ornamented boat, rowed by three men standing aft. Safina Projects’ work to reconstruct it from this single image was an unusual challenge. The study process included using artist’s impressions and technical drawings, scale modelling, and experimentation with rowing methods to understand how this *jendoul* worked and to calculate its proportions before the first full-sized prototype Abbasid *jendoul* reconstruction was built in AH 1446-7/ AD 2024-25.","type":"Boat (scale model)","holder":"Open Museum Initiative for Water Cultures","owner":"Safina Projects CIC","initial_owner":"Safina Projects CIC","dates":"AH 1446/ AD 2024","location":"Basra","dimensions":"Length: 11m, height: 0.55m, width: 1.5m","method_for_datation":"Production was supervised by current owner.","method_for_provenance":"Production was supervised by current owner.","provenance":"Basra, Iraq","obtention":"Made in workshop organised by Safina Projects.","bibliography":"Agius, D. A.,*Classic Ships of Islam: from Mesopotamia to the Indian Ocean.*, Leiden: Brill, 2014.  \n  \nal-Hariri, Les *Makamat* (AH 634 / AD 1236-1237), in BNF: https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b8422965p/f131.item.zoom# \\[last accessed 16/11/2025\\]","catalogue_holding_link":"https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b8422965p/f131.item.zoom#","author":"Hannah Lewis, Rashad Salim","keywords":["Abbasid","basketry","boat","model","Transport","Watercraft"],"materials":["carpentry, waterproofing.","Pine wood (Russian import), sidr wood, fibreglass"]},"803bdaca-8310-5038-ad10-5c3aca20a66a":{"name":"Estácio Pharmacy","short_description":"Estacio Pharmacy in Porto founded in 1883 starts to produce the first pills medication, within the scientific development of the 18th century end. The preparation of manipulated medicines in the apothecaries of the Catholic monasteries  and convents (Boticas de Convento) was  replaced by the production of medicines by Laboratorial Pharmacies.","type":"Pharmacy; medical equipment","holder":"Pharmacy Museum","dates":"c. 1890–1910","location":"Porto","provenance":"Porto","author":"Paula Basso","keywords":["Pharmacy","Oporto","Pills","Chemistry industry"],"materials":["Wood and glass"]},"8226b2d6-80a1-5f02-b757-05f24715921e":{"name":"Fireplace mirror","description":"A type of console mirror for use above a fireplace, it has imitation legs in the form of flat scrolls. The mirror itself is octagonal, a richly carved frame of ornate C- and S-scrolls and pierced *rocaille* surround it.  \nTwo unidentified coats-of-arms, incorporated into the scrollwork, extend into candle stands from which two angels' heads peep out from the crest formed by shell ornaments.  \nThe mirror furnished the Hütterott family mansion on Crveni otok island, near Rovinj in Istria. A German family of merchants and industrialists from Trieste, their presence in Rovinj began in 1890 when Johann Georg Hütterott opened a climatic health resort there and bought nearby islets, the family playing a major role in the overall advancement of the Rovinj area.","short_description":"The carved gilded frame decorated in a characteristically mid-18th century style, with C- and S-scrolls and pierced *rocaille* belongs to a type of mirror for use above a fireplace. It came from the mansion of the Hütterott family on Crveni otok near Rovinj, which today is a hotel. The merchant and industrialist Hütterott family from Trieste bought several islets near Rovinj in 1890. They advanced the whole Rovinj area, and among other things laid out an exceptional park in Rovinj itself.","type":"Furniture","holder":"Museum of Arts and Crafts","dates":"Mid-18th century","location":"Zagreb, North-West Croatia","dimensions":"H: 205 cm; w: 132 cm","method_for_datation":"Analysis of style","provenance":"From the manor of the Hütterott family on Sv. Andrija island, which after 1945, was renamed Crveni otok island near Rovinj, Istria.","obtention":"Transferred by way of the Commission for the Collection and Preservation of Cultural Monuments, Antiquities and Libraries KOMZA, formed in 1946.","bibliography":"*Kružić Uchytil V. Barokni namještaj iz findusa MUO* (Baroque Furniture in the MUO Holdings), Zagreb, 1985.  \n*Obitelj Hütterott ostavština. Dio I*, Pazin-Rovinj, 2008.","author":"Nela Tarbuk","translator":"Nikolina Jovanović","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["furnishing","gilding","glass","Hütterott family","industry","pierce","polychrome decoration","trade","wood carving"],"materials":["Carved gilded partly polychrome wood"]},"82491e9f-24e6-5380-8457-1657289a939a":{"name":"Cabinet on stand","description":"A large cabinet of the aedicule type standing on the base that belongs to it. In the shape of a horizontally oriented rectangle, and given frontal emphasis by its architectural appearance, its decoration of paintings on glass are framed by veneers of expensive woods – black ebony and tortoiseshell – materials that are also employed to build up the architectural decoration. Rosewood veneer covers the sides.  \nThe central aedicule with twisted pillars and gilt bronze fittings bears a fragmented gable, surmounted with painted fields organised to make up a lunette, and, in the lower zone, the decorative painting conceals a drawer for valuables incorporated into the architectural elements. The remainder of the front maintains rhythm and mobility by the recession of the central surface and projection of the architectural elements.  \nThe decorative repertoire of the glass, painted in tempera on the reverse, consists of figures and mythological scenes with the “*amour* of the gods” prevailing. There are also scenic views treated in the antique manner. Forms and landscapes in fresh colours immersed in silver and blue create refined tints and subtle tonal shading. The painted scenes are in the manner of Luca Giordano and more or less precisely repeat the iconographic motifs of his repertoire.  \nThe base is of richly carved and gilded wood constructed from luxurious, symmetrically conceived, front-facing vegetation – fleshy acanthus leaves powerfully mobilised in S-curves, and floral festoons enhanced with a central motif of mascarons, and figures of *putti*. Lion's-paw feet support the base.","short_description":"A cabinet with the appearance of an architectural façade fitted with drawers for valuables. Richly decorated with painted glass panels framed with ebony and tortoiseshell, it stands on its own luxuriously carved and gilt base. The decorative repertoire of the glass compositions consist of figures, mythological scenes and views treated in the antique manner. The painted scenes are in the style of the Baroque painter, Luca Giordano.","type":"Furniture","holder":"Dubrovnik Cultural History Museum","dates":"c. 1670","location":"Dubrovnik, Dalmatia","dimensions":"H: 214 cm; w: 197 cm; d: 54 cm","place_of_production":"Naples","method_for_datation":"By stylistic analysis and comparative method.","obtention":"Donated in 1948 by the Ragusan nobleman, Ivo Saraka.","bibliography":"Vilać, P., “Kabinetski ormarić iz Kneževa dvora u Dubrovniku'', *Prilozi povijesti umjetnosti u Dalmaciji* 37, 1997–1998, pp. 269–290.","workshop":"Luca Giordano’s workshop","author":"Pavica Vilać","translator":"Graham McMaster","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["floral decoration","furnishing","gilded wood","gilding","glass","mythology","Naples","Neaplitan painters","painting","workshop"],"materials":["Fir carcass, tempera on glass, ebony, tortoiseshell, rosewood (veneer), ebonised wood, carved and gilded wood, gilt bronze"]},"82c65c6f-a7c7-5e4d-90e9-d3af98dc437c":{"name":"Chest with painted scenes.","description":"The piece belongs to the genre of chests with a rectangular body and flat lid.  \nThe decoration, in watercolour black and gilding following the style of Muslim illuminators, covers the entire chest, showing the medley of Christian and Islamic art that can be seen in some well-known examples, including the caskets at Veroli Cathedral and the Bargello Museum in Florence.  \nThe top of the lid shows an image of Christ between two saints within a medallion, beside which are the images of two cheetahs, one pursuing a gazelle and the other a hare. On the bottom right there is a figure of a giraffe accompanied by two keepers spurring it on, while to the left there is an image of a richly harnessed elephant, which appears to be uprooting a small tree with its trunk.  \nThe main sides of the casket bear animal scenes characterised by hunters stalking their prey on foot, founding an iconographic type unique among caskets at that time.  \nThe sides are characterised by a small stylised tree, probably a tree of life around which a pair of peacocks and a pair of birds face each other. This image is also reproduced on the lower decorative bands of the two main sides, with minor variations in the bird species depicted by the tree.  \nThe motif of the dogs and cheetahs chasing gazelles is repeated rhythmically at the bottom of the four sides. Small birds and peacocks alternate along the top edge of the chest near to the lid.  \nIn terms of its decoration, the piece can be most readily compared to the mosaics in the Ruggero Hall and in the paintings on the wooden ceiling held by the Regional Gallery of Palermo.","short_description":"This chest is an example of the combination of Christian and Islamic art. The animal scenes and some of the birds come from Islamic art, while the images of saints and, in this case, Christ, clearly belong to Christian art.","type":"Woodwork, chest, ivory, wood","holder":"Palatine Chapel, Treasury","owner":"Ministry of Interior Affairs, General Directorate of Cultural Affairs","initial_owner":"The State.","dates":"13th century.","location":"Palermo","dimensions":"Height 18 cm, width 48.5 cm, depth 29.5 cm.","method_for_datation":"Although the stylistic analogies linking the chest to various well-known examples of Norman art in Sicily, including in particular the mosaics in the Ruggero Hall and the paintings on the wooden ceiling of the Palatine Chapel, seem to be universally accepted by scholars, there are a number of different theories as to the date of the piece. Di Marzo, followed by Scerrato and Pinder Wilson, suggests the 13th century, thus placing the work in the Federican period. Biagi, however, identifies the origins of the decorative type in the Persian miniature and suggests the 12th century. This hypothesis is supported by Cott and Ferrandis. (See Bibliography.)","method_for_provenance":"The presence of various examples comparable to this piece has led scholars to believe that there may have been a single centre of production, probably in Sicily or southern Italy, and Amalfi especially. With reference to this chest in particular, the hypothesis put forward by Pinder Wilson and Scerrato, linking the piece to the production of Islamic art in Sicily during the Federican period, seems the most comprehensive. (See Bibliography.)","provenance":"Sicily or Southern Italy.","obtention":"Unknown.","bibliography":"Andaloro, M. (ed.), *Federico e la Sicilia dalla Terra alla Corona, Arti Figurative e Suntuarie*, Exhibition catalogue, Palermo, 1995.  \nCott, P. B.*, Siculo-Arabic Ivories,* Princeton, 1939.  \nDi Marzo, G., *Di una Cassetta d’Avorio nella Real Cappella Palatina di Palermo,* Palermo, 1887.  \nGabrieli, F. and Scerrato U., *Gli Arabi in Italia*, Milan, 1979.  \nKunhel, E., “Avorio e Osso: L’Arte dell’Avorio nel Mondo Islamico’*, Enciclopedia Universale dell’Arte*, II, Florence, 1958.  \nPinder Wilson, R. H. and Brooke, C. N. L., “The Reliquary of St. Petroc and the Ivories of Norman Sicily”, *Arcaeologia*, 1973, p.104.  \n*Siculo-Norman Art: Islamic Culture in Medieval Sicily*, p.64.","dynasty":"Arab-Norman art","linkcatalogs":"IAM_IT_EN_001","author":"Maria Ilaria Randazzo","copy_editor":"Pier Paolo Racioppi","translator":"Laurence Nunny","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["Chest","figurative decoration","floral decoration","Siculo-Norman art"],"materials":["Painted ivory on a wooden frame. Designs in black with water-based colour and gold leaf."]},"835a8c7a-4922-5e4a-890f-690762ae7663":{"name":"One side of a double door","short_description":"The door is covered with geometric patterns. The wooden sections on the front contain fine inlays using the *khatamkari* technique, which was probably developed in the 15th-16th century in the form shown here, and was often used to embellish Shiite shrines in Iran and Iraq. The perfection of the patterns has traditionally been a metaphor of the infinity of God.","type":"Woodwork, door, wood, metalwork","holder":"The David Collection","dates":"Hegira 11th century / AD 17th century","location":"Copenhagen","provenance":"Iran","dynasty":"Safavid","keywords":["Door","Khatamkari technique","metalwork","wood"],"materials":["Several types of wood, inlaid with brass, various types of bone, and wood"]},"84dd3553-46ec-5600-8a2a-e99eb0f50285":{"name":"Three choir stalls.","description":"Three surviving seats from the choir stall. The arms, elaborately carved, mimic smooth timber columns with finely worked capital and base. The separators between the seats have been hollowed out and outlined to form mixtilinear arches with a strong Almohad influence. There are wheels in relief on the spandrels. There is now practically no colour left, with the exception of the persistent red and a few other traces from which a painted lion can be made out, already quite deteriorated when the piece was acquired. The dominant decorative elements are plant arabesques and the polychromy of the heraldic motifs relating to the kingdom of León.  \nThis piece is noteworthy not just for its intrinsic quality, but also because it demonstrates the importance of León in the emergence of Mudéjar carpentry. This low stall, along with the Astudillo stall also held at the National Archaeological Museum, is one of the most exceptional examples of this type of carpentry in this Mudéjar style.","short_description":"Mudéjar craftsmen were sometimes used to work on choir stalls in churches and monasteries, and they brought their own techniques and decorative motifs. These stalls from the Monastery of Santa María de Gradefes in León are particularly noteworthy for the excellence of the joinery and their rich decoration of plant arabesques.","type":"Woodwork, stall, pine","holder":"National Archaeological Museum.","dates":"1230–50.","location":"Madrid","dimensions":"Height 150 cm; width 70 cm.","method_for_datation":"From its typical characteristics. The earliest document on the monastery dates from 1140.","method_for_provenance":"From existing documentation. It remained in the monastery until its sale in 1874.","provenance":"Monastery of Santa María de Gradefes, León, Spain.","obtention":"The piece was purchased for the National Archaeological Museum from José Gil Dorregaray on 13 March 1874.","bibliography":"Calvo, A., *El Monasterio de Gradefes. Apuntes para su Historia y la de Algunos Otros Cenobios y Pueblos del Concejo*, León, 1936–45; facsimile edition, Leon, 1984.  \nFranco Mata, A., “Arte Medieval Cristiano Leonés en el Museo Arqueológico Nacional”, *Tierras de León*, 71, Leon, 1988, pp.54–5, no. 19.  \nGarcía Gutiérrez, A., *Noticia Histórico-Descriptiva del Museo Arqueológico Nacional*, Madrid, 1876, p.108.  \nTorres Balbás, L., *Arte Almohade, Arte Nazarí, Arte Mudéjar*, *Ars Hispaniae*, Vol. IV, Madrid, 1949, p.401.  \n  \n*Mudéjar Art: Islamic Aesthetics in Christian Art*, pp.66–8.","dynasty":"Mudéjar","linkcatalogs":"IAM_ES_EN_001","author":"Ángela Franco","copy_editor":"Rosalía Aller","translator":"Laurence Nunny","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["carving","Choir stalls","Gradefes","Leon","Mudéjar","religious furnishing","wood"],"materials":["carving.","Pine"]},"854a0735-8c8e-5262-ae65-6ccff0a9b37b":{"name":"Pair of Doors","short_description":"Although the building to which this pair of carved wooden doors originally belonged is not precisely known, clues may lie in its Qur’anic inscriptions, carved in the *naskh* script and framing four panels of openwork designs of scrolling vines. Each text quoted from the Qur’an mentions the rewards of Paradise, and those on the right door (2:274) specifically state that wealthy persons who spend their money for pious purposes need not fear what awaits them in the afterlife. Together, this suite of inscriptions suggests that the doors may have once graced a Shi‘ite shrine or a Sufi tomb.","type":"Architectural Elements","holder":"Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA)","dates":"Hegira 9th-early 10th century / AD 15th-early 16th century","location":"Los Angeles","dimensions":"a: 170.2 x 41.3cm; b: 62.6 x 39.4cm","method_for_datation":"The doors are consonant in technique and style to pairs of doors dated to the 15th century from Timurid Iran, as well as other examples of carved wood such as cenotaphs, most of which are associated with the province of Mazandaran. The Qur’anic text of the inscriptions indicates the doors are from a religious edifice.","method_for_provenance":"The LACMA doors are similar in form, size, decorative layout and epigraphic style to other doors from Timurid Iran.","provenance":"Iran","obtention":"Collection of Nasli M. Heeramaneck (1902-1971), New York, until 1973 (sold to); LACMA, The Nasli M. Heeramaneck collection, gift of Joan Palevsky.","bibliography":"Gierlichs, Joachim, “Tabrizi Woodcarvings in Timurid Iran,” in Judith Pfeiffer (ed), *Politics, Patronage and the Transmission of Knowledge in 13th - 15th Century Tabriz*, Leiden: Brill, 2014: 361, fig. 3.  \nKomaroff, Linda, *Lo Terrenal y lo Divino: Arte Islámico siglos VII al XIX Colección del Museo de Arte del Condado de Los Ángeles*, Santiago: Centro Cultural La Moneda, 2015: 108.","dynasty":"Timurid","author":"LACMA Staff","keywords":["architectural element","calligraphy","carved","Door","Iran","Paradise","Qur'anic inscriptions","Quranic inscriptions","Timurid","wood"],"materials":["carved","Wood"]},"85597a71-d670-530e-8302-7a8eb8d08410":{"name":"Horizontal ground loom","description":"This useful tool has been used since the Neolithic age. A horizontal ground loom is a simple arrangement of four pegs tied in place. The warp (vertical) threads are wound onto the sticks and tied in place. The loom has a heddle, batten, jacks, a warp beam and a shed rod. The weaver works the weft (horizontal) threads, by hand, through the stretched out warp. A shuttle is used to pass the wool.","type":"Loom","holder":"Jordan River Foundation Bani Hamida Weaving Project","dates":"AD 1916","location":"Mukawer","dimensions":"L: 40 -2200cm, W: 40-150cm","method_for_datation":"Owners","provenance":"Bani Hamida","obtention":"Bought","author":"Halima Al Qa'dan","copy_editor":"Lisa Kelman","materials":["Wood and iron"]},"857327b5-d36c-56a4-a959-8c0836d3b51c":{"name":"Spindle","description":"A spindle is a straight spike made from wood used for spinning and twisting wool fibres into yarn. It is weighted on one end, by a disc or spherical object called a whorl.","type":"Spindle","holder":"The Jordan Museum","owner":"The Circassian Charity Association","dates":"AD 1860","location":"Amman","dimensions":"L: 38cm, W: 5cm","method_for_datation":"The great grandparents of the owners of this object brought it with them to Jordan when they immigrated in 1860.","provenance":"Caucasus","obtention":"Loan","author":"Najd Sweidan","copy_editor":"Lisa Kelman","materials":["Wood"]},"85787dd4-f609-5fdf-ad19-38987eb94fa6":{"name":"Carved wood fragment.","description":"This fragment comes from the *minbar* (preacher's chair) of the Great Mosque of Kairouan, which was donated by Prince Abu Ibrahim Ahmad. This is the oldest dated preacher's chair in the Islamic world. Constructed of teak wood, it is made up of an assembly of over 300 carved pieces. Exceptionally rich in ornament, these panels show just how varied were the models from which Ifriqiyan carvers took their repertoire. This fragment was part of the riser forming the top edge of the staircase of the *minbar*.  \nThe rich floral decoration of the panel consists of alternately arranged foliated scrolls, each one containing a spread vine-leaf and a cluster of grapes. Stylised five-leaf or furled three-leaf vine motifs are the most favoured floral designs of Aghlabid decoration.  \nAll these Byzantine-influenced decorations have an affinity with those found on sculpted objects and monuments of the Umayyad period. The finesse of the floral decoration, the richness of the work and the high quality of the finish, as well as the nature of the woods used all show how mature Ifriqiyan art was at that time and how well it adopted, developed and took forward the Umayyad tradition.","short_description":"This fragment comes from the pulpit of the Great Mosque of Kairouan, which was donated by Prince Abu Ibrahim Ahmad and is the oldest dated pulpit in the Muslim world. Its extremely rich and varied decoration is evidence of the maturity of Ifriqiyan art at that time.","type":"Woodwork, wood","holder":"Museum of Islamic Art.","initial_owner":"The Aghlabid prince, Abu Ibrahim Ahmad (r. AH 242–9 / AD 856–63).","dates":"Hegira 242–9 / AD 856–63.","location":"Raqqada., Kairouan.","dimensions":"Length 64 cm, width 5.5 cm, thickness 3.5 cm.","method_for_datation":"Historical texts reveal that this *minbar* dates from the period of the fifth reigning Aghlabid prince, Abu Ibrahim Ahmad. This is corroborated by the fact that the decoration of the fragment belongs to the Aghlabid repertoire, and by the strong affinity with the carved motifs on the wooden lintels of the Mosque of the Three Doors, dating from the year 252 / 866.","method_for_provenance":"Some historical texts suggest that this *minbar* was made in Baghdad, but the information is unclear and not viable. If the teak wood can be shown to originate from the Indian sub-continent, then all the evidence would suggest this is in fact the work of Kairouanese wood-carvers.","provenance":"Kairouan.","obtention":"After the restoration of the *minbar* of the Great Mosque of Kairouan around 1920, some pieces were removed and kept with the mosque's relics. When the Great Mosque's museum was created in 1965, this fragment was taken from the relics and displayed at the museum. Since 1986 it has been kept at the Museum of Islamic Art at Raqqada, where it will be displayed in the second section, which is currently under refurbishment (2005).","bibliography":"*Tunez, Tierra de Culturas* (exhibition catalogue), Valencia, 2004, p.232.  \n*Ifriqiya: Thirteen Centuries of Art and Architecture in Tunisia*, pp.159–62, 182–3.","dynasty":"Aghlabid","author":"Mourad Rammah","copy_editor":"Margot Cortez","translator":"David Ash","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["floral decoration","furnishing"],"materials":["Carved teak wood."]},"85acf1b7-5e53-59d4-aaea-ce86103574d8":{"name":"Painted wooden board.","description":"Painted on this board in *kufic* script is part of the eighteenth verse of *sura* 3. The vertical lines of the letters have a chamfered effect and some are finished off with a bi-lobed fleuron. The background is punched into a simple floral design.  \nThe angles of the letters *waw* and *mim* develop into scrolls which fill the empty space between them. The characters are carefully designed, precisely drawn, and finished with a chamfered effect. The yellow-ochre outside edging makes the letters stand out from the background. This technique, which substitutes for carving letters in relief, is known to have been used in the ceilings of the Great Mosque of Kairouan since the AH 3rd / AD 9th century.","short_description":"This board bears a *kufic* inscription consisting of part of a Qur'anic verse from the *sura* Al-Imran. The inscribed field is decorated with floral motifs. This technique replaced the inscriptions carved in wood in relief and can be seen in the ceilings of the Great Mosque of Kairouan.","type":"Woodwork, board, wood","holder":"Museum of Islamic Art.","initial_owner":"Ordered on behalf of the Zirid prince, al-Mu‘izz ibn Badis by his minister, Muhammad ibn Abi al-Arab.","dates":"Hegira 413–14 / AD 1022–3.","location":"Raqqada., Kairouan.","dimensions":"Length 141 cm, width 16 cm, thickness 4 cm.","method_for_datation":"A still intact section of the painted ceiling of the prayer hall of the Great Mosque of Kairouan with the same decorative and calligraphic characteristics as this board is part of the work ordered by the minister, al-Qasim ibn Muhammad ibn Ali al-Arab (period of office 413–14 / 1022–3) on behalf of the Zirid prince, al-Mu'izz ibn Badis. The lettering and the motifs used date this board from the end of the 4th to the beginning of the 5th century (10th–11th century).","method_for_provenance":"A still intact section of the painted ceiling of the prayer hall of the Great Mosque of Kairouan has the same decorative and calligraphic characteristics as this board.","provenance":"Kairouan.","obtention":"During the restoration of the Great Mosque of Kairouan in the 1960s some beams and boards from the ceiling of the prayer hall, considered to be too old, were removed and conserved in the storerooms of the National Institute of the Patrimony of Kairouan. When the second section of the Museum of Islamic Art at Raqqada was refurbished in 1999 this board was selected for display there.","bibliography":"*Tunisie: du Christianisme a l'Islam* (exhibition catalogue), Lattes, 2001, pp.191–2.  \n*Ifriqiya: Thirteen Centuries of Art and Architecture in Tunisia*, pp.159–62.","dynasty":"Fatimid–Zirid","author":"Mourad Rammah","copy_editor":"Margot Cortez","translator":"David Ash","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["calligraphy","floral decoration","furnishing","painted wood"],"materials":["Painted wood, floral design."]},"8609522c-18c6-5b1c-9149-7c3bb976c5b7":{"name":"Neo-Mamluk, metal-inlaid copper alloy Table","short_description":"In 13th/ 19th- century Egypt, the political, cultural and social climate increasingly encouraged a nationalistic reappraisal of indigenous heritage. The era of the Mamluks, who had ruled Egypt and Syria between the later 7th/13th and the early 10th/ 16th centuries, was particularly celebrated as a golden age in national history. As a result, artisans now turned their efforts to reviving the glories of Mamluk artefacts, and particularly their celebrated, silver- and gold-inlaid metalwork. This stand or table is an exquisite example of such revivalist work. It copies a famous Mamluk Qur’an stand in the Museum of Arab Art in Cairo, inscribed with the name of the Mamluk Sultan al-Nasir Muhammad ibn Qalawun (r. 1294-1340) and made by Muhammad ibn Sunqur al-Baghdadi.","type":"Copper-alloy, metal inlaid table","holder":"Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilisation / Sharjah Museums Department","dates":"Hegira late 13th – early 14th century / AD late 19th – early 20th century","location":"Sharjah","dimensions":"Height 690 mm, width 380 mm","provenance":"Egypt, Cairo","author":"Ulrike Al-Khamis","keywords":["Mamluk","blazon","kufi","thuluth","al-Nasir ibn al-Nasir Muhammad ibn Qalawun"],"materials":["Sheet copper alloy with metal inlay"]},"88c2eecc-1ad6-5b2b-8f02-6efabc4b470c":{"name":"Pediment of a door.","description":"This pediment takes the form of a half-polygon of nine sides, consisting of four panels; the first is ornamented with vegetal decoration; the remaining three are decorated with a nine-line inscription, sculpted in relief and in cursive lettering, except for the last line, which is in quadrangular *kufic*. The final six lines of the inscription are centrally divided by floral and geometric decoration. This inscription features the following text: 'May God protect us from Satan the abuser / In houses that God allowed us to build / in which men invoke his Name and glorify Him, morning and night (Qur'an, XXI, 36–37) / raised house, full of invocations, erected for the worship of God. He will pardon those who find themselves there / and the one who founded and built it, Yahyia ibn Mahdjuba, who offered it to God / Forgive him his past! Protect him from the heat of hell! Enable him to enter paradise where he will experience well-being! / Grant him Your assurance and Your protection against the terrors of the day of resurrection! Offer him a place at the top of paradise! What success for those who are there! / In the year *chin*, *djim*, the construction was finished and completed with the help of God. Oh reader, make wishes in favour of he who built this / Through the forgiveness and indulgence of God, through the intercession of the best of men! Do it so that one can always read the tradition to the people.'  \nThis inscription is the only one in Algeria that features a date written in the form of a chronogram (in adding together the numeric values of each letter that it consists of, one obtains the date it conceals). This pediment was previously situated above the entrance to a *zawiya* known under the name of Zawiya Ibn Mahdjuba, adjacent to a cemetery. The building was demolished around 1865, during the widening/opening of the rue Nationale.  \nThe person mentioned is the sheik Abu-Zakariya Yahyia ibn Mahdjuba (d. AH 1017 / AD 1608), who was a *mufti* and who is mentioned in a manuscript contemporary to the era.","short_description":"This pediment stood above the entrance to a *zawiya* and consists of four panels. The first is decorated with plant motifs and the other three bear an inscription carved in cursive characters (*kufic* in the last line) that glorify God and the patron of the work. It is dated by a chronogram included in the inscription.","type":"Woodwork, wood carving","holder":"National Museum of Antiquities and Islamic Arts","dates":"Hegira 1003 / AD 1594.","location":"Algiers","dimensions":"Height 85 cm, length of base 127 cm, depth 5.5 cm.","method_for_datation":"Via the chronogram included within the inscription; the Arabic letters *djim* and *chin* correspond to numeric values set within the Maghrebi system: *djim* = 1,000, *chin* = 3; 1,000 + 3 = 1003 (AD 1594).","method_for_provenance":"Merit is due to E. Bigonet, who was able to track down the person responsible for the demolition of the Zawiya Ibn Mahdjuba. This person authorised him to look through all the heaps that remained of the demolished building. It was thus that he recovered this inscription, which he then offered to the National Museum of Antiquities.","provenance":"Zawiya Ibn Mahdjuba, Constantine, Algeria.","obtention":"Gift from E. Bigonet who, in 1878, undertook research in Constantine on the subject of this inscription, already published.","bibliography":"Bigonet, E., “Une inscription de Constantine”, *Revue africaine*, Vol. 47, 1903, pp. 305–11.  \nBourouiba, R., *Les inscriptions commémoratives des mosquées d'Algérie*, Algiers, 1984.  \nCherbonneau, A., “Inscriptions arabes de la province de Constantine”, in *RSAC,* 1856–7, pp. 88–90.  \nMarçais, G., *Le musée Stéphane Gsell, musée des antiquités et d'art musulman d'Alger*, Algiers, 1950.  \nMercier, G., *Corpus des inscriptions arabes et turques de l'Algérie*, II, *Département de Constantine*, Paris, 1902.","dynasty":"Ottoman","author":"Leila Merabet","copy_editor":"Margot Cortez","translator":"Maria Vlotides","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["cursive characters","epigraphy","floral decoration","geometric decoration","kufic","Ottoman","religious architecture","wood"],"materials":["Cedar wood, carved in relief, marquetry."]},"893326f6-9a4d-57db-bdf6-56796de6ef99":{"name":"Fragment from a carved wooden piece.","description":"In the Raqqa region one can find fragments of wood that once decorated the formal halls of its Abbasid royal palaces. It is possible to classify these fragments into three types according to their techniques of decoration. The first group is adorned with relatively realistic coloured and gilded carved ornamentation that includes floral and calligraphic motifs. The second group is carved in a slanted manner so that the edges of the carved objects appear curved and not sharp. The examples of this group are influenced by the Abbasid Samarra motifs identified as \"Samarra Style C\". The third group, to which this piece belongs, has decorative motifs carved in a vertical manner so that the panel appears to have an upper surface and a lower background. The decorative carving is flat with sharp edges and the groove to the background is deep, as can be seen in the small deep holes indicating the circular part of the calligraphic letters. The piece is decorated with Arabic *kufic* script that reads “Commander of the Faithful.” It seems to have been partially burned in a fire.","short_description":"This calligraphic wooden panel with its sharp vertically carved angles and deep circular grooves is one example of the many carving styles that were developed in the Abbasid period and spread throughout the region.","type":"Woodwork, panel, wood","holder":"National Museum of Damascus","dates":"Around hegira 4th–5th century / AD 10th–11th century.","location":"Damascus","dimensions":"Length 43 cm, width 13 cm.","method_for_datation":"The carving technique used on this wood fragment is distinctly Abbasid-Islamic and was developed during the Abbasid period in Iraq and Syria.","method_for_provenance":"The wooden piece was discovered in the vicinity of the Abbasid palaces in the Raqqa region, and therefore it is assumed that it was made *in situ*.","provenance":"Raqqa region, Syria.","obtention":"The piece was accidentally discovered by a resident of the Raqqa region during the early 1950s. He presented it to the archaeological expedition working there at that time.","bibliography":"Abu al-Faraj al-Ush, M., *A Concise Guide to the National Museum of Damascus,* Damascus, 1969, p.158.  \nAndalucia, J., de- (ed), *El esplendor de los Omeyas cordobeses*, exhibition catalogue, Granada, 2001.  \nDaiber, V., and Becker A., *Raqqa III*, Mainz, 2004.","dynasty":"Abbasid","author":"Mona al-Moadin","translator":"Hilary Kalmbach (from the Arabic)","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["carved","kufic script","Raqqa","Samarra","wood"],"materials":["Carved wood."]},"8b0ffe7f-502c-57bf-afc8-2a2f22466bfe":{"name":"Console","description":"From a base with four round feet springs the console resembling two vine branches, intertwined with vine-leaves and grapes. The carving is powerful as the volumes are full and in the round. The wood is gilded with silver leaf. The table is painted to look like a dark green false marble, with pale green veins. Formerly thought to be a nineteenth-century remake from a Tuscan workshop, today this console is considered an original piece dating to the eighteenth-century. The original provenance is unknown, but it was likely made in Tuscany. The console is part of the furniture of the baroque apartment, on the first floor of the building which was made between 1736 and 1738 for the wedding of Francesco Tozzoni and Carlotta Beroaldi.","short_description":"This piece of furniture is very original; the base is made of vine-shoots and grapes realistically intertwined with a strongly naturalistic carving. We don’t know its original provenance. The console is housed in the red living room of the baroque apartment on the first floor of Palazzo Tozzoni, built between 1736 and 1738 for the marriage of Francesco Tozzoni and Carlotta Beroaldi.","type":"Woodwork","holder":"Palazzo Tozzoni","initial_owner":"Serristori Tozzoni family","dates":"First half of the eighteenth century","location":"Imola, Bologna, Emilia-Romagna","dimensions":"92 x 147 x 85 cm","place_of_production":"Tuscany (?)","provenance":"Imola","workshop":"Full Baroque","copyright":"Copyright image: Archivio fotografico Musei Civici di Imola.","author":"Oriana Orsi","translator":"Antonella Mampieri","translation_copy_editor":"Lisa Kelman","keywords":["Console","furnishing","grape design","vine tendris decoration","wood carving","woodwork","workpshop"],"materials":["Wood carved, painted as marble and covered with a silver leaf"]},"8b53557d-3049-52a4-936d-94e2aa610550":{"name":"Panel from a door or *minbar*","short_description":"This carved pine panel is composed of two boards flanking alternating square and rectangular panels. The vine scrolls, particularly those carved in high relief in the central panels, exhibit close affinities with their Late Antique prototypes. A nearly identical panel in the Benaki Museum in Athens suggests that together these may have formed a two-panelled door.","type":"Woodwork","holder":"The Metropolitan Museum of Art","dates":"Hegira 2nd–first half 3rd century / AD late 8th–first half 9th century","location":"New York","dimensions":"H: 179.7cm, W: 39.4cm; Mount: H: 191.8cm, W: 51.4cm, Diameter: 15.2cm, Wt: 35.8kg","provenance":"Iraq","obtention":"Rogers Fund, 1931  \nVendor: Hagop Kevorkian, New York  \nFormer owner \\[dealer\\]: \\[Hagop Kevorkian, New York, until 1931; sold to MMA\\]","bibliography":"Clark, Kenneth, *The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Masterpieces of Fifty Centuries*, New York: E. P. Dutton & Co., 1970: 156, no. 124, ill. (b/w).  \nDimand, Maurice S., \"An Arabic Woodcarving of the Eighth Century\", *Museum of Metropolitan Art Bulletin*, 26/11 (1931): 271-274.  \nDimand, Maurice S., \"Studies in Islamic Ornament: I. Some Aspects of Omaiyad and Early 'Abassid Ornament,\" *Ars Islamica*, IV (1937): 294-6, ill. figs. 1, 2, 3.  \nDimand, Maurice S., *A Handbook of Muhammadan Art. 2nd rev. and enl. ed.*, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1944: 109, ill. fig. 61 (b/w).  \nEttinghausen, Richard, and Grabar, Oleg, *The Art and Architecture of Islam: 650–1250*, Middlesex: Penguin Books, 1987: 107, ill. fig. 84 (b/w).  \nḤamīd, Isā Salmān, \"al-Tuhaf al-khashabiyya\", *Mawsū‘at madīnat Tikrīt*, 2 (1996): 204, ill. fig. 4.  \nLukens, Marie G., *The Metropolitan Museum of Art Guide to the Collections: Islamic Art. Vol. 9*, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1965: 3, ill. fig.1.","dynasty":"Abbasid","copyright":"The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Rogers Fund, 1931","keywords":["Abbasid","architectural decoration","architectural element","carpentry","carved decoration","carving","craftsmanship","Door","foliated","high relief","Iraq","low relief","plant decoration","vegetal decoration","vegetal motifs","wood","wood carving"],"materials":["carved","Wood (pine)"]},"8c5bd2b7-5767-58df-9aca-d0fdbe20c4ea":{"name":"Portable pharmacy","short_description":"The Arab world was a territory to discover but with a individual pharmacy travel case in order to face different diseases.","type":"Pharmacy; medical equipment","holder":"Pharmacy Museum","dates":"c. 1880–1900","location":"Lisbon","dimensions":"Height 32,40 cm","provenance":"Italy","author":"Paula Basso","keywords":["Travelling","África","Pharmacy"],"materials":["Wood, glass, white metal, brass"]},"8fa09327-47d4-5dce-9649-b4f26818817e":{"name":"Jar","description":"A hollow wooden jar with a rounded base and a large rhomboid-shaped body designed to store a greater quantity of water. It has a slightly protruding circular mouth, while on either side of the body are small recessed areas for fastening a rope to secure it to an animal. The jar is lightweight enough to be carried or transported over short distances. It was used for storing and transporting water in rural or Bedouin settings and was designed to facilitate drawing water from wells or troughs and preserving it for a period of time.","type":"Jar","holder":"Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim Al Thani Museum FBQ Museum","dates":"Late AH 13th century AH / AD 19th century","location":"Ash-Shahaniyah, Qatar","dimensions":"Jar diameter: 133cm,  Rim diameter: 40cm, Height: 40cm","provenance":"The Arabian Peninsula","copy_editor":"Zeina Al Amad","keywords":["Jar","water","wood"],"materials":["Wood, carving"]},"914eb4c5-9b5a-549c-b385-fee293bdb38a":{"name":"Cogged well wheel (*al-manjūr*)","description":"The central hub of a cogged well wheel (*al-manjūr*) is made from a single cross-cut section of local hardwood such as the Christ's thorn jujube (Zisiphus spina-christi, locally known as *sidr*). To form the cogs, a double row of hand-shaped wedges, also of hardwood, are fitted into the hub individually. The wheel is then lashed together with shark skin or goat leather.","type":"Well wheel","holder":"National Museum of Oman","owner":"National Museum of Oman","dates":"AH 14th / AD 20th century","location":"Muscat, Oman","dimensions":"Height: 92.5cm, length: 95cm, diameter: 40cm","place_of_production":"Northern Oman","provenance":"Local acquisition","obtention":"Local acquisition.","dynasty":"al-Busaid","copy_editor":"Alvaro Miranda","keywords":["water","Well wheel."],"materials":["Wood"]},"9158959f-5857-53e2-91ec-f0d84c8343d7":{"name":"Rectangular chest with a truncated-pyramid lid.","description":"This wooden chest consists of a rectangular structure with a truncated-pyramid lid.  \nIt has gilded bronze clasps terminating with lance-shaped brackets around the outside and five straps, also lance-shaped, fixed vertically to reinforce the lid and body. Tri-lobed handles, also in gilded bronze, decorate the lid and the smaller sides.  \nThe edges of the individual faces of the lid are decorated with small painted crosses made up of groups of circles emanating from a central point and painted alternately in red and green ink. On the short sides of the chest, the circles are grouped into triangles with obvious symbolic meaning. There is a fabric lining on the inside that would have originally been red.  \nThere are a number of similar pieces that can be compared to this one. Specifically, with regard to the decoration, the most comprehensive comparisons are with the oval chest at York Minster in the UK and with two examples with truncated-pyramid lids in Palermo, also in the Palatine Chapel collection. Nonetheless, the most obvious comparisons can be drawn with the chest at the Walters Art Gallery in Baltimore, USA, in which there are similarities not only in the decoration but also in the form and the inclusion of bronze elements.","short_description":"Caskets similar to this one in shape and materials have been found in Sicily and southern Italy, where they would have been produced by Muslim craftsmen. The insides of these caskets were usually lined with fabric and they may have been used to keep jewellery.","type":"Woodwork, chest, ivory, wood","holder":"Palatine Chapel, Treasury","dates":"12th century.","location":"Palermo","dimensions":"Height 12.5 cm, width 20.5 cm, depth 14.5 cm.","method_for_datation":"Despite the lack of specific documentary references, reference may be made to Cott’s work, which mainly attributes carved ivory production to the 12th century. This dating is subsequently taken up by Pinder Wilson with specific reference to the first half of the century, in relation to the chest at York Minster, which he suggests is linked to the trip made by William Fitz Herbert in 1147–8 to Sicily and his cousin Ruggero (Roger) II. (See Bibliography.)","method_for_provenance":"The existence of various pieces comparable to this one has led scholars to believe that there may have been a single centre of production in Sicily or, according to Pinder Wilson (see Bibliography), southern Italy, specifically Amalfi.","provenance":"Sicily or southern Italy (Amalfi).","obtention":"Not available.","bibliography":"Andaloro, M. (ed.), *Federico e la Sicilia dalla Terra alla Corona, Arti Figurative e Suntuarie*, Exhibition catalogue, Palermo, 1995.  \nCott, P. B.*, Siculo- Arabic Ivories,* Princeton, 1939.  \nDi Marzo, G., *Note Illustrative degli Antichi Cofanetti della Real Cappella Palatina di Palermo*, Palermo, s.d.  \nFerrandis, J., *Marfiles Arabes de Occidente*, Vol. II, Madrid, 1935–40.  \nGabrieli, F. and Scerrato U.*, Gli Arabi in Italia*, Milan, 1979.  \nPinder Wilson, R. H. and Brooke, C. N. L., “The Reliquary of St. Petroc and the Ivories of Norman Sicily”, *Arcaeologia*, 1973, p.104.","workshop":"Islamicised workers from Sicily or southern Italy.","dynasty":"Arab-Norman art","linkcatalogs":"IAM_IT_EN_001","author":"Maria Ilaria Randazzo","copy_editor":"Pier Paolo Racioppi","translator":"Laurence Nunny","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["Chest","Siculo-Norman art"],"materials":["Carved ivory on a wooden framework, gilded bronze."]},"920e1526-6e4c-5336-8f89-0cc695c54cff":{"name":"Ker Porter’s box","short_description":"In 1814 Ker Porter, British artist and travelller, visited Rich. Together they explored famous sites in Iraq. He mistook the ruins at Aqar Quf for the Tower of Babel. The box contains fragments of a Babylonian mudbrick and bitumen, matching the Biblical description of the Tower.","type":"Box","holder":"The British Museum","dates":"c. 1800","location":"London","provenance":"?","keywords":["Bible","Babel"]},"92830f7a-b5c3-5e7e-9a7f-a0686de50300":{"name":"*Peškun*","description":"This *Peškun* (Tr. *peşkun*) has a base of ten vertical sides that carry a protruding decagonal plate at the top. The sides are also divided horizontally into three zones, the highest of which has a central flower motif, the middle a honeycomb-like openwork ellipse, and the lowest an opening in the form of a pointed five-leafed arch, below which is a flower with leaves and a rounded three-leafed arch. On the upper panel, there is a star-shaped field with a flower in the center of it, while other floral motifs are in the spaces between the decagon and the arms of the star. All floral and geometric ornaments are made of mother-of-pearl and brass wire using the incrustation technique, while the edge of the decagonal top plate is ornamented with bone.  \n*Peškun* is the name of a traditional piece of Ottoman furniture in the shape of a table or stool. It was originally meant for sitting, although it had different purposes throughout history, especially as a decorative table in Balkan oriental interiors of the 19th and of the first half of the 20th century. Over time, the larger table (in the set of usually three pieces) began to be used as a coffee table, while the smaller ones were used as stools. *Peškun* were ordinarily made of walnut wood, ornamented with incrusted floral and geometric motifs made of mother-of-pearl and bone.","type":"Table","holder":"Museum of Applied Art","dates":"Hegira late 13th–early 14th century / AD late 19th century–early 20th century","location":"Belgrade","dimensions":"Height: 59.5cm, width: 46cm","place_of_production":"Austria-Hungary, possibly Sarajevo","method_for_datation":"By stylistic analysis, material, technique, and analogy with other similar examples.","obtention":"Purchased in 1951.","author":"Ana Samardžić","keywords":["incrustation","Ottoman Balkans","peškun","side table","stool"],"materials":["incrustation","Walnut, mother of pearl, bone, brass"]},"92eac99d-e9e4-5c28-91d6-bd693774ecfb":{"name":"Pair of *minbar* doors","short_description":"A *minbar* consists of a podium that has doors at its base and is reached by stairs. This pair of doors probably comes from the *minbar* of the mosque of the amir Saif al-Din Qawsun in Cairo. Furnishings in Cairo's mosques, especially during the Mamluk period (1250–1517), were decorated with intricately constructed polygons. This pair of doors exhibits a great variety of patterns, most of which are also found in other media, such as stone carvings, marble mosaics, and stucco window grilles. The accurate cutting required to make these patterned objects is remarkable, as every piece affects the whole.","type":"Woodwork","holder":"The Metropolitan Museum of Art","dates":"Hegira c. 725–31 / AD c. 1325–30","location":"New York","dimensions":"H: 196.2cm, W: 88.9cm, D: 4.4cm; Weight of piece: ca. 80- 120lbs [Object encased in weighted freestanding mount]","provenance":"Cairo, Egypt","obtention":"Edward C. Moore Collection, Bequest of Edward C. Moore, 1891  \nFormer owner: Edward C. Moore, American, New York 1827–1891 New York, New York (until d. 1891; bequeathed to MMA)","bibliography":"Canby, Sheila R., \"The Islamic Galleries at The Met\", *Arts of Asia*, 42 (September/October 2012): 82, ill. fig. 3 (colour).  \nCampbell, Thomas P. (ed), *The Metropolitan Museum of Art. The Metropolitan Museum of Art Guide*, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2012: 134, ill. (colour).  \nClark, Kenneth (ed), *Masterpieces of Fifty Centuries: the Metropolitan Museum of Art*, New York: E. P. Dutton & Co., 1970: 158, no. 127, ill. (b/w).  \nDimand, Maurice S., *A Handbook of Mohammedan Decorative Arts*, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1930: 99–100, ill. fig. 44 (b/w).  \nDimand, Maurice S., *A Handbook of Muhammadan Art*, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1944: 127, ill. fig. 71 (b/w).  \nEkhtiar, Maryam, Canby, Shelia R., Haidar, Navina and Soucek, Priscilla P. (eds), *Masterpieces from the Department of Islamic Art in The Metropolitan Museum of Art*, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2011: 14, 139, 163–64, no. 113, ill. 164 (colour).  \nEttinghausen, Richard, \"Islamic Art\", *Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin*, 33/1 (Spring 1975): 26, ill. 26 (b/w).  \nJenkins-Madina, Marilyn, \"Collecting the \"Orient\" at the Met: Early Tastemakers in America\", *Ars Orientalis*, 30 (2000): 78.  \nde Montebello, Philippe and Howard, Kathleen (ed), *The Metropolitan Museum of Art Guide*, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1992: 318, ill. fig. 18 (colour).","dynasty":"Mamluk","copyright":"The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Edward C. Moore Collection, Bequest of Edward C. Moore, 1891","keywords":["architectural element","Cairo","Door","ebony","Egypt","furnishing","geometric design","geometric patterns","inlaid","inlay","ivory","Mamluk","marquetry","Minbar","Mosque","wood","wood carving"],"materials":["carved, inlaid with carved ivory, ebony, and other woods","Wood (rosewood and mulberry)"]},"95f0e5c9-0936-55b5-ae88-631dafd406d1":{"name":"*Minbar*.","description":"The *minbar*, a raised wooden pulpit used for delivering the weekly oration, or *khutba*, during Friday communal prayers, is one of the earliest types of Islamic liturgical furnishings, introduced in the time of the Prophet himself. When Nur al-Din (d. AH 569 / AD 1174) came to rule Syria and al-Jazira, he commissioned several important *minbars* as part of his propagation of piety and *jihad*. He assigned the execution of these wooden *minbars* to the renowned carpenters of Aleppo.  \nThis *minbar,* now located in the Museum of Hama, was commissioned by Nur al-Din as part of a new mosque he constructed in Hama in AH 558 / AD 1163. It consists of a narrow staircase attached to a raised chair with a covered top. Although it has lost its original stairs and flanking walls, the upper structure is entirely original. The raised chair is square with three arched openings and a back rest. A richly engraved and domed entablature crowns the top. Vegetal and geometric arabesques demonstrate a high level of wood carving. It also contains two historical inscriptions along the friezes on either side of the balustrades. The left inscription, which has been removed and hung above the mosque's entrance, speaks of Holy War and Justice. The right inscription, still *in situ*, emphasises Piety and Humility. The cornice also bears a Qur'anic inscription describing the wonder of God's Creation and the Heavens, while the back of the chair is inscribed with the *Shahada*, or declaration of faith, written in two lines of large *thuluth* script within a cartouche.  \nClearly, the *minbar* re-affirms Nur al-Din's political and religious position, a stance which is reiterated on the inscriptions of the mosque as well. The importance of the *minbar* lies in its symbolism of authority. The inscriptions carved upon it and the speeches delivered from its platform are visible and aural manifestations of the community's leadership and vision. In Nur al-Din's case, historical records show that he was meticulous in organising what was said on his behalf in the many mosques built in his name. The image he projected was one of piety as opposed to magnificence, humility as opposed to wealth, and always dedication to Holy War.  \nNur al-Din's dream of liberating Jerusalem is expressed by a similar but more richly ornamented *minbar* he commissioned for the Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, prior to its reconquest from the Franks by Saladin. Sadly, this *minbar* was destroyed by fire in recent history (1969).","short_description":"Nur al-Din's *minbar* of Hama is an important example of Syrian woodcarving. Nur al-Din is known to have employed the most talented Aleppine carpenters to create a number of *minbars* which he distributed throughout the mosques of Syria in order to preach Holy War when the Crusaders took Jerusalem.","type":"Woodwork, minbar, wood","holder":"Hama Museum","initial_owner":"Nur al-Din Mahmud bin al-Zangi (r. AH 541–69 / AD 1146–74).","dates":"Hegira 558 / AD 1163","location":"Hama","dimensions":"Height (at highest point) 430 cm, length 320 cm, width 85 cm.","method_for_datation":"The inscription on the back of the chair reads “559” (1164).","method_for_provenance":"The pulpit was originally in the Nur al-Din Mosque in Hama which was constructed by Nur al-Din Mahmud bin Zangi in 558 / 1164.","provenance":"Hama, Syria.","obtention":"Although it was originally located in the Nur al-Din Mosque in Hama, the *minbar* is now in the Hama Museum.","bibliography":"Ettinghausen, R., Grabar, O., and Jenkins-Madina, M., *Islamic Art and Architecture 650–1250*, New Haven, 2001.  \nMoaz, A. R., “The Minbar of the Aqsa Mosque, Woodwork in 12th-Century Syria-Palestine”, *Islamic Arts and Crafts*, Istanbul, (in print).  \nTabbaa, Y., \"Monuments with a Message: Propagation of Jihad under Nur al-Din (1146–1174)”, *The Meeting of Two Worlds: Cultural Exchange between East and West during the Period of the Crusades.* (ed. Vladimir P. Goss), Michigan, 1986, pp.223–40; figs. 24, 25.","dynasty":"Atabeg/Zangid","author":"Waal Hafian","copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["carving","geometric decoration","geometric design","Hama","inlay","jihad","Mosque","Mosque interior decoration","Nur al-Din Mahmud bin al-Zangi","wood","zangids"],"materials":["Carved and inlaid wood."]},"9647edd4-27e5-5ed4-a0ce-9b56a5dfc3ea":{"name":"Coffee mortar and pestle","short_description":"Coffee mortar and pestel from Egypt/Morocco.","type":"Woodwork","holder":"The British Museum","dates":"pre-1890","location":"London","provenance":"Egypt/Morocco","keywords":["coffee"]},"96854149-8a79-55f2-9035-739e18d2ab29":{"name":"Door","short_description":"Heavy carvings with remnants of paint accentuate this door which may have graced a mud-brick house to impress guests with rosette, date palm, and frankincense tree patterns symbolizing fertility, life, and wealth. Characteristic of traditional architecture of Oman, Omani doors, frames, and windows would serve as centrepieces to contrast the modest homes, expressing status and hospitality. As symmetry in Islamic art intends to achieve harmony, a mirrored inscription reads, “My success is only by Allah”.  \n  \nSince meticulous carvings also decorate doors in East Africa, Afghanistan, and Punjab, lands connected to Oman by trade routes, mutual influences question the doors’ origin.","type":"Furniture","holder":"FBQ Museum","owner":"Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim Al Thani","dates":"18th century","location":"Shahaniya","dimensions":"Length: 210cm, Width: 107cm","method_for_datation":"The date and origin were established in research-based comparison from an examination of material, calligraphy, engraving and pattern.","method_for_provenance":"The date and origin were established in research-based comparison from an examination of material, calligraphy, engraving and pattern.","provenance":"Oman","obtention":"Purchase","bibliography":"Hegazy, S. M., \"Conservation of Historical Buildings–The Omani–French Museum as a Case Study\", *HBRC Journal*, 11 : 2 (2015): 264-274.  \nMershen, B., \"Settlement Space and Architecture in South Arabian Oases - Ethnoarchaeological Investigations in Recently Abandoned Settlement Quarters in Inner Oman\", *Proceedings of the Seminar for Arabian Studies*, 28 (1998): 201–213.  \nNooter, N. I., \"Zanzibar Doors\", *African Arts*, 17 : 4 (1984): 34–96.","dynasty":"Omani","author":"Sarah Schroeder","copy_editor":"Valerie Pulsifer","keywords":["Door","Door Frames","Oman","Zanzibar"],"materials":["carving","Wood"]},"96df24b2-d14d-504f-84ae-d796597c98a1":{"name":"Travel case","short_description":"Travelling became a great cultural and social phenomenon with Romanticism. The “Grand Tour” through the countries of the known world, and particularly around the Mediterranean, became a means of developing cultural and social skills. Travel became refined and even a simple journey to the countryside required such accessories as this travel case for meals.","type":"Silverware","holder":"Ajuda National Palace","dates":"c. 1860","location":"Lisbon","dimensions":"46,5 x 36 x 31,5","author":"DGPC","keywords":["objects","travel case","silverware"],"materials":["Wood, metal, silver, ivory, glass"]},"97234026-b759-5b5b-ada5-8fc567b89260":{"name":"Four-poster bed","short_description":"This four-poster bed was made for a Muslim market in a pseudo-baroque style and shows evidence of European influences. The metalworkers who made this kind of furniture worked with both copper and iron, and were organised in their own guild, with their workshops located in the lower kasbah.","type":"Golden ironwork; furniture","holder":"Musée Public National des Arts et Traditions Populaires","dates":"19th century","location":"Algiers","translator":"Flaminia Baldwin"},"9a94a586-933d-570f-bdba-4376c9fd1357":{"name":"Chests of drawers","description":"Chests of drawers emerged in the early 18th century and displaced chests as storage furniture. Baroque examples were decorated with lavish inlays of differently coloured types of wood. Typical of the French influence are the curved form, the lavish partially gilt brass mountings, and the marble top panel. The art workshop of the Funk brothers in Berne was the most important production site for luxury furniture in the 18th century. The style of the workshop was so unique that the name Funk-Möbel (Funk furniture) became a byword for form and quality.","type":"Chest of drawers","holder":"Swiss National Museum","owner":"Swiss Confederation","dates":"around 1740","location":"Zurich","dimensions":"H: 87cm, W: 137cm, D: 70cm","method_for_datation":"Stylistic analysis","provenance":"Berne, Switzerland","obtention":"Donated in 1978","workshop":"Funk Brothers, Berne","keywords":["Berne","Chest of drawers","Funk","Furniture","Switzerland"],"materials":["Coniferous wood (core), Walnut and exotic wood (veneer)"]},"9a9b3c8a-31db-54d0-9f13-3dde2fa2ed32":{"name":"Water canteen","description":"An artefact originating from the Aegean region of the Ottoman Empire, reflecting the local craftsmanship style of the period.","type":"Canteen","holder":"İstanbul Su Müzesi / Istanbul Water Museum","dates":"Hegira late 13th century / AD late 19th century","location":"Istanbul","dimensions":"Height: 17cm, diameter: 14.5cm","place_of_production":"Aegean","method_for_datation":"Determined by the experts of the Istanbul Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts.","method_for_provenance":"It was determined by the experts of the Istanbul Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts.","obtention":"Purchased.","dynasty":"Ottomans","author":"Ercan Topçu, Barış Topçu","copy_editor":"Alvaro Miranda","materials":["Wood"]},"9b34f332-f8dc-57eb-8c05-7765d9622dbd":{"name":"Coffee Cooler","description":"This carved wooden coffee cooler is mostly circular and has short zigzagging linear patterns on top. The date AH 1303 (AD 1885) is visible on a side.","type":"Woodwork","holder":"Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts","dates":"13th-14th century/AD 19th century","location":"Istanbul","dimensions":"23cm x 15cm","dynasty":"Ottoman (AH 698–1340 / AD 1299-1922)","materials":["Wood"]},"9beb3626-1910-5e59-a90a-ae27e1cb3c8d":{"name":"Door wings and a knocker.","description":"Both of the wooden wings belonging to the door of the Ulu Cami (Great Mosque) in Cizre were clad in sheets of bronze and then decorated with brass strips and plates attached with iron nails. The border band has a decoration of quatrefoils fitted using round-headed nails. Each wing has three medallions, each with a 12-pointed star in the centre. The areas in between are filled with half-medallions that make up two half- and two full-medallions along the join when the wings are shut. The spaces in between the medallions and the geometric motifs are filled with metal plates decorated with arabesque-palmette motifs in openwork. Traces of pigment suggest that the background of these motifs was originally painted in red and blue to make them stand out more boldly. The half- and quarter-medallions along the outer edges of the door wings imply that the composition extends to infinity. Near the centre of the door wings are two loops for mounting the knockers, one of which is now on display in Copenhagen. The cast bronze knocker still on the door is formed of two symmetrical dragons that are engraved and which join at the centre with a lion's head. The dragons, have pointed ears, almond eyes and wings; their scaly bodies loop around in a spiral to form knots, and their tails join and end in eagle's heads.  \n  \nOn the upper portion of the door wings is an inscription frieze with cast bronze letters. As some letters are missing, the inscription cannot be read in full. The legible part reads: 'May Allah give power to Abul Kasım Mahmud Sanjar Shah, our lord'. The person mentioned is the atabeg of Cizre, Mahmud Sanjar Shah, who ruled from AH 605–39 / AD 1208–41.","short_description":"Magnificent portals of monumental mosques symbolise the gates of Paradise. The naming of the sultan, geometric decoration symbolising infinity on the door-wings and the dragon and lion motifs on the doorknockers are an expression not only of the divine power of God but also of the power of the sultan.","type":"Woodwork, architectural decoration","holder":"Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts.","initial_owner":"Mahmud Sanjar Shah (AH 605–639 / AD 1208-1241), atabeg of Cizre, from the Artuqid dynasty.","dates":"Beginning hegira 7th century / AD 13th century.","location":"Sultanahmet, Istanbul","dimensions":"Door wings: each, height 300 cm, width 112 cm (224 cm in total); knocker: height 27.5 cm; width 24 cm, depth 3 cm.","method_for_datation":"The patron was the atabeg of Cizre, Mahmud Sanjar Shah, who ruled from 605–639 / 1208–41. It is likely that the knockers were produced together with the wings for the door of the Ulu Cami (Great Mosque) in Cizre, itself built in 550 / 1155.","method_for_provenance":"The door wings and knockers were specially prepared for the door of the Ulu Cami (Great Mosque) in Cizre. Thus, it is highly likely that they were produced in Cizre or in southeastern Anatolia.","provenance":"Southeastern Anatolia, probably Cizre, Turkey.","obtention":"The door wings and knocker were transferred to the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts from the Mardin Museum in 1976.","bibliography":"ölçer, N. *et al*, *Museum of Turkish and Islamic Art*, Istanbul, 2002, pp.95–7.  \n  \nRoxburgh, D. J. (ed), *Turks: A Journey of a Thousand Years, 600–1600*, London, 2005, pp.399–400.","dynasty":"Anatolian Seljuq atabeg in Cizre","author":"Alev Özay","translator":"Barry Wood, İnci Türkoğlu","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["figurative decoration","geometric decoration","vegetal decoration"],"materials":["Door wings: wood (walnut and poplar), metal (bronze and brass), openwork","knocker: cast and engraved bronze."]},"9c2ac3c9-ddf9-5578-9e26-fad8ec3a615c":{"name":"Dhow collection","short_description":"The National Museum of Qatar holds, in its collection, a fleet comprising of 14 dhows. The growing collection includes a variety of traditional dhows, with several models dating to the early 20th century, as well as more recent replicas of traditional vessels. Originating from Oman, Bahrayn, India and Qatar, among other places traditional dhows represented include *jalbut* (small to medium sized), *shuw\\`i* (medium sized, once used for fishing and coastal trade), *sanbuq* (largest type in the Arabian Gulf today) and *baglah* (traditional, deep-sea dhows once used for the long – haul transport of goods.)","type":"Transport","holder":"National Museum of Qatar","dates":"19th century","location":"Doha","keywords":["Boat","ship","dhow","pearling","fishing","trade","transportation"],"materials":["Timber"]},"9c5728c7-7dd7-5974-a086-b81efa8965fa":{"name":"Sunflowers frame","description":"From an inventory of the properties of Vincenzo Bargellini, these pendant frames made in 1750 were originally made for holding mirrors, today they hold pictures. They were shown at an exhibition in Bologna in 1935 on Bolognese eighteenth-century art. At that time the frame was still holding a mirror.  \nNo mention is made of these frames in Vincenzo Bargellini's letters to Venice to commission furniture. Therefore, it is believed they were made in Bologna by local craftsmen following Roman and Venetian models.  \nThe high quality of the work is evident in the rich and naturalistic decoration. The sunflowers are an allusion to a particular destination.  \nA frame similar to this pair is held in the Pinacoteca Nazionale di Bologna; the evolution of this same style can be recognised in the frames made for the pictures by Marcantonio Franceschini exhibited in this same museum, made especially for the paintings in 1710–1711.","short_description":"The extraordinary vivacity of this mirror frame testifies at a very early stage (1699) the great skill and the refined taste of Bolognese baroque carvers, who were looking at Rome and Venice for up to date ideas.  \nThe frame is dated and signed (JACINTO MONTEILTH FECIT1699). Unfortunately, there are no other occurrences of the carver’s name in objects or documents in Bologna. The style of the frame is similar to one in the Pinacoteca Nazionale of Bologna.","type":"Woodwork","holder":"Museo di Arte Industriale e Galleria Davia Bargellini","owner":"Opera Pia Davia Bargellini","initial_owner":"Bargellini family","dates":"1699 (scratched on the frame)","location":"Bologna, Emilia-Romagna","dimensions":"190 x 164 cm","place_of_production":"Bologna","method_for_datation":"The frame is dated and signed (JACINTO MONTEILTH FECIT1699). Unfortunately, there are no other occurrences of the carver’s name in objects of documents in Bologna. The style of the frame is similar to that of one in the Pinacoteca Nazionale of Bologna.","obtention":"This frame together with its pendant is mentioned in the 1750 inventory of Vincenzo Bargellini, at that time it was holding a mirror. It is exhibited in the museum since 1924, after the convention between the Municipality of Bologna and the Opera pia Davia Bargellini (owner of the picture gallery and of some of the family furniture).","bibliography":"Bandera, L. in *Museo Civico d'Arte Industriale e Galleria Davia Bargellini* (ed. R.Grandi ), Bologna, 1987, p. 162.  \nColle, E. in *La cornice italiana dal Rinascimento al Neoclassico* (ed. F. Sabatelli), Milan, 1992, pp. 228-229.  \nTumidei, S. “Intagli a Bologna, intagli per Bologna*”*, *Studi sul Settecento.* II. *Antologia di Belle Arti* :59-62, (2000), pp. 34-51, fig. 37.","workshop":"Bolognese carver (?)","author":"Silvia Battistini","translator":"Antonella Mampieri","translation_copy_editor":"Lisa Kelman","keywords":["Bolognese carver","carving","floral decoration","Frame","furnishing","Monteilth","Pendant","Sunflower","wood","woodwork"],"materials":["Wood, carved and gilt"]},"9cc9092e-917f-5963-aa95-2f593ab99290":{"name":"Wooden beam.","description":"A wooden beam taken from the Dome of the Rock during restoration works of the 1960s. The beam is made from cedarwood, likely to have been imported from Lebanon. It contains an epigraphic inscription written in Fatimid foliated *kufic* script. The inscription is placed inside a rectangular frame that begins and ends with a tapered niche, and which is adorned with decoration carved in relief. It includes the name of the craftsman who made it and participated in the restoration works in the Dome of the Rock during the Fatimid period in the reign of Caliph al-Zahir bi-Amrillah (r. AH 411–27 / AD 1021–36). It is likely that this craftsman undertook the decoration of other artefacts inside the Dome of the Rock. The inscription beginning with the *Basmala*, reads: “In the Name of God, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful. The Work of 'Abd al-Baqi bin al-Hasan bin Ismai'l al-Dimashqi. May God support him”. Despite our lack of knowledge about this craftsman, the fact that his name contains the title “al-Dimashqi” indicates that there was a continual flow of craftsmen from Damascus into Jerusalem during the Fatimid period. Damascus was (and is still) famous for its wood-carving, and Jerusalem was supplied with a steady stream of skilled Damascene craftsmen to work on the construction of the Dome of the Rock at the end of the AH 1st /AD 7th century.  \nThe beam does not contain any other decoration. It has fortuitously preserved its splendour without damage, which confirms the skill of its workmanship in the treatment of the wood before it was mounted at the Dome of the Rock.","short_description":"This beam from the Dome of the Rock was made from cedarwood that was probably imported from Lebanon. The beam bears an inscription in Fatimid foliated *kufic* script within a rectangular frame that begins and ends with a tapered recess. It is decorated and the text is carved in relief. The piece records the carver who made it in the time of Caliph al-Zahir.","type":"Woodwork, beam, wood","holder":"Islamic Museum, al-Aqsa Mosque / al-Haram al-Sharif.","initial_owner":"Dome of the Rock, Jerusalem.","dates":"About hegira 424 / AD 1033.","location":"Jerusalem","dimensions":"Length 183 cm, width 18.5 cm, depth 20 cm.","method_for_datation":"The beam was dated by way of reliable knowledge concerning the areas that underwent restoration in the Dome of the Rock during the Fatimid period. In addition, the Fatimid script used in the epigraphic inscription is a reliable distinguishing mark.","method_for_provenance":"It is not known whether this beam was crafted in Jerusalem or at another site. Usually, however, the piece would be carved and constructed on site. It is likely, therefore, that it was carved in Jerusalem, while the cedarwood was imported from Lebanon. The craftsman was probably from Damascus, as is evident from the inscription.","provenance":"Probably Jerusalem.","obtention":"According to the registers of the Islamic Museum, the piece was transferred from the Dome of the Rock to the Museum in 1960.","bibliography":"Hamilton, R. W., *The Structural History of al-Aqsa Mosque: A Record of Archaeological Cleaning from the Repairs of 1938–42,* London, 1949.","dynasty":"Fatimid","author":"Nazmi Al-Ju'beh","copy_editor":"Majd Musa","translator":"Amal Sachedina (from the Arabic).","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["carving","cedar","kufic script","wood","wooden beam"],"materials":["Carved and finished wood."]},"9e9bdaad-fced-506e-b618-ed3c5b61255c":{"name":"Base for a tray (*sinija*)","description":"The wooden base for the food tray – *sinija* (Tr. sini) – that was once placed on top, consists of three elements joined together in the middle by a turned vertical piece. Each element is in the shape of a letter H with two horizontal parts in the middle and two turned muxrabija-like ornaments in every corner. The elements can be folded as needed. The vertical side of each element is carved with floral and geometric motifs.","type":"Table","holder":"Museum of Applied Art","dates":"Hegira late 13th–early 14th century / AD late 19th–early 20th century","location":"Belgrade","dimensions":"Height: 35cm, width: 33.5cm","place_of_production":"Ottoman Empire","method_for_datation":"By stylistic analysis, material, technique, and analogy with other similar examples.","obtention":"Purchased in 1954.","author":"Ana Samardžić","keywords":["carving","floor dining table","Ottoman Balkans"],"materials":["carving, turning","Walnut, mother of pearl"]},"9ee175ff-6be6-5799-bfa1-a85506cb4cbd":{"name":"Door","short_description":"This Mamluk wooden door with its ivory-inlaid panels presents an outstanding example of Mamluk wood carvings of the first half of the 14th century. The door consists of a pair of folded panels, displaying geometric strap-work composition forming a twelve-pointed star with twelve lobes. The lobes are carved and inlaid with ivory. The door displays two calligraphic panels; one containing Qur’anic verses and the second is an aphorism. It is mounted to a 19th century frame representing an elegant Oriental mount. The frame is decorated with interwoven geometric composition and displays one epigraphic panel of knotted calligraphic composition within cartouche.","type":"Wood","holder":"Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia","dates":"c. Hegira 800-1300 / c. AD 1400-1900","location":"Kuala Lumpur","dimensions":"304.7 x 141.8 x 10.5cm (entire panel); 206.9 x 46.5 x 6.5cm (left door); 206.8 x 45.5 x 7cm (right door)","method_for_provenance":"\\- Ex-Collection Octave Borelli Bey (1849–1911);  \n  \n\\- Thence by descent.","provenance":"Egypt","bibliography":"Burgoyne, M.H., *Some Mameluke Doorways in the Old City of Jerusalem*, Jerusalem: Jerusalem British School of Archaeology, 1971.","dynasty":"Mamluk","materials":["carving, jointing, hinges, door lock, inlaying","Wood, metal, ebony, ivory"]},"9f83d7a3-3fef-5717-a3ed-b729ae98a77b":{"name":"Ship’s commode/oratory","alternate_name":"Cómoda Papeleira Oratório para navio","description":"Oratories commonly belonged within a domestic context but an oratory desk was used either as a portable piece of furniture for religious purposes or as a cabinet-on-a-stand for reading. This particular oratory was used on board a ship and is the result of a cumulative commercial exchange among merchants who travelled via existing Portuguese trade routes to overseas colonies and ports or to north or north-western Europe. This is why it is probable that the ship's commode would have been influenced by several artistic styles: from Coromandel (the south-eastern coast of the Indian Peninsula), Chinese folding screens (*Henan*), or English Japanned furniture.  \nDesigned by Gaspar Ferreira and Manuel Silva, the commode was built to enable sailors and passengers to practice their religious routines on board ship. Probably commissioned by King D. João V, it is composed of two parts: the inferior part consists of three drawers and a desk with an oblique lid; while the superior section is shaped like a cupboard with a gabled segmental arch topped by the royal coat of arms.  \nCarved and sculpted urns with flares decorate the top edges. Painted in bright red lacquer it has black decorative tablets and gilded iconographic motifs or *chinoiseries* – Chinese scenes. Both the design and ornamentation are characteristic of the so-called D. João V style. On the inside of the cupboard is an oratory with the following figures: St. Anthony of Lisbon on the right and St. Barbara on the left flanking Christ Crucified. The inside of the doors are painted with scenes of the Passion of Christ (Christ with the Cross; Lord of Cana Verde on the right; Christ tied to the Column and the Resurrection of Christ on the left).","short_description":"A large commode/oratory with a cupboard, for use on board ship. The black decorative tablets are decorated with vegetal elements, while Chinese scenery – known as *chinoiserie* – decorates the larger panels.","type":"Ship’s Furniture; religious furniture","holder":"Vista Alegre Historic Museum","owner":"Pinto Basto Family","initial_owner":"Pinto Basto Family","dates":"Second quarter of the 18th century","location":"Vista Alegre, Ílhavo, Aveiro","dimensions":"H: 268 cm; w: 72 cm; width: 44 cm","method_for_datation":"Stylistic analysis","provenance":"Vista Alegre Palace (Vista Alegre – Ílhavo)","obtention":"Deposited at the museum by the Pinto Basto Family, founder of the Vista Alegre factory in the 19th century","bibliography":"Sandão, A., *O Móvel pintado em Portugal*: Porto ,1973, pp. 117–119, figs. 62–63.  \nTeixeira, J. M., “Papeleira com alçado – oratório”, in *O Triunfo do Barroco*, *Europália*, 1991, pp. 175–177, figs. I–33.","workshop":"Chinoiserie","artist_birthdate":"Unknown","author":"Paulo Pereira","translator":"Lili Cavalheiro, Filipa Quatorze","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["chinoiserie","furnishing","japanned furniture","painted furniture"],"materials":["Lacquered and gilded oak"]},"a0b96346-7a9b-5721-87b4-3f39df5fb307":{"name":"Chest with sliding door","short_description":"This object belongs to a typology characterized by a rectangular case composed of several panels, some of which are sliding. Four corner posts resembling pillars, which also act as support feet topped with pinnacles, hold the structure together. The decorative relief is only present on the front panel and is composed of vegetable (palmettes, leafed spirals) and geometric (lozenges) designs. The front panel is topped with a series of carved blind arches.  \nThe chest is part of the collection of decorative wood from the Swat area in Pakistan, dating from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The collection is comprised of furniture (chairs and chests) and architectural elements (capitals and pillars).","type":"Chest","holder":"Museum of Civilisations/ Museum of Oriental Art","dates":"Hegira 13th-14th century / AD 19th -20th century","location":"Rome","dimensions":"Height: 73cm, Length: 78cm","method_for_datation":"Stylistic-formal analysis","provenance":"Pakistan","obtention":"Acquisition from the antique market","bibliography":"Manna, G., \"Legni\" in P. Torre, G. Di Flumeri Vatielli and M. Jung (eds), *Arte dell'Islam, catalogue Museo Nazionale d'Arte Orientale*, Rome: Artemide, 2010: 63-64, fig. 62  \nScerrato, I.E., *Wood Art from the Swat Valley, The Ethnographic activity of the ISIAO Italian Archaeological Mission in Pakistan*, Rome: Accademia naz. dei lincei, 2009: 113-116.","dynasty":"Recent period","author":"Francesca M. Anzelmo","copy_editor":"Liz Cooper","materials":["Wood"]},"a16a6766-7c75-5cbd-9606-e910423fd3b2":{"name":"Spandrel.","description":"This spandrel fragment, curved on the bottom right-hand side, is framed on the top by a ribbon of small and four-leaf rosettes and the fillet in the form of a thick strip sculpted in relief, and in the bottom right by an arch segment strip.  \nIts surface is decorated with compact floral decoration distributed over two areas in low relief. The lower area consists of floral motifs attached to interlaced foliage: smooth, simple or double palms with round lobes and three-leaf fleurons reminiscent of *fleurs-de-lys*. The upper part is filled with floral arcatures made up of palms, one of which, doubled, contains pseudo-*kufic* characters tracing the mirror image of a eulogy, *al-Mulk* (power of God) and ends in a pointed summit that crowns a fleuron and encroaches on the rosette ribbon. The other, which contains a floral composition, is topped with a crown. This spandrel fragment, originally from a Sa'did building in Fez, was part of the wooden facing of a peristyle arch.","short_description":"This spandrel fragment was part of the wooden panelling on a gallery arch. It is decorated with compact floral sculptures and floral arcatures containing pseudo-*kufic* characters presenting a mirror image of the word '*al-Mulk*' (power of God).","type":"Woodwork, spandrel, wood","holder":"Batha Museum.","dates":"Hegira 10th-11th centuries / AD 16th-17th centuries.","location":"Fez.","dimensions":"Height 47.5 cm, length 64.5 cm, thickness 4.6 cm.","method_for_datation":"From stylistic analysis. The inventory register states that it belonged to a building from the Sa'did era, and this is confirmed by the choice of particular floral motifs and their composition, as well as the technique for carving in low relief.","method_for_provenance":"Salvaged *in situ*.","provenance":"A house in Fez.","obtention":"Salvaged by the Historical Monuments Department and deposited with the museum in 1930.","bibliography":"Cambazard-Amahan, C., *Le décor sur bois dans l'architecture de Fès*, Paris, 1989.  \nMarçais, G., *L'architecture musulmane d'Occident*, Paris, 1954.  \nTerrasse, H. et Hainaut, J., *Les arts décoratifs au Maroc*, Paris, 1925.","dynasty":"Sa'did","author":"Naima El Khatib-Boujibar","copy_editor":"Margot Cortez","translator":"Laurence Nunny","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["floral decoration","pseudo-inscription","vegetal decoration"],"materials":["Carved cedarwood."]},"a248d8b4-e492-5f6d-bdb7-ab94d668d922":{"name":"Aleppo Room.","description":"A prosperous broker and a Christian citizen of the town of Aleppo commissioned the painted panels of the walls of the entrance room in his house at the beginning of the 17th century. The paintings within the Aleppo room thus make up the oldest collection from a Syrian dwelling house from the Ottoman period. The Christian patron engaged craftsmen from the best workshops of the time in his desire for the entrance room, into which his guests would first arrive, to be painted in a variety of themes. These themes were based on contemporary Islamic book illustration, consisting of floral and geometric compositions, rendered in the best traditional Ottoman style. Christian themes from the Old and New Testaments, and the depiction of Mary with Child, sit alongside courtly scenes like those portrayed in Persian book illustration. The selection of encircling Psalms, Arabic proverbs and Persian principles further add to the impression of a peaceful community of different religious beliefs living together.  \nThe central panels are found in the back part of the main niche, to the left and right of a wall cupboard. Courtly themes are repeated on the left-side panel, including a ruler sitting on a throne, a hunt and a hunting party with a prince holding a falcon. In contrast, Christian themes are portrayed on the right-side panel, and include the Last Supper, Salome’s dance in front of King Herod and the sacrifice of Isaac. Other panels around the room have individual depictions from either courtly or Christian subject matters, such as the love story of Leila and Majnun of Nizami (1141–1202) from the Haft Paykar, or the Virgin Mary and Child or Saint George. Real and imaginary animals are depicted alongside. It is the variety of the themes of these paintings that make these earliest surviving wall panels such a comprehensive collection, a variety that could perhaps only have arisen in the Syrian trading town Aleppo.  \nThe name Halab Shah ibn Isa, one of the craftsmen, appears on the cornice.  \n  \nClick [here](https://youtu.be/4toX47mtAIE) to **watch a video presentation** of this artefact.","short_description":"The painted wooden panels belong to the audience room in a house of a Christian merchant in Aleppo, Syria, which is the only surviving example of a painted and dated room from the 17th century. Its ornamental and figural repertoire includes Christian themes as well as Arabic verses.","type":"Woodwork, painting, architectural decoration","holder":"Museum of Islamic Art at the Pergamon Museum","initial_owner":"Isa ibn Butrus (Jesus, son of Peter).","dates":"Hegira 1009 or 1012 / AD 1600–01 or 1603.","location":"Berlin","dimensions":"Height 260 cm, total length 35 metres.","method_for_datation":"Two dates are inscribed in different places in the Aleppo Room: 1009 (1600–01) and 1012 (1603).","method_for_provenance":"The Aleppo Room was obtained in 1912 by Friedrich Sarre in Aleppo. The deeds certify that the room was originally in House Wakil in Aleppo, where it was also photographed *in situ* prior to 1912.","provenance":"Aleppo, Syria.","obtention":"Acquired in Aleppo by Friedrich Sarre for the Museum of Islamic Art in 1912.","bibliography":"Duda, D., *Innenarchitektur Syrischer Stadthäuser des 16. bis 18. Jahrhunderts: Die Sammlung Henri Pharaon in Beiru*t, Beiruter Texte und Studien, 12, Wiesbaden, 1971.  \nGangler, A., *Ein Traditionelles Wohnviertel im Nordosten der Altstadt von Aleppo in Nordsyrien*, Tübingen, 1993.  \nGonella, J., *Ein Christlich-Orientalisches Wohnhaus des 17. Jahrhunderts aus Aleppo (Syrien)*,Mainz, 1996.  \nOtt, C., “Die Inschriften des Aleppozimmers im Berliner Pergamonmuseum”, *Le Muséon* 109(1–2), 1996, pp.185–226.  \nSarre, F., “Bemalte Wandverkleidung aus Aleppo”, *Berliner Museen, Berichte aus den Preußischen Kunstsammlungen* 41(4), 1919–20, pp.143–58.","dynasty":"Ottoman","linkcatalogs":"IAM_TR_EN_001","author":"Annette Hagedorn","translator":"Maria Vlotides, Brigitte Finkbeiner","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["Ajami","Ajami room","Aleppo room","architectural decoration","ceiling","Damascus room","interior ornament","late Ottoman","painted wooden wall paneling","Syria","Syrian craft","wood","wood paneling"],"materials":["Wood, multi-layered painting using a variety of pigments and metal coatings."]},"a25c5878-db0c-5a19-af52-c86b77db879b":{"name":"Pencase","short_description":"Like Muhammad Baqir (active Hegira 1160s-1204 / 1750s-1790), Muhammad Sadiq is one of the best-known Persian artists of the 18th century. He was also a pupil of Muhammad ʿAli Ashraf (active Hegira ca. 1134-1190 / AD ca. 1722-1777). The pen box is signed with his typical formula “*ya sadiq al-vaʿd*” that alludes to the painter’s namesake, the sixth Shiʿi Imam Jaʿfar al-Sadiq.  \n  \nThe lid and side wall of the pencase are painted with four figurative scenes starring three young women led by what appears to be a kind of princess. It is likely that the scenes tell a single story. It is not clear, however, whether they illustrate a literary work or whether they bear a philosophical meaning. It seems at least that the young women are on a kind of spiritual journey, leading from worldly pleasures to mystical fulfilment.  \n  \nSimilar to Muhammad Baqir, Muhammad Sadiq quotes here from works by Muhammad Zaman (active Hegira ca. 1072-1105 / AD ca. 1662-1694) and ʿAliquli Jabadar (active Hegira 1059-1086 / AD 1649-1675) as well as Zaman’s brother Haji Muhammad (active Hegira 1084-1124 / AD 1673-1712).","type":"Pencase","holder":"Museum Rietberg","initial_owner":"1990s-2019: Masoud Etemadi, UK; 2019","dates":"Hegira 1195 / AD 1781/82","location":"Zurich","dimensions":"Length: 23.7cm, Width: 3.7cm, Height: 3.5cm","method_for_datation":"The artist signed and dated his work.","method_for_provenance":"Information of previous owner was provided by Sotheby's where the object was bought in 2019.","provenance":"Iran","obtention":"Acquisition","bibliography":"Ivanov, Anatoly, “The Compiling and Decoration of the Album”, in Francesca von Habsburg and Elena Kostioukovitch (eds), *The St. Petersburg Muraqqaʿ: Album of Indian and Persian Miniatures from the 16th through the 18th Century and Specimens of Persian Calligraphy by ʿImad al-Hasani*, Lugano/Milan: ARCH Foundation and Leonardo Arte, 1996: 19-32.","dynasty":"Afshar; Zand","author":"Axel Langer","copy_editor":"Jonathan Turnbull","materials":["Papier maché, opaque watercolour, lacquer"]},"a3a7e6de-6cff-51a1-9392-ab310f7efdc7":{"name":"Decorated front panel of the viewing deck at the top of the driver's cab","short_description":"Just like the Billboard painting performed in Pakistan, the advent of photography and the massproduced picture – together with the availability of oil-based paints – assisted in the development of a popular art form in the second half of the twentieth century, the brightly painted large overland lorries of Afghanistan and Pakistan. The truck bodies were painted with calligraphy of poetic or religious verses, floral patterns, gardens of paradise, alpine landscapes, holy sites, and images of human heroes, trains, planes and rockets by street artists at truck stands all across northwest Pakistan.","type":"Transport; painting","holder":"Weltmuseum Wien","dates":"1990s","location":"Vienna","dimensions":"H: 100cm, L: 200cm, Depth: 18cm","method_for_datation":"Entry in the TMS digital collection database and archival documents.","method_for_provenance":"Entry in the general inventory book.","provenance":"Pakistan","obtention":"Purchased from Dr. Fritz Trupp, Attnang-Puchheim, 1994.","bibliography":"Steinmann, Axel, *Afghanistan, exhibition catalogue*, Vienna: Museum für Völkerkunde, 2003: 125.","materials":["Wood, plastic, iron"]},"a6c524e9-ce3d-5461-9dd8-c2fb3bba06a7":{"name":"Pair of wooden doors","short_description":"The pair of doors bears a symmetrical geometric design with small star-shaped or polygonal plaques, each decorated with an arabesque. Two panels which carry Arabic inscriptions determine a Christian provenance from a church of Cairo as they are excerpts from the Bible (Luke 2:14 and Psalm 44:10). An analogous example is the doors of the *minbar* in the mosque al-Salih Tala’i‘ dated 1299 (AH 699).","type":"Woodwork, doors, wood","holder":"Benaki Museum","dates":"Hegira 8th century / AD 14th century","location":"Athens","dimensions":"Height 197 cm","provenance":"Egypt","dynasty":"Mamluk","keywords":["arabesque","Doors","wood"],"materials":["Wood, ivory"]},"a79cc9aa-7960-55a5-829e-04be3601f000":{"name":"Dowry Chest","short_description":"This chest adorned with sumptuous bronze-alloy decorations would accommodate the dowry presented to the Muslim bride and her family. Manufactured in India from structural timber like rosewood or teak, trunks such as these would be imported to countries where timber was scarce, like Iran and those in the Arabian Peninsula.  \n  \nRaised off the ground to prevent humidity from accumulating, the box features additional drawers and incised floral designs with the breadfruit motif on the lid. Elements of the Shirazi style from Iran and the Indian Surat and Malabar styles interplay in this chest.  \n  \nAkin to marriage chests in Italy known as '*cassoni*', these pieces of furniture would be considered a gifted heirloom. Dowry items tucked into these chests would include components of the bridal outfit, jewellery, precious metals, scents and luxurious items.  \n  \nToday, a limited number of the Indian boxes remain as a result of the declining dowry tradition in the 19th century along with the middle class migrating to smaller homes in urban centres rendering the large chests unfashionable. The export on dhows, however, has ensured an additional use as travel trunks for these objects in Oman, Yemen and Bahrain.","type":"Furniture","holder":"FBQ Museum","owner":"Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim Al Thani","dates":"18th century","location":"Shahaniya","dimensions":"Length: 110cm, Width: 51cm, Height: 48cm","method_for_datation":"The date and origin were established in research-based comparison from an examination of material, engraving and pattern.","method_for_provenance":"The date and origin were established in research-based comparison from an examination of material, engraving and pattern.","provenance":"India","obtention":"Purchase","bibliography":"Ojha, P. N., \"EARLY MARRIAGE, DOWRY AND DIVORCE IN NORTHERN INDIA UNDER THE GREAT MUGHULS (1556-1707)\", *Proceedings of the Indian History Congress*, 19 (1956): 263–271.  \nUnwin, S., \"Dhow trade chests\", *Kenya Past and Present*, 19: 1 (1987): 34-43.  \nUnwin, S., \"THE ORIGINS AND CATEGORIES OF “ARAB” CHESTS: with particular reference to Oman\", *Proceedings of the Seminar for Arabian Studies*, 18 (1988): 155–161.  \nWaheed, A., \"Dowry among Indian Muslims: Ideals and Practices\", *Indian Journal of Gender Studies*, 16: 1 (2009): 47–75.","dynasty":"Mughal","author":"Sarah Schroeder","copy_editor":"Janice Medina","keywords":["Arabian Peninsula","Dowry chest","India","Iran","Marriage chest"],"materials":["Wood, bronze"]},"a89685ed-d6b6-5d4f-ba6b-53f166d90f5d":{"name":"Fragment of lintel (*izar*).","description":"This lintel, which has been slightly damaged on the lower right-hand side, is sculpted with an inscription interrupted by a section in an architectural style filled with vegetal motifs.  \nThe inscription reproduces a Qur'anic text, the beginning of verse 47 of Sura 11 'the Messenger', which suggests that this lintel was originally used in a religious building. The upstrokes of the angular *kufic* characters end in concave bevels. Only the upstrokes of *nun* and *ha* finish with a simple movement, mimicking the elegant appearance of a swan's neck. The low letters, such as *dal* and *waw*, are crowned with decorative motifs formed of joined concave and bevelled upstrokes. All of the letters sculpted in the round are surrounded by a raised line that amplifies their edges.  \nThe vegetal background behind the script seems to play a secondary role to the letters themselves. The movement of the stem, the number of floral motifs and their silhouettes are all made to fit the height, spacing and shape of the up strokes. This large and sober decoration, sculpted in champlevé, uses the thick stem and single palm in all of their forms: curved at the base into a ring, with triangular calyxes, and fanned. Smooth symmetrical palms with lower lobes with pointed edges, similar to fleurons, are also used. The outer edges of all of the lobes of these different types of flowers are decorated with small festoons that appear to be a simplification of the digits of acanthus leaves.  \nThe sobriety and elegance of the *kufic* characters and the rigour and simplification of the vegetal forms used in the decoration of this lintel are characteristic of Almohad aesthetics, to which this piece appears to be linked.","short_description":"The sobriety and elegance of the *kufic* characters used in the Qur'anic inscription, and the rigour and stylisation of the plant forms that decorate this lintel, originally from a religious building, are characteristic of Almohad aesthetics.","type":"Woodwork, lintel, izar, wood","holder":"Batha Museum.","dates":"Hegira second half of the 6th century / AD second half of the 12th century.","location":"Fez.","dimensions":"Height 16 cm, length 106.5 cm, depth 7.5 cm.","method_for_datation":"The elegance of the calligraphy characters and the understated plant decoration belong to an artistic style identifiable on dated Almohad monuments.","method_for_provenance":"Salvaged in Fez.","provenance":"Fez.","obtention":"Salvaged.","bibliography":"Cambazard-Amahan, C., *Le décor sur bois dans l'architecture de Fès*, Paris, 1989.  \nMarçais, G., *L'architecture musulmane d'Occident*, Paris, 1959.  \nTerrasse, H., *L'art hispano-mauresque des origines au XIIIe siècle*, Paris, 1932","dynasty":"Almohad","linkcatalogs":"IAM_MA_EN_001","author":"Naima El Khatib-Boujibar","copy_editor":"Margot Cortez","translator":"Laurence Nunny","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["architectural element","epigraphic decoration","floral decoration","Religion","vegetal decoration"],"materials":["Carved cedarwood."]},"a960600c-6d33-5a1f-b1b5-49c72e60ea00":{"name":"Ground loom","description":"Ground loom used for weaving strips for tent walls.","type":"Ground loom","holder":"Department of Antiquities","owner":"Department of Antiquities","dates":"Early 20th century","location":"Amman","dimensions":"L: 1.5m, W: 2m","method_for_datation":"Early 20th century treadle loom weavers from Syria and Palestine settled in Jordan. They produced rugs, saddle bags and more.","provenance":"Amman","obtention":"Purchased","bibliography":"Rashid, Abdallah, *Traditional life in Amman from 1878-1948*, Amman: Ministry of Culture and Youth, 1983.","author":"Samia Khouri","copy_editor":"Lisa Kelman","materials":["Wood"]},"a96d4c0a-5e74-5015-a893-8254aa4f6dbd":{"name":"Quranic school","short_description":"Pictured here is a school using traditional teaching methods - a Quranic school or a *kouttab*. The students are seated in a circle on mats on the floor of a sparsely decorated room around their teacher, the *moueddeb*. In the 19th century and early 20th centuries, the Quranic schools were a fundamental part of traditional education, where students would learn the Quran, Islamic thought and the basic rules of the Arabic language.","type":"Photograph","holder":"Musée de l’Education","dates":"20th century","location":"Tunis","author":"Saloua Zangar","translator":"Flaminia Baldwin","keywords":["Traditional school","modern school"],"materials":["Paper"]},"aa67ee01-78e4-5518-9d67-9f76947805b3":{"name":"al-Bab as-Saghir (*ad-Dirwazah*)","short_description":"The precise origins of this gate are unknown. However, it appears on De Resende’s drawing of Muscat in a Portuguese manuscript by António Bocarro entitled *Livro do Estado da India Oriental* (Hegira 1041–42 / AD1632). Literally meaning “the Small Gate”, it provided entry from the south and led directly into *Suq Muscat* (or market area) and featured a walkway over the moat. It is assumed that this gate was originally the main entrance into town before the expansion of Bab at-Tuyan – later renamed *al-Bab al-Kabir* – in Hegira 14th century / AD 20th century. This is attested by the *Plan of the Port of Muscat* by Louis-François-Grégoire de Lafitte de Brassier, a French lieutenant engineer and geographer, dated Hegira 1191–92 / AD 1778.","holder":"National Museum Oman","dates":"Hegira 13th century / AD 19th century","location":"Muscat","dimensions":"Height: 322cm, Length 120cm","dynasty":"Al-Busaid","copy_editor":"Liz Cooper","materials":["Teakwood and iron"]},"abcd7fbc-8fff-531e-a64f-faee1e92d4c7":{"name":"Wooden panel.","description":"A wooden panel decorated in high relief. Its decoration is composed of two thick branches that stem from a vase, one of which climbs towards the left and then bends towards the right, looping itself in a circular fashion downwards and terminating in a five-lobed vine leaf. Other stems spring from this branch, some of which culminate in leaves or grape-clusters. The second branch climbs towards the right and then deviates towards the left until it meets the first branch, forming a circle that tapers-off at the bottom. Stems and leaves emanate from this branch, one of which ends with a leaf and a grape-cluster. This wooden panel displays a number of characteristics of the Hellenic style, best seen in the compositional attention to nature and in the variation of the decorative levels and elements; the same characteristics, in fact, that distinguish the decoration of the Umayyad period. This piece recalls the mosaics at the Dome of the Rock and the decorations of the Umayyad desert palace, Qasr al-Mushatta.","short_description":"When the Arabs conquered Egypt and settled there, they did not introduce any new methods in woodworking and decoration, but rather continued in the Hellenistic style prevalent at the time.","type":"Woodwork, panel, wood","holder":"Museum of Islamic Art","dates":"Hegira 1st–2nd century / AD 7th–8th century.","location":"Cairo","dimensions":"Length 41.5 cm; width 21.5 cm.","method_for_datation":"Dating is based on the panel's decorative components and the style of relief work used in crafting which resemble the Umayyad decoration in the Qasr al-Mushatta and in the Dome of the Rock.","obtention":"This piece was bought in 1945 from the antiquities dealer, Fouquet.","bibliography":"Grabar, O., and Ettinghausen, R., *The Art and Architecture of Islam 650–1250,* New Haven and London, 1987.  \nHassan, Z. M., *Atlas al-Funun al-Zukrufiya wa al-Tasawir al-Islamiya \\[Atlas of Islamic Decorative Arts and Painting\\],* Beirut, 1980.  \nKhadr, M. Y., *Tarikh al-funun al-Islamiya \\[History of Islamic arts\\],* Abu Dhabi, 2003.  \nMustafa, M., *Dalil Mathaf al-fan al-Islami \\[Guide to the Islamic Art Museum\\],* Cairo, 1978.","dynasty":"Umayyad","linkcatalogs":"IAM_JO_EN_001","author":"Salah Sayour","copy_editor":"Majd Musa","translator":"Amal Sachedina (from the Arabic).","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["grape design","high relief","panel","vegetal decoration.","wood"],"materials":["Wood decorated in high relief."]},"ad6cb6f4-0daa-5f6d-bd45-c944f6041f69":{"name":"Panel with horse heads","short_description":"This panel, probably from a wooden door, is deeply carved with two symmetrical horse heads in relief. Beaded bands and bridles amid the arabesque design attest to careful attention to detail on the part of the craftsman. The piece was carved to different depths in order to produce a *chiaroscuro* effect, a technique mastered by Fatimid woodworkers. A companion piece, almost certainly from the same door, is in the Museum of Islamic Art, Cairo.","type":"Woodwork","holder":"The Metropolitan Museum of Art","dates":"Hegira late 4th–5th century / AD 11th century","location":"New York","dimensions":"H: 34.9cm, W: 22.7cm, D: 1.7cm;  Object with mount: L: 35.9cm, W: 23.2cm, D: 4.1cm","provenance":"Egypt","obtention":"Rogers Fund, 1911  \nVendor: Lucy Olcott Perkins, Florence  \nFormer owner \\[dealer\\]: \\[Lucy Olcott Perkins, Florence, until 1911; sold to MMA\\]","bibliography":"Aanavi, Don, \"Western Islamic Art\", *Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin*, 27/3 (November 1968): 197-203, ill. 198 (b/w).  \nAlexander, David, *Furusiyya: Catalogue. Vol. 2*, Riyadh: King Abdulaziz Public Library, 1996: 211, no. 176, ill. 211 (colour).  \nBarrucand, Marianne, *Trésors Fatimides du Caire. Exposition Présentée à l'Institut du Monde Arabe du 28 Avril au 30 Aout 1998*, Paris: Institut du Monde Arabe, 1998: no. 14, 95, ill. (colour).  \nCarboni, Stefano, \"The Arts of the Fatimid Period at the Metropolitan Museum of Art\", *The Ismaili*, (2008): 6, ill. fig. 6 (colour).  \nDimand, Maurice S., *A Handbook of Mohammedan Decorative Arts*, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1930: 88–89, ill. fig. 39 (b/w).  \nDimand, Maurice S., *A Handbook of Muhammadan Art*, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1944: 112, ill. fig. 63 (b/w).  \nEkhtiar, Maryam, Canby, Sheila R., Haidar, Navina and Soucek, Priscilla P. (eds), *Masterpieces from the Department of Islamic Art in The Metropolitan Museum of Art*, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2011: 136, 163, no. 112, ill. 163 (colour).  \nEttinghausen, Richard, \"Almost One Hundred Years Ago\", in Richard Ettinghausen Islamic Art (ed), *Metropolitan Museum of Art*, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1972.  \nEttinghausen, Richard, Grabar, Oleg and Jenkins-Madina, Marilyn, *Islamic Art and Architecture 650–1250*, New Haven/London: Yale University Press, 2001: 201, ill. fig. 314 (colour).  \nFehérvári, Géza and Hamid Safadi, Yasin, *1400 Years of Islamic Art. A Descriptive Catalogue*, London: Khalili Gallery, 1981.  \nO'Kane, Bernard, *The Treasures of Islamic Art in the Museums of Cairo*, Cairo/New York: American University in Cairo Press, 2006: 88.  \nSeipel, Wilfried, *Schatze der Kalifen. Islamische Kunst zur Fatimidenzeit*, Vienna: Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna, 1999: 83, no. 15, ill. 83 (colour).  \nWelch, Stuart Cary, *The Islamic World. Vol. 11*, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1987: 26, ill. fig. 14 (colour).","dynasty":"Fatimid","copyright":"The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Rogers Fund, 1911","keywords":["animal decoration","architectural element","carving","Egypt","Fatimid","Fatimid architecture","high relief","horse","teak"],"materials":["carved","Wood (teak)"]},"ae6c89dd-38fa-5357-b1bd-8536d9d0c3b9":{"name":"Fragment (from a wooden frieze) with an inscription in kufic script.","description":"A fragment of a wooden frieze inscribed with large *kufic* characters. When the NMS acquired this piece it was thought to have come from Tulunid Egypt and it was suggested at the time that the inscription read: ‘*baraka wa yumn wa sa’ada wa ghibt lisahibii’* (‘blessing and good fortune and happiness and joy to its owner’). However on closer inspection, the surviving lettering does not stand up to such a reading, and although the inscription has not yet been re-deciphered, it appears more likely that it originally formed part of a quotation from the Qur’an.","short_description":"The little that survives of Fatimid wood carving is characterised by its intricate high relief technique and the vibrancy of its epigraphic or figurative decoration. Occasionally the final panels, which were meant to grace contemporary interiors, were painted, varnished and treated to be fire retardant.","type":"Woodwork, carved wood","holder":"National Museums of Scotland (NMS).","dates":"Hegira, late 2nd–5th century / late AD 9th–11th century.","location":"Edinburgh, Scotland","dimensions":"Height 12 cm, length 117 cm.","method_for_datation":"At one time this fragment was thought to originate in Tulunid Egypt (3rd–4th / 9th–10th centuries), it is now believed to be a product of the Fatimid period (4th–6th / 10th–12, due to certain stylistic similarities with a wooden panel excavated in Raqqa, Syria.","method_for_provenance":"Although it was assumed at one time that the object was produced in Egypt, a Syrian provenance may now also be feasible, given certain stylistic similarities between this fragment and a panel excavated at Raqqa in Syria dating to the Fatimid period.","provenance":"Possibly Syria or Egypt.","obtention":"Purchased by the NMS from Lisbet Holmes Textiles, London, in 1984.","dynasty":"Tulunid or Fatimid","author":"Ulrike Al-Khamis","copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["epigraphy","kufic script","wood"],"materials":["Carved wood."]},"b3e19f9a-bfd7-5d5a-8b43-22b75e5e93c8":{"name":"Section of a piece of furniture","short_description":"The section was probably part of a *sarir*, a large chair or throne. It bears a benedictory *kufic* inscription: “blessing and good fortune and happiness and felicity to its owner”. The decorative band is carved in the bevelled style, typical of the ninth century, with a symmetrical composition of a central stylized lotus and fan-shaped palmettes. A number of comparable wood sections in museum collections share similar compositions and inscriptions.","type":"Woodwork, furniture, wood","holder":"Benaki Museum","dates":"Hegira 3rd century / AD late 9th century","location":"Athens","dimensions":"97 cm X 50 cm","provenance":"Egypt","dynasty":"Tulunid","keywords":["furnishing","kufic","wood","wood carving"],"materials":["Wood, carved and incised"]},"b55d65e0-7851-5d7f-94f3-89e36361d38d":{"name":"Door wings of al-Hakim bi-Amrillah.","description":"The door from the Congregational Mosque of al-Azhar is made up of two leafs, each of which contains seven rectangular panels, some of which are vertical and others, horizontal. The two top panels are decorated by a two-line inscription in floriated *kufic* script. It should be noted that the position of these two door panels were switched around when they were remounted. In order to read the text in the appropriate way, one must read in reverse order and begin by reading the top line of the panel on the left-hand side and then continue with the top line from the panel on the right-hand side, in the following manner: “Our Lord, the Commander of the Faithful / the Imam, al-Hakim bi-Amrillah / May the Blessings of God be upon him and upon / his ancestors, al-Tahireen, and his descendants”.  \nAl-Hakim bi-Amrillah was the specific title assumed by the Fatimid Caliph, al-Mansur. His agnomen was *Abu Ali* (Father of Ali). The inscription ends with a prayer on behalf of the Fatimid caliph, and is a well-known Fatimid supplication that ascribes the attribute, *al-Tahireen*, to the ancestors of the Fatimid caliphs. This is a term that alludes to those who are considered as being far beyond reproach, stain, or sin and it was an attribute applied to those who belonged to the family of the Prophet Muhammad and those who were related to this family, such as the Fatimid caliphs. The 12 remaining panels are ornamented with carved vegetal motifs in low relief. These decorations clearly reveal the particularities of the early Fatimid style of wood carving, a style of slanted, bevelled engraving, and one which is distinctive of the Tulunid style. It may be observed that the decorative elements assume the form of vegetal stems, marked by their length, and the use of decoration in the form of bi-segmented palm fronds. It should also be noted that the decorative vocabulary includes a new design motif, in the form of a kidney-shaped blossom developed from the winged leaf. Thus the door of al-Hakim sheds light on the development of Islamic woodcarving and assists in the dating of some other wooden objects of the period.","short_description":"An example of the flourishing woodcarving industry in Fatimid Cairo, this door, donated by Caliph al-Hakim bi-Amrillah to al-Azhar Mosque, stands proof of the patronage of Fatimid caliphs of religious institutions and their maintenance and reconstruction.","type":"Woodwork, door wings, wood","holder":"Museum of Islamic Art","dates":"Hegira 386–411 / AD 996–1021.","location":"Cairo","dimensions":"Height 325 cm, width 200 cm.","method_for_datation":"The object was dated by the name of the Caliph al-Hakim bi-Amrillah which appears on it. Furthermore, dating is based on the known interest that al-Hakim took in the building and maintenance of the al-Azhar Congregational Mosque, for he enlarged the mosque by adding two colonnaded arcades (*riwaqs)* in the courtyard. Historians also allude to the *waqf* (endowment) in the name of al-Hakim that dates to 400 / 1009 and the fact that revenues from the endowment are reverted to al-Azhar Mosque to be spent on the salaries of the *Khatib* (orator), *a'imma* (*imams*, prayer leaders), *mu'addiniin* (muezzins), servants, furnishing, other implements and for lighting and lighting accessories.","method_for_provenance":"The inscription on the door alludes specifically to Al-Hakim bi-Amrillah which was the title assumed by the Fatimid Caliph, al-Mansur. It is known that the caliph took an active interest in the building and maintenance of the al-Azhar Congregational Mosque and that the *waqf* in the name of al-Hakim directs revenues from the endowment to al-Azhar Mosque. The door was transferred from the mosque to the Museum of Islamic Art in the early 20th century.","provenance":"Cairo, Egypt.","obtention":"This door was transferred from the Congregational Mosque of al-Azhar and preserved in the Museum of Islamic Art; as one of the museum's first acquisitions in around 1903 it formed the basis of the collection.","bibliography":"Al-Pasha, H., et al, *al-Qāhira, ārikhuha, fūnunuha, Āthāruha \\[Cairo, its History, Arts and Monuments\\],* Cairo, 1970.  \nEttinghausen, R., and Grabar, O., *The Art and Architecture of Islam 650–1250,* New Haven and London, 1987.  \nHassan, Z. M., *Atlas al-Funun al-Zukhrufiya wa al-Tasawir al-Islamiya \\[Atlas of Islamic Decorative Arts and Pictorial Representations\\], Beirut, 1981.*  \n\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_, *Kunuz al-Fatimiyin \\[Treasures of the Fatimids\\],* Cairo, 1937.  \nPauty, E., *Catalogue du *musée arabe* du Caire,* Cairo, 1931.","dynasty":"Fatimid","author":"Salah Sayour","copy_editor":"Majd Musa","translator":"Amal Sachedina (from the Arabic).","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Bevelled style","carving","Door","epigraphic decoration","high relief","kufic script","patronage","vegetal decoration","wood"],"materials":["Carving on wood."]},"b5a220ba-715c-5b3c-87dd-4d32b38cbcb1":{"name":"*Kwar* (Brazier)","description":"*Kwar*; a low, circular wooden brazier that stands on four legs. The *kwar* is filled with sand to protect it from the hot charcoal that is used to roast coffee beans, prepare bread, heat milk, or to add the smell of incense or *oud* to the room.","type":"Brazier","holder":"Bait Shaikh Saeed bin Hamad Al Qasimi Museum","owner":"Sharjah Museums Authority","initial_owner":"Arabian Peninsula","dates":"Hegira mid 14th century/AD mid 20th century","location":"Sharjah, United Arab Emirates","dimensions":"Height: 280mm, diameter: 780mm","method_for_datation":"Stylistic analysis","method_for_provenance":"Stylistic analysis","obtention":"Purchased","catalogue_holding_link":"brazier; kwar","author":"Hazelle Page","copy_editor":"Judy Harter","materials":["Wood, iron"]},"b69b45bc-18ac-5427-86ca-9f760fc47793":{"name":"Qur'an box","short_description":"A rectangular Quran box on four feet with inlaid decoration which consist of inscriptions on a background with vegetal scrolls.","type":"Metalwork","holder":"Benaki Museum","dates":"19th century","location":"Athens","dimensions":"17 X 24 cm","author":"Mina Moraitou","keywords":["revival","Mamluk","Egypt"],"materials":["Brass, wood, inlaid silver"]},"b8c40522-1727-5d7d-b72d-d30eb8d6a67e":{"name":"Four choir stalls.","description":"Monumental choir stalls from the convent of Santa Clara. The four stalls held by the National Archaeological Museum are part of a set originally made up of 50, with the 46 remaining stalls now at the San Diego Mission in the United States.  \nThe wooden structure and the painted decoration are particularly noteworthy. The construction is made in such a way as to reduce the use of nailed elements to a minimum. The usual range of colours has been used, with a predominance of pinks, dark red, green-black, white and yellow-green applied on a strong base of white primer, producing a visually astounding result.  \nThe architectonic aspect of the work, with its octagonal columns, curved lobed arches and a roof with corbels and *tabicas* (small boards), give it a grandiose character. It is the oldest example of tall choir stalls in Spain having been made around 1353, the same year that María de Padilla, the lover of King Peter I of Castile, founded the monastery, as proclaimed by the shields with rampant lions and fire shovels, Maria de Padilla's emblem.","short_description":"These four stalls give an idea of the original monumentality of the complete set of 50 stalls from the Convent of Santa Clara de Astudillo in Palencia. It has an architectural structure and its parts are simply assembled. The decoration is dominated by brightly coloured plant arabesques.","type":"Woodwork, stall, pine","holder":"National Archaeological Museum.","dates":"1353–7.","location":"Madrid","dimensions":"Height 290 cm, width 285 cm, depth 100 cm.","method_for_datation":"Surviving historical documentation dates it between 1353 and 1357.","method_for_provenance":"The stalls were in their original location until 1932.","provenance":"Convent of Santa Clara de Astudillo, Palencia, Spain.","obtention":"The stalls were donated to the National Archaeological Museum on 1 August 1932 by Apolinar Sánchez Villalba in order to obtain permission to export the 46 remaining stalls to the United States.","bibliography":"Camps Cazorla, E., “Sillas del Coro de Santa Clara de Astudillo”, *Museo Arqueológico Nacional. Adquisiciones de 1931*, Madrid, 1932, pp.1–8.  \nFranco Mata, A., “El Actual Paradero de la Sillería de Coro del Convento de Santa Clara de Astudillo”, in *Homenaje al Profesor Martín González*, Valladolid, 1995, pp.335–8.  \nFranco Mata, A., “Antigüedades Cristianas de los Siglos VIII al XV”, *Museo Arqueológico Nacional. Guía General*, Vol. II, Madrid, 1992, pp.96–7.  \nTorres Balbás, L., “Sillerías de Coro Mudéjares”, *Al-Andalus*, Madrid, Granada, 1954, p.19, no. 214.  \n  \n*Mudéjar Art: Islamic Aesthetics in Christian Art*, pp.66–8.","dynasty":"Mudéjar","linkcatalogs":"IAM_ES_EN_001","author":"Ángela Franco","copy_editor":"Rosalía Aller","translator":"Laurence Nunny","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["Astudillo","carving","Choir stalls","Mudéjar","Peter I","polichromy","religious furnishing","wood"],"materials":["carving, polychromy.","Pine"]},"b966135b-aa13-5813-b98e-6dab1d391e68":{"name":"Shelf","short_description":"The back on this shelf is decorated with a perforated pattern, whereas the rack is decorated with a floral pattern (daisies) and small hooks. The section directly beneath the shelf is also decorated with a floral motif.","type":"Walnut wood","holder":"Musée Public National des Arts et Traditions Populaires","dates":"Late 19th century","location":"Algiers","dimensions":"57 x 33 cm","translator":"Flaminia Baldwin","keywords":["Furniture"]},"bb8218af-c329-56aa-9fd9-9570b638e2b2":{"name":"Sickle (*mikhlab*)","description":"The sickle is a tool that has been employed worldwide for its utility: it is a manual agricultural tool that consists of a curved blade that is usually used for harvesting grain crops or cutting weeds used to feed livestock.","type":"Sickle (*mikhlab*)","holder":"National Museum of Oman","owner":"National Museum of Oman","dates":"Hegira 14th century / AD 20th century","location":"Muscat","dimensions":"Height: 3.5cm, length: 52cm, width: 3.5cm","place_of_production":"Oman","provenance":"Local acquisition","obtention":"Local acquisition.","dynasty":"al-Busaid","copy_editor":"Alvaro Miranda","materials":["Wood and iron"]},"bcf9b146-5f0b-5860-b18c-54be05ab62f7":{"name":"Decorative panel.","description":"It is thought that this panel is part of the decorative woodwork of the Amri Mosque in Qus, and also that it formed part of the covering of the *minbar*’s pulpit. The *minbar* was first mentioned in the 1870s by A. Prisse d’Avennes. Two large forked leaves, with carefully inscribed carvings, are positioned at the centre of the panel. They enclose a central palmette blossom. The tips of both leaves become an almost geometrical pattern of flat stylised tendrils. The main body of both leaves is framed by a ten-pointed star, which connects at the top and the bottom to the panel’s outer frame. Their upper and lower points overlap each other in the form of spiralling tendrils. Vine leaves and small grapes can be seen growing from the tendrils, which are also covered with small hooks and forked leaves. A delicate tendril pattern also covers the surface of the main central forked leaves. The decorative woodwork on panels from the AH 5th / AD 11th century al-Hakim Mosque is similarly well designed, although they are not as finely carved as this piece.  \nThe town of Qus had developed into one of Egypt’s principal trading towns when the central mosque of Salih Tala’i was built in AH 555 / AD 1160. The famous *minbar* of Qus had been built only a little earlier. Goods traded with central Africa were reloaded at the town of Qus; Qus traded with Yemen and stored merchandise for trading with India. Writing in AH 579 / AD 1183, Ibn Djubair related the town’s rise to the crusades. The town was also a meeting place for pilgrims from Egypt and the Maghreb. Scholars used the *nisba* ‘al-Kusi’ (from Qus), testifying to the town’s significance. In the 19th century, the town was Egypt’s second most important Arabic trading town.","short_description":"Islamic art excels in the ornamental designs often called arabesques. This is a superb example of a composition from Fatimid Egypt. It shows a geometrical star pattern surrounding stylised palmette leaves in the centre enclosed by symmetrical undulating vine scrolls ending in grapes or vine leaves.","type":"Woodwork, panel, wood","holder":"Museum of Islamic Art at the Pergamon Museum","initial_owner":"Herz Bey Collection, Cairo.","dates":"Hegira 6th century / AD 12th century, perhaps around AH 550 / AD 1155.","location":"Berlin","dimensions":"Height 25 cm, width 46.3 cm.","method_for_datation":"The mosque from which this decorative panel came was built in 550 / 1155, so this panel could be dated to around that time.","method_for_provenance":"The stylistic components of this decorative panel suggest that it could have formed part of a larger wooden decorative piece found in the Amri mosque in Qus in Upper Egypt.","provenance":"Amri Mosque, Qus, Upper Egypt.","obtention":"Bought by B. Moritz in Cairo, 1906.","bibliography":"Ettinghausen, R., “Ägyptische Holzschnitzereien aus Islamischer Zeit, Berliner Museen”, *Berichte aus den Preussischen Kunstsammlungen* 54, 1933, pp.17–20. Kühnel, E., “Der Mamlukische Kassettenstil”, *Kunst des Orients* 1, 1950, pp.55–68. “Kus”, in *Enzyklopädie des Islam,* Vol. 2, Leiden; Leipzig, 1927, p.1241. *Meyers Konversationslexikon*, Leipzig; Vienna, 1905, Vol. 11, p.877. *Museum für Islamische Kunst Berlin*, Catalogue, Mainz, 2001, p.31.","dynasty":"Fatimid","author":"Annette Hagedorn","translator":"Maria Vlotides, Brigitte Finkbeiner","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["carving","forked leaves","Mosque interior decoration","wood"],"materials":["Wood."]},"bd9ac0b4-17dd-5d2a-86a5-baadbae9f621":{"name":"Jeweller’s tools box","short_description":"Jeweller’s wooden box to keep tools such as hand drills, punctures and screws, and soldering iron clumps. This tool box belonged to an Armenian jeweller whose family left their country during the First World War and settled in Jerusalem. The jeweller then moved to Amman and settled there in 1948. The Armenians were well known as skilled craftsmen and jewellers. The owner of this box worked as a jeweller since the 1950's, using his tool box until his death. The tool box demonstrates the relationship between different waves of migration and the variegated demographic composition of the Jordanians.","type":"Tool kits; metalwork; woodwork","holder":"Jordan Folklore Museum, Department of Antiquities","dates":"Early 20th century","location":"Amman","dimensions":"Length 46 cm, height 7.8 cm","provenance":"Palestine, Jerusalem","author":"Huda Kilani","copy_editor":"Daniel de la Vega","keywords":["Wooden box","accommodate","hand drills"],"materials":["Wood, metal; casting"]},"bdae3379-6d92-508e-9471-03fb9980c87e":{"name":"Ceiling fragment.","description":"This trapezoidal side fragment of a ceiling consists of a series of small wooden planks and strips arranged in a pre-set geometric pattern to make a three-dimensional mosaic and cover the joists and beams of the ceiling. Its repetitive geometric composition follows a theme based on an eight-pointed star developing into rectilinear knotwork that forms various different shapes: hexagons, seven-pointed stars and cruciform nodes. The interstices formed by the knotwork are either filled by pieces with chamfered edges that protrude slightly above the knotwork lines, or left empty.  \nThe lines of the knotwork have a central groove and are painted with a red line next to a white braid on the inside and a green transparent fillet on the outside. The bottoms of the hollow shapes are covered with a coat of red paint on top of a white base coat. The surfaces of the pieces in relief that are not covered with a base coat are surrounded by chamfers consisting of a red background and a white coat marked with small alternating blue and red zigzags.  \nThe very balanced compositions, alternating filled and empty spaces, and the decoration based on contrasting colours make this fragment of a ceiling from al-Misbahiya Madrasa in Fez particularly interesting. Known as trough or *jefna* in Morocco and *artesonado* in Spain, this type of ceiling was already used in Almohad times. It was very popular in Marinid times for covering prayer rooms.","short_description":"The well-balanced composition of wooden planks and battens arranged in a geometric design with alternating filled and empty spaces, as well as areas of decoration based on colour contrasts, make this fragment of ceiling, known as *jefna*, particularly interesting.","type":"Woodwork, ceiling, wood","holder":"Batha Museum.","dates":"Hegira 747 / AD 1346–7.","location":"Fez.","dimensions":"Length 285 cm, width 125.5 cm, depth 7.7 cm.","method_for_datation":"Same date as the *madrasa* it came from.","method_for_provenance":"Fragment salvaged from a ceiling of the monument.","provenance":"Al-Misbahiya Madrasa, Fez.","obtention":"Salvaged following the restoration of the *madrasa*.","bibliography":"Cambazard-Amahan, C., *6000 d'art au Maroc*, catalogue, Paris, 1990.  \nGallotti, J., *Le jardin et la maison arabes au Maroc*, Vol. I, Paris, 1926.  \nTerrasse, Ch., *Médersas du Maroc*, Paris, 1927.  \n*Andalusian Morocco: A Discovery in Living Art*, pp.104–6.","dynasty":"Marinid","linkcatalogs":"IAM_MA_EN_001","author":"Naima El Khatib-Boujibar","copy_editor":"Margot Cortez","translator":"Laurence Nunny","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["ceiling","geometric decoration","religious building"],"materials":["Joined, carved and painted cedarwood."]},"bde1bb31-4ed9-500e-8ed0-c80c51d8d0cd":{"name":"*Minbar*.","description":"This *minbar* is a mobile pulpit with eight steps supported by vertical walls ending with lateral arcatures linked by a ramp. Both the internal and external sides are decorated. The entire Andalusian decorative repertoire – vegetal, floral, geometric and epigraphic – has been employed. The sides and the back are framed with *kufic* inscriptions (Qur'anic text, pious formulas and three foundation texts). The characters are embossed, sculpted or inlaid. Marquetry and bone and ivory inlay have been used on the sides for chequered geometrical knotwork and the floral designs, in the shape of trees of life, crowned by arcatures that decorate the back and the risers. The variously shaped small polygonal wooden panels that fill the interstices of the geometrical knotwork are sculpted and carved with floral and vegetal motifs with an outstanding level of delicacy and precision that is reminiscent of and even surpasses the work on Umayyad ivory boxes. In addition to the sculptures and carving, the palette of colours and shades of the valuable woods make this liturgical object a masterpiece of the genre. One of the inscriptions says that 'Ali ibn Yusuf commissioned it from a workshop in Córdoba in AH 532 / AD 1137 for the Great Mosque of Marrakesh. The Almohad 'Abd al-Mu'min spared the *minbar* when he razed 'Ali's mosque in AH 542 / AD 1147. He put it in his mosque, the original Kutubiya and then transferred it to his second, current Kutubiya, where it was used until the 1950s.","short_description":"Made in Córdoba for the Great Mosque of 'Ali ibn Yusuf in Marrakesh, it was spared by the Abbasid 'Abd al-Mu'min and placed in his mosque, the Kutubiya. The meticulous, precise and subtle crafting of this item make it the only *minbar* to have survived to our times, a masterpiece of its type.","type":"Woodwork, minbar, wood","holder":"Badi Palace.","owner":"Kutubiya Mosque (*habus* or *waqf* – endowment).","initial_owner":"The Almoravid monarch ‘Ali ibn Yusuf commissioned it for his Great Mosque of Marrakesh.","dates":"Hegira 532 / AD 1137 (commenced).","location":"Marrakesh.","dimensions":"Height 386 cm, length 346 cm, width 87 cm.","method_for_datation":"The inscription engraved on the last upright on the left side reads: 'This *minbar* was made in Córdoba, God protect it, for the Great Mosque of the city of Marrakesh, God protect it, and its construction began with God's help on the first day of the month of Muharram in the year 532 (AD 1137), may God glorify the reward of its commissioner'. The inscription on the back arcature reads: 'May God help the prince \\[of the faithful, 'Ali ibn Yusuf\\] ibn Tashufin and his heir'.","method_for_provenance":"The place where it was made, (Córdoba) and its original location ('Ali ibn Yusuf's mosque) are mentioned in the inscription engraved on the back arcature: 'This *minbar* was made in the city of Córdoba, God protect it, for this great venerated mosque, may God help it to endure with the word of Islam. It was finished …' The name 'Aziz' engraved on the structure, discovered during restoration, could be that of a craftsman or foreman.","provenance":"Kutubiya Mosque.","obtention":"Removed from the Kutubiya Mosque for preservation in 1962 and restored. Since 2005 kept in a room in the Badi Palace.","bibliography":"Basset, H. et Terrasse, H., “Sanctuaires et forteresses almohades. V. La chaire de la Kotobîya”, *Hespéris* 6, Rabat, 1926, pp.168–207.  \nBloom, J. M., Toufiq, A., Carboni, S., Soultanian, J., Wilmering, A. M., Minor, M. D., Zawacki, A., Hbibi, M., *Le Minbar de la* *Mosquée Kutubiiyya*, Madrid, 1998.  \nDeverdun, G., *Marrakech des origines à 1912*, Rabat, 1959.  \nSauvaget,J., “'Sur le minbar de la Koutoubia de Marrackech”, *Hésperis* 36, Rabat, 1949.  \nTerrasse,H., “Minbars anciens dur Maroc”, *Mélanges d'histoire et d'archéologie de l'Occident musuman* 2 Algiers, 1957.","dynasty":"Almoravid","author":"Naima El Khatib-Boujibar","copy_editor":"Margot Cortez","translator":"Laurence Nunny","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["epigraphic decoration","floral decoration","geometric decoration","liturgical object","Mosque interior decoration"],"materials":["Different woods (cedar, acacia, box, jujube), natural bone painted green, ivory (sculpted, carved, openwork, assembled, inlaid and gilded)."]},"be8c9494-f659-53be-b44a-b763609d1e3d":{"name":"Dawud Pasha’s bedroom","short_description":"This bedroom belonged to the first *mutasarrif* (ruler) of the Mount Lebanon *mutasarrifiyya*, Dawud Pasha, who governed from 1861–68). The room is furnished with one double bed, one baldachin bed, two curtains, one rug, two embroidery panels, two bedside tables and a coffer. A thin off-white mattress covered in silk and embroidered in gold thread rests on each bed, and both frames are covered with light blue silk draperies. Three small, rectangular off-white silk pillows rest against the baldachin bed's adjustable headboard. Two square pillows rest on the double bed. The blue silk drapery on the bed frames was also used for the identical silk curtains. The curtains served a purely decorative function and could not be closed, as they were sewn to the valances, which are made with off-white silk and gold embroidery. The curtains are held back with golden tiebacks hooked on golden metal knobs. The embroidery panels on the walls are also made with the same off-white silk, and feature a variety of floral designs. The two dark, wooden bedside tables resemble classical columns and the coffer is made with a lighter wood and decorated with floral bas-reliefs.","type":"Furniture","holder":"Lebanese Heritage Museum","dates":"1860s","location":"`Ayn Najm","provenance":"Turkey","author":"Marie Therese Moujabber","copy_editor":"Flaminia Baldwin","keywords":["Needlework","Furniture","Floral decoration","Embroidery"],"materials":["Silk; embroidery; needlework"]},"bf0840a4-cd98-55b6-a59b-9fb15a8371a3":{"name":"Wooden panel.","description":"The Museum of Islamic Art in Cairo holds two identical wooden panels, one of which is this piece, decorated with two stylised doves that confront each other and which are intertwined with vegetal decorative motifs. Some of the detail on the doves is coloured in red, blue and white. The neck of each dove is decorated with a band containing a row of fine grains set adjacent to each other. Furthermore, the panel contains vegetal motifs in the form of lotus blossoms and winged foliage, which appears to have strong ties with similar pieces in plaster and wood made in the City of Samarra in Iraq.  \nThe Tulunid period in Egypt (AH 254–92 / AD 868–905) was distinguished by the dominant influences of Samarra seen in many of the applied arts. Wood craftsmanship is considered to be one of the most important areas to be influenced by the styles and decoration of the Samarra style 'C' (known as the third Samarra style) in stucco, to the extent that some of the Egyptian Tulunid examples executed in wood appear almost completely identical to some of the wooden objects uncovered in the city of Samarra, many of which date to the AH 3rd / AD 9th century, and are distinctive for their bevelled stylistic carving.","short_description":"This wooden panel is engraved in the decorative style brought to Egypt by artisans from Iraq who followed in the footsteps of Ahmad Ibn Tulun, founder of the Tulunid state. It is called the third Samarra style.","type":"Woodwork, panel, wood","holder":"Museum of Islamic Art","dates":"Hegira 3rd century / AD 9th century.","location":"Cairo","dimensions":"Length 80 cm, width 20.5 cm.","method_for_datation":"This object was dated based on the spread of this particular decorative style in Samarra during the 3rd / 9th century. It was a period of Tulunid rule in Egypt, and a time of migration for many artisans who, following in the footsteps of Ahmed ibn Tulun, the founder of the Tulinid state, left Samarra to settle in Egypt. It was this period that witnessed the production of precious applied-art objects, produced according to Samarran decorative styles.","method_for_provenance":"Egypt has been narrowed down as the place of production for this panel, an assumption based on the identical style of carving used on this piece compared to those used on other wood and plaster objects during this period in Egypt.","provenance":"Egypt.","obtention":"The panel was bought by the Museum in 1938 from a dealer of antiquities, Maurice Nahman.","bibliography":"Bloom, J., and Blair, S., *Islamic Arts,* London, 1997.  \nBrend, B., *Islamic Art,* London, 1991.  \nEttinghausen, R., and Grabar, O., *The Art and Architecture of Islam 650–1250,* New Haven and London, 1987.  \nShafa'i, F., “Mumayyizat al-Akhshab al-Muzakhrafa fi al-Tiraz al-Abbasi wa al-Fatimi \\[Distinguishing Features of Decorated Wood in the Fatimid and Abbasid Styles\\]”,in *Majalat Kulliyat al-Adab \\[Journal of the Faculty of Arts\\],* Vol. 16, No.1, 1954.  \nWilson, E., *Islamic Designs,* London, 1988.  \nYasin, Abd al-Nassir, *Al-Funun al-Zukhrufiya al-Islamiyya fi Masr mundhu al-Fath al-Islami hatta al-'Asr al-Fatimi \\[The Islamic Decorative Arts in Egypt From the Time of the Islamic Conquest to the Fatimid Period\\],* Volume 1, Alexandria, 2002.","dynasty":"Tulunid","author":"Salah Sayour","copy_editor":"Majd Musa","translator":"Amal Sachedina (from the Arabic).","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["animal decoration","Bevelled style","bird","engraving","figurative decoration","panel","relief","vegetal decoration","wood","wood carving"],"materials":["Wood decorated with bevelled carving."]},"bf34096f-295d-5f0d-931b-71a243d32a5b":{"name":"Sofa of Krste Petkov Misirkov","short_description":"Krste Petkov Misirkov (1874–1926) is among the most prominent personages of the recent Macedonian history. He was highly educated philologist, historian, ethnographer and publicist, having also been engaged in translation. He lived and worked in St. Petersburg, Russia. Besides his most important work \"On Macedonian Matters\", he had around thirty articles published in different newspapers.","type":"Furniture","holder":"Museum of Macedonia","dates":"Early 20th century","location":"Skopje","author":"Nada Andonovska (author), Dragan Georgiev, historian (consultant)","copy_editor":"Daniel de la Vega","keywords":["Publicist","philologist"]},"bf743b8c-3b55-5eca-9558-3f933909bf96":{"name":"Document chest","description":"Chests are some of the oldest types of furniture and, depending on their size and construction, were used for storing or transporting documents, linen or food. The chest with its four locks from the St. Urban monastery in Canton Lucerne was used to store important documents and valuable books. The distinctive iron fittings served as protection and decoration. Chests were used in rural areas until the 19th century. Over time they were replaced by more convenient cupboards and chests of drawers.","type":"Chest","holder":"Swiss National Museum","owner":"Swiss Confederation","dates":"14th Century","location":"Zurich","dimensions":"H: 76cm, W: 135cm, D: 42cm","method_for_datation":"Documents","provenance":"Cloister St. Urban, Canton of Lucerne, Switzerland","obtention":"Bought in 1892 at an auction","keywords":["Canton of Lucerne","Chest","Cloister St. Urban","Document Chest","Oak-wood","Switzerland"],"materials":["Oak-wood with iron fittings"]},"c056551b-78c9-51e2-b6d3-15f2e76249ce":{"name":"Knife grinding machine","short_description":"Happy is he who is fortunate but human fortune is fragile. Humans, in contrast to gods, are mortal, finite, and frail. External circumstances determine human fortune and success. You have to preserve it. Just as the knife grinder does in Giza near Cairo: he has created a striking installation on the front right stand of his machine, consisting of a combination of an amulet to protect fortune, and objects of daily life – a finely turned *mashrabiya* lattice, a small basket, the fragment of a red synthetic wrapper with the depiction of a mosque printed in gold, a doll's foot, the burned-out flashcube from a pocket camera, and other things. As an effective protection against any possible evil, the habitual name of God (Allah) sways over the ensemble, stamped in red plastic. In the museum inventory, the following comment of the collector can still be read: \"Heavily used, old piece (ca. 1920). Was rented out by the old, sick owner to a young man.\"","type":"Production tool; religion","holder":"Weltmuseum Wien","dates":"Ca. 1920","location":"Vienna","dimensions":"H: 159cm, W: 98cm, Diameter: 50.5cm; Diameter (wheel): 95cm","method_for_datation":"Entry in the general inventory and archival documents.","method_for_provenance":"Entry in the general inventory book.","provenance":"Egypt, Kerdasa","obtention":"Catalog entry: \"Purchased from Dr. Peter W. Schienerl, Kairo, 1977.\"","bibliography":"Steinmann, Axel, \"Die Unschuld des Blicks oder Von der Beredtheit der Dinge\", in Christoph Steinbrener, *Unternehmen Capricorn. Eine Expedition durch Museen, exhibition catalogue*, Vienna: Triton, 2001: 90-95.  \nSteinmann, Axel, \"The Knife Grinder\", in Christian Schicklgruber (ed), *Weltmuseum Wien, exhibition catalogue*, Vienna: Weltmuseum Wien, 2017: 188-189.  \nSteinmann, Axel, \"At the Threshold of the Orient\", in Claudia Augustat and Reinhard Blumauer (eds), *In a Nutshell, exhibition catalogue*, Vienna: Weltmuseum Wien, 2017: 90-95.","materials":["Wood, pigment, plastic, metal, textile, leather"]},"c072d700-9ae2-5214-ad10-69e3cb6824fa":{"name":"Film camera of the Manaki brothers","short_description":"Janaki (1878–1945) and Milton (1880–1964) Manaki were born in Bitola and went on to become pioneers of Macedonian film and the first filmmakers in the Balkans. The Manaki brothers shot their first film merely 10 years after the Lumiere brothers. In 1905, they shot their grandmother Despina spinning wool with women from the neighbourhood. Their first film of ethnographic value was shot soon after. It documents celebration of the feast of St. Cyril and Methodius in front of the Church in Bitola devoted to these saints. In their films, the Manaki brothers strived to document visually events from everyday life and to frame them as real works of art. In 1921, they projected the first film in the open-air arena at the Shirok Sokak Street in Bitola.","type":"Camera; part of filming equipment","holder":"The Archive of the City of Bitola","dates":"1905","location":"Bitola","author":"Aco Kimovski (Archive of the City of Bitola)","copy_editor":"Daniel de la Vega","keywords":["Innovation","filmmaking","ethnographic documentaries","cinema"]},"c0d03656-54de-5836-824e-12905a80c7a5":{"name":"Coffee grinder","short_description":"Manual coffee grinder carved out of a hard wood, usually oak. The grinder consists of two parts: the mortar and the pestle. The mortar is highly decorated with floral and geometric designs. After roasting the coffee beans, the local Bedouins use these to grind the beans. The sound of grinding functions as an invitation to others to come and chat while enjoying freshly prepared coffee.","type":"Kitchen utilities; woodwork","holder":"Jordan Folklore Museum, Departmant of Antiquities","dates":"Late 19th century – early 20th century","location":"Amman","provenance":"Jordan","author":"Huda Kilani","copy_editor":"Daniel de la Vega","keywords":["coffee","coffee grinding","coffee beans","domestic furnishing","domestic vessels"]},"c4648474-e922-5da3-817d-b501e5d61af0":{"name":"Three pieces of a wall decoration","short_description":"Three architectural wooden fragments are part of an interior wall decoration, acquired in the Armenian town of New Julfa near Isfahan. They are painted in lacquer and plaster in the *ablaq* technique.","type":"Architecture fragment","holder":"MKG Museum for Applied Arts","dates":"Hegira 13th century / AD 19th century","location":"Hamburg","dimensions":"Diameter: 16cm / 17cm / 8.5cm","method_for_datation":"Acquired in the Armenian town of Daelulfa near Isfahan.","method_for_provenance":"Gift from Reg Baumeister-Breslauer, Berlin.","provenance":"Iran","obtention":"Endowment.","dynasty":"Qajar","copy_editor":"Caitlin Link","keywords":["Iran","Wall decoration"],"materials":["Wood, lacquer"]},"c71d590c-4617-5140-bfe0-2cb0925bedda":{"name":"Writing box.","description":"The object was prepared by painting with lacquer on wood, a technique known as *Edirnekari* . The whole outer surface of the box is decorated with bouquets of flowers on a red ground. The floral designs within the garland in the centre of the rounded cover, as well as in its corners and on the sides of the box, all reflect the Turkish Baroque-Rococo style. Within a small medallion on the bottom of the decorated lid is the name of the craftsman who made the box: 'es-Seyyid ömer er-Recai' (al-Sayyid ‘Umar al-Rija'i). On the inside of the lid is the *tuğra* of Sultan Abdülmecid I (r. AH 1255–78 / AD 1839–61) on a blue background.  \n  \nWithin the box is storage space for a reed pen, ink, and a sand-sprinkler, as well as a compartment for paper. Writing boxes were produced in response to calligraphers' desire to store their paper, reed pens, inkwells, pen-cutting slabs, knives and scissors in one place.  \n  \nWriting boxes were functional rather than decorative objects. They were decorated according to the taste of the period, usually with mother-of-pearl, ivory, and tortoiseshell inlaid into wood. Sometimes, as with this example, they were made using the *Edirnekari* technique, which was common in the AH 13th / AD 19th century.  \n  \nCalligraphy is one of the greatest fields in which Islamic art has expressed itself. The Ottoman sultans in particular took lessons in calligraphy and created their own examples. Among the sultans proficient in the art of calligraphy might be counted Ahmed III, Mustafa II, Mahmud II and Abdülmecid I, and this writing box was made for and personally used by Abdülmecid I.","short_description":"Writing boxes were made to store the tools of calligraphers and scribes. They were decorated according to the taste of the period, in this case in a lacquer technique known as *Edirnekari*. Its owner was Sultan Abdülmecid I, who was himself a calligrapher.","type":"Calligraphy, lacquered on wood","holder":"Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts.","initial_owner":"Sultan Abdülmecid I.","dates":"Reign of Sultan Abdülmecid I (r. Hegira 1255–78 / AD 1839–61).","location":"Sultanahmet, Istanbul.","dimensions":"Height 8.5 cm, depth 21 cm, length 40 cm.","method_for_datation":"The *tughra* of Sultan Abdülmecid found on the inside of the lid shows that the box was made during his reign (1255–78 / 1839–61) and was made especially for him, as he was himself a calligrapher.","method_for_provenance":"A provenance of Istanbul is likely due to the high quality of the work, indicating that it was certainly made for the sultan, and the fact that the greatest patron of the art of calligraphy was the Ottoman court itself based in Istanbul.","provenance":"Istanbul, Turkey.","obtention":"Preserved in the Tiled Pavilion (Çinili Köşk) in Istanbul; transferred to the Museum in 1941.","bibliography":"Ölçer, N. *et al, In Pursuit of Excellence: The Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts*, Istanbul, 1993, p.70.  \n  \nÖlçer, N. *et al, Museum of Turkish and Islamic Art*, Istanbul, 2002, p.318.","dynasty":"Ottoman","linkcatalogs":"IAM_TR_EN_001","author":"Şule Aksoy","translator":"Barry Wood, İnci Türkoğlu","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["calligraphy","Edirnekari technique","lacquer, Sultan Abdülmecid I","tugra."],"materials":["Lacquered (Edirnekari) technique on wood."]},"c9f89cf2-fecb-5af5-b2fb-ec2f961e5a4e":{"name":"Pair of doors","short_description":"The pair of doors was found dismantled as parts of a sarcophagus in Iraq. The main decorative theme is a tree motif combined with geometrical and architectural motifs surrounded by vine scrolls and foliage. The collection of these elements and the rich carved ornamentation is traceable in the architectural decoration of late Umayyad art as presented in the desert palaces of Mshatta and Qasr Tuba.","type":"Woodwork, doors, wood, Umayyad","holder":"Benaki Museum","dates":"Hegira 2nd century / AD 8th century","location":"Athens","dimensions":"255 cm X 123 cm","provenance":"Iraq","dynasty":"Umayyad / Abbasid","keywords":["Doors","tree motifs","Umayyad","vegetal decoration","wood"],"materials":["Wood, carved"]},"cb0e2e69-43f9-5404-9ff2-563cd4a64103":{"name":"Namban Folding screen","alternate_name":"*Namban byobu*","description":"The *byobu* was used in Japan to create a more intimate space in large areas or to frame or define a ritual space. Generally made in pairs, *byobu* offer a splendid surface for decoration. In 1543 the Portuguese *namban* (meaning “foreigners”) arrived in Japan; the impact of their encounter would last almost a century. As a visual record the screens stand out.  \nThe arrival of the Portuguese black ship (*kurofune*), with its exotic cargo, people, treasures and novelties, was depicted in masterly detail by the Kano school painters, as shown by screens marked with the seal of the painter, Kano Naizen.  \nThe screen follows a specific model: in the first panel is the big ship that left Portugal carrying goods from Goa, Malacca and Macau. Here it is preparing to leave Goa – the capital of the Portuguese settlement in India – a suggestion underlined by the foreign architecture and two elephants. The busy port is expressed in great detail and bright colours. Golden clouds separate the different moments of the composition. The theme continues in the second screen, where it is probable that we are shown the arrival of the boat in the port of Nagasaki. The artist had enhanced the excellence of the ship's crew by painting acrobats performing in the masts.  \nAshore, a group surveys the unloading of the precious cargo (exotic animals included).The core business would have been the trading of Chinese silk for Japanese silver; sold in China for fabulous profits. Nearby is a heterogeneous procession led by the ship's captain under an umbrella and including rich Portuguese gentleman and merchants, Arabians, Indians, Africans and Malays. Significantly the artist depicts their clothes in detail. On the right, missionaries wait in front of a church; it is important to note that the Jesuit missionaries organised the Portuguese presence in Japan as their religious work was based at the cultural level. These screens document an encounter which for the first time connected two different and distant cultures.","short_description":"The arrival of the Portuguese (*namban jin*) in Japan in 1543 began a period of rich exchange. Screens such as this one detail the Portuguese presence in Japan in gold and bright colours. The portrayal of strange people and precious goods arriving in Japan in Portuguese black ships (*kurofune*) amount to some of the most impressive *namban* products.","type":"Decorative arts / genre painting","holder":"National Museum of Ancient Art","owner":"Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga","dates":"1593–1603","location":"Lisbon, Lisbon","dimensions":"H: 178 cm; l: 366 cm width: 2 cm","place_of_production":"Japan","method_for_datation":"The object has the artist’s seal","method_for_provenance":"By Tadao Takamizawa and Oyshitomo Okamoto in *Namban Byobu*, 1970. *See below*","provenance":"Acquisition 1954","obtention":"Acquisition","bibliography":"Boxer, C. R., *The great ship from Amacon*, Lisbon, 1959.  \nTakamizawa, T., Okamoto, O., *Namban Byobu*, Tokyo, 1970.  \nPinto, M. H. Mendes, *Biombos* *Namban***,** Lisbon, 1988.  \nSousa, C. Borges de, *Portugiesen* *in Japan-Die Namban Kunst, Die Grossen sammlungen VIII*, Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga, Lisbon, Kunst und Ausstellungshalle der Bundesrepublik, Germany, 1999.  \nBiombo: *Japanese Heritage as a Legend of* *Gold,* Suntory Museum of Art/Osaka Municipal Museum of Art, 2007.","workshop":"Kano School","artist_birthdate":"1570","artist_birthplace":"Unknown","artist_deathdate":"1616","copyright":"Copyright images: Divisão de Documentação Fotográfica/ Instituto dos Museus e da Conservação,I.P.","author":"Conceição Borges de Sousa","translator":"Conceição Borges de Sousa","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Byobu","furnishing","Kano","Nagasaki","Namban","silver"],"materials":["metal","Wooden frame covered with paper, gold leaf, tempera, silk and lacquered"]},"cb48c75d-bd2a-5fb9-9430-da529ee7f01a":{"name":"Bedstead","short_description":"This closed bedstead is made of a wooden panel, carved and painted with in an arc. This kind of furniture was a part of the architecture of traditional homes. The bed is made of a wooden plank attached to the wall and sitting in an alcove, sealed by the bedstead. This bedstead is decorated with small flowers and foliage, painted in green on a paler background.","type":"Woodwork","holder":"Dar Ayed – Ksar Hellal","dates":"19th century","dimensions":"H. 280 cm, l. 250 cm","author":"Saloua Zangar","translator":"Flaminia Baldwin","keywords":["Carved wood"],"materials":["Wood, paint, gold leaf"]},"cbc34421-cbf1-565d-b4bd-d91bdc792930":{"name":"Rosette shaped part of the *minbar* of the Mosque of Ibn Tulun","description":"The mosque of Ibn Tulun was built in Cairo in the 9th century AD, and was restored and renovated during the reign of the Mamluk Sultan Hosam al-Din Lajin in 1296. One of the most important items of the equipment of a mosque is the *minbar* – originally a raised seat – used as a pulpit, but having also a symbolic meaning as the \"Throne of Muhammad\". The *minbar* was decorated with stone or wood inlays.  \n  \nThe *minbar* of the mosque of Ibn Tulun was one of the most precious. Its wooden decoration was exhibited at the World Trade Exhibition of 1867 in Paris as one of Egypt’s most significant craft works. After that, important pieces of the *minbar* reached numerous European collections.","type":"Woodwork","holder":"MAK – Austrian Museum of Applied Arts / Contemporary Art","dates":"1296; exhibited at Paris World Trade Exhibition in 1867","location":"Vienna","provenance":"Egypt, Cairo","copy_editor":"Daniel de la Vega","materials":["Carved and inlayed wood"]},"cbca02ba-ec59-566e-8f11-04e13bc39fa0":{"name":"Box","short_description":"Depictions from the life of Fath Ali Shah (1797-1834).  \nA throne scene – Fath Ali Shah surrounded by courtiers on the cover, hunting scenes on the side and inside.","type":"Lacquerwork","holder":"MAK – Museum of Applied Arts","dates":"AD first half of the 19th century","location":"Vienna","dimensions":"Height: 20.5cm, Width: 29.5cm, Diameter: 42.5cm","provenance":"Iran","obtention":"Purchase","bibliography":"Wilson, Sir Arnold Talbot, *Persian Art: an illustrated souvenir of the exhibition of Persian art at Burlington house*, London: Hudson & Kearns, 1931.","dynasty":"Qajar","catalogue_holding_link":"https://sammlung.mak.at/sammlung_online?id=collect-46211","author":"Mio Wakita-Elis","keywords":["Box","court life","Fath Ali Shah","figurative decoration","human representation","hunting","Iran","lacquerwork"],"materials":["Wood, opaque colour under a lacquer varnish"]},"ccc80591-561a-5013-ba76-666b084adb51":{"name":"Storage chest","short_description":"Almost no furniture has survived from the Islamic Middle Ages, and it is unclear whether this unique chest was made for a mosque or a private home. Remnants of yellow pigment and gold leaf indicate that the flat sections of the decoration on the front were originally surrounded by a golden color.","type":"Storage chest, woodwork","holder":"The David Collection","dates":"Hegira c. 640 / AD c. 1240","location":"Copenhagen","provenance":"Iraq, Mosul","dynasty":"Luluid","keywords":["furnishing","Islamic Middle Ages","Storage chest","woodwork"],"materials":["Wood, carved and inlaid with ebony and bone. Modern lid and inlays partly modern"]},"cce3a0c8-0096-5ec4-8323-9daea09d8912":{"name":"Two wooden columns.","description":"Two wooden columns with square-prism bodies, each with two sides decorated with deep carving. The sides are divided into a series of rectangular panels. Within the panels a text of 16 lines has been carved in floriated *kufic* script, eight lines per side.  \n  \nThe column with inventory number 145 features the text from Qur'an *sura* 19, verses 96–8. The verses begin on one side of the column and are read downward, continuing on the other side.  \n  \nThe column with inventory number 146 features text from the Qur'an *sura* 2, verse 285. Different from the other column, after the first lines on each side finish, they continue from the second panel on the first side, to the other side, and so on down to the panels below.  \n  \nAlthough it is not known from which building these wooden columns came, or what purpose they served, the fact that Qur'anic verses are found on them suggests that they were used as architectural elements in a religious building.","short_description":"These wooden columns are decorated with carved Qur'anic verses in floriate *kufic* script. They date to the Ayyubid period, a dynasty that ruled in Syria and Egypt during the AH 6th–7th / AD 12th–13th centuries. Technical and stylistic features of this period's woodwork reflect Fatimid influence.","type":"Column, wood, woodwork","holder":"Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts.","dates":"Hegira 7th century / AD 13th century.","location":"Sultanahmet, Istanbul.","dimensions":"Height 85 cm, width 19 cm, depth 19 cm.","method_for_datation":"The objects are not dated, however, judging from the stylistic characteristics of the inscription, they can be dated to the 7th / 13th century and attributed to the Ayyubids, who ruled Damascus and Syria in this period and who are known for their woodwork.","method_for_provenance":"According to inventory documents, the columns were transferred to the Museum from Damascus, where it is likely they were produced.","provenance":"Syria.","obtention":"The columns were among the objects transferred to the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts from Damascus in 1914.","bibliography":"Ölçer, N. *et al, Museum of Turkish and Islamic Art*, Istanbul, 2002, pp.76–7.","dynasty":"Ayyubid","author":"Gönül Tekeli","translator":"Barry Wood, İnci Türkoğlu","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["calligraphy","carving","wood"],"materials":["Carved wood."]},"cd407e58-d158-50bb-8826-939d8a8cb199":{"name":"Panel from Sultan Lajin's *minbar*","short_description":"The panel comes from the great *minbar* (pulpit) that the Mamluk sultan al-Mansur Husam al-Din Lajin had erected in the Ibn Tulun Mosque in Cairo in 1296. The sides of the some four-meter-high *minbar* were covered with panels of different shapes that together formed a complicated geometric pattern consisting of several hundred parts.","type":"Woodwork, panel, wood,","holder":"The David Collection","dates":"Hegira 696 / AD 1296","location":"Copenhagen","provenance":"Egypt, Cairo","dynasty":"Mamluk","keywords":["Minbar","Mosque interior decoration","panel","wood"],"materials":["Octagonal, carved sycamore"]},"cd79fa0f-0118-5b34-a444-8b2b248fdc5d":{"name":"Panel from a Ceiling","short_description":"Despite the end of Muslim rule on the Iberian Peninsula in 1492, an Islamic style of art and architecture continued to be popular among the ruling elite, and many Muslim craftsmen remained in Spain to meet the enduring demand for their services. This community of Spanish Muslims and the hybrid style that they developed came to be known by the term mudéjar. Made to decorate the palaces of wealthy Spanish notables, ceiling panels of this type are an example of the mudéjar style in their combination of Islamic and European designs, seen here in the respective star-inspired geometric decoration and the heraldic lion and castle, which help to link the ceiling to a building in Toledo. The provenance of the ceiling makes for a compelling story; its last home was the UCSB Faculty Club, where it was installed in the kitchen and service areas, from 1968 until 2014. It is not known how it came to the attention of Charles Moore, who designed the club, but UCSB legend has it that the ceiling had once belonged to W.R. Hearst. Our research has shown that Hearst had indeed acquired the ceiling in the 1920s and had it shipped to San Simeon. Although it may have been intended for Hearst Castle, it was never installed there and Moore likely purchased it from Hearst's warehouses in 1967. The remaining ceiling panels will undergo conservation so that they may be displayed as a near-complete ceiling in the 2020s.","type":"Architectural Elements","holder":"Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA)","dates":"Hegira mid-8th (panel); Hegira 1436 (*muqarnas* element) / AD Mid-14th century or later (panel); AD 2015 (*muqarnas* element)","location":"Los Angeles","dimensions":"200.66 x 132.08 x 77.47cm","method_for_datation":"The ceiling is related in style and structure to several ceilings in Toledo, Spain, including that of the Sinagoga del Tránsito built around 1356 and the main hall of the Convent of Santa Isabel de Los Reyes, built between 1453 and 1458.","method_for_provenance":"Although such ceilings were popular amongst Christian and Muslim nobility in medieval Spain, the heraldic emblems related to Castile and Léon suggests that it was commissioned for a Christian patron’s home, most likely in Toledo, which was intermittently the center of Castilian power until 1561.","provenance":"Toledo, Spain","obtention":"Possibly from a fifteenth century palace in Toledo, Spain. Probably removed in 1920s (sold to); Collection of William Randolph Hearst (1863-1951), until 1967 (sold to); University of California Santa Barbara (displayed in the Faculty Club), until 2014 (gifted to); LACMA, gift of The Faculty Club, University of California, Santa Barbara, Inc., in honor of the museum's 50th anniversary.","bibliography":"Komaroff, Linda, *Beauty and Identity: Islamic Art from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art*, Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 2016: 262, 272, 273.  \nKomaroff, Linda, *Collecting Islamic Art at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art: A Curatorial Perspective*, Los Angeles: Art Catalogues; LACMA, 2017: 34, 36-37.  \n*Gifts on the Occasion of LACMA's 50th Anniversary*, Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 2015: 76-77.","author":"LACMA Staff","keywords":["Al-Andalus","Andalucía","Andalusia","ceiling","Heraldry","interior ornament","lion","Mudéjar","muqarnas","panel","pine","silver leaf","wood","wood paneling"],"materials":["Wood (Pine) with colored pigments and silver leaf"]},"cdb8ea7d-4aae-5a2b-a21d-baa7d31aede4":{"name":"Panel from the Ibn Tulun Mosque","short_description":"The panel was originally part of a frieze with passages from the Koran that is some two kilometers long. The inscription is in a simple and robust *Kufi* script whose only decorative element is a little increase in width at the end of the letters.  \nThe panel was purchased in Cairo in 1848 by the French consul Delaporte, after restoration work on the Ibn Tulun Mosque.","type":"Woodwork, panel wood","holder":"The David Collection","dates":"Hegira c. 265 / AD c. 879","location":"Copenhagen","provenance":"Egypt, Cairo","dynasty":"Tulunid","keywords":["architectural decoration","Ibn Tulun Mosque","Koran","panel","Qur'an","wood"],"materials":["Wooden panel, carved with a Kufi inscription"]},"cf314a7e-b71e-5876-a94f-3e498400a91f":{"name":"Persian flask","short_description":"This elaborate flask dates from the late 16th century. Its wooden body is covered with a linen and chalk ground that was gilded and painted where we see lovers and musicians in a garden filled with flowers.","type":"Flask","holder":"Kunsthistorisches Museum","dates":"Hegira 10th century / AD 16th century","location":"Vienna","dimensions":"Height: 25.5cm, Width: 23.5cm, Depth: 12cm, Diameter at the neck: 2.3cm","method_for_datation":"Collection Ambras Castle","method_for_provenance":"Collection Ambras Castle","provenance":"Iran?","obtention":"Collection Ambras Castle, obtained in AD 1869","bibliography":"Gamber, Ortwin and Beaufort-Spontin, Christian, *Katalog der Leibrüstkammer II. Teil. Der Zeitraum von 1530-1560*, Busto Arsizio: Bramante, 1990.  \nThomas, Bruno, \"Aus der Waffensammlung in der Neuen Burg zu Wien: Orientalische Kostbarkeiten\", *Bustan*, 4 : 5 (1963/64).","dynasty":"Safavid","author":"Matthias Pfaffenbichler, Tobias Roeder","copy_editor":"Liz Cooper","keywords":["court life","Drinking flask","figurative decoration","flask","floral decoration","garden","music","poetry","receptacles","vessels"],"materials":["handle: silk and silver thread","Leather with chalk ground and gold leaf paint","wood painted to imitate leather"]},"d07dfd62-b703-5f69-ae57-1fcc78858569":{"name":"Armchair","short_description":"This chair was made in the workshop of the Italian designer Carlo Bugatti (1856-1940). Bugatti’s furniture attempted to break away from historical conventions, reflecting the Art Nouveau appreciation in nature and the aesthetics of Japan, the architecture of North Africa and the motifs of Islamic art. His use of materials such as painted vellum and stamped brass was also adventurous.  \nBugatti’s designs became very sculptural, using bold geometric forms and large areas of sparsely painted vellum. This chair is similar to one exhibited by Bugatti at the International Exhibition of Modern Decorative Art in Turin in 1902.","type":"Furniture","holder":"Victoria and Albert Museum","dates":"c.1902 (made)","location":"London","dimensions":"Height: 113 cm, Width: 68 cm, Depth: 68.7 cm approx","provenance":"Italy, Milan","artist_birthdate":"1856","artist_deathdate":"1940","author":"Victoria and Albert Museum","keywords":["Furniture","Exhibition","Art Nouveau","Islamic Art","North Africa","Japan"],"materials":["Walnut, turned and partly ebonised, with painted vellum and stamped brass, silk cords"]},"d0a3b10b-ba8a-5ee3-9680-fb2f69ed64e7":{"name":"al-Bab al-Kabir","short_description":"Until the construction of the road between Muscat and Mattrah in Hegira 1347–48 / AD 1929, the western gate in the Muscat Wall was usually called the at-Tuyan Gate, after the *wadi* leading to the at-Tuyan Quarter of Muscat. As the gate became more important, Sultan Sayyid Said bin Taimur al-Busaidi had it rebuilt in Hegira 1354 / AD1935–36. As a result, the gate was renamed *al-Bab al-Kabir*, literally meaning \"the Big Gate\".  \nThe marble plaque that was placed over the outside entrance has an Arabic black-incised inscription that reads:  \n*In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful  \nRebuilt by order of Sultan Said bin Taimur  \nSultan of Muscat, Oman, Dhofar, and Gwadur  \nin the year 1354 AH*","holder":"National Museum Oman","dates":"Hegira 1354 / AD 1935-1936","location":"Muscat","dimensions":"Height: 427cm, Length: 143cm","dynasty":"Al-Busaid","copy_editor":"Liz Cooper","materials":["Teakwood, bronze and iron"]},"d37a1bc2-10db-5fb2-9a7c-831f2a1d6997":{"name":"*Minbar* panel.","description":"A *minbar* panel with a modern redwood frame. Rectangular in shape, the panel contains a large, central field of original geometric elements executed in ebony and ivory, set within modern redwood beading. The design of the field involves two large vertically disposed star shapes at the centre, separated by a geometric quatrefoil design in between. This arrangement is flanked by two semi-stars on the sides and four quarter-stars in the corners. Any remaining spaces are filled with regularly disposed star motifs. All the major design elements in this overall composition, for example the stars and the quatrefoil, are in turn created from star shapes, angular drop shapes and a range of polygons, each one enhanced with a delicately carved arabesque design. At the top and bottom of the main field, two narrow, elongated ebony panels with ivory borders have been inserted. Each one carries the same Arabic inscription, rendered in *thuluth* script: ‘al-‘izz lillah mawlana al-sultan al-malik al-‘adil’, (‘Glory to God, our Lord, the Sultan, the King, the Just’).  \nFurnishings such as this panel were typically decorated with star and polygon patterns executed in different woods and ivory. This tradition, begun in the Ayyubid period, remained in use throughout the Mamluk period. Compositions comprise geometric designs issuing from a central star motif with the number of points varying from six to 16, forming a series of radiating polygons expanding from the core. This type of astral composition was fully developed by the early 8th / 14th century and became the most typical approach for woodwork decoration in the Mamluk era.  \nThe method of construction used in this panel, along with other such objects of the period, allowed the wood to expand and contract according to variations in temperature and humidity. Furthermore, the patterns adopted in woodwork of the period echo contemporary Mamluk bookbinding and manuscript illumination executed for or commissioned by the Mamluk court and its officials. In addition to the intricately carved polygons and stars, the inscription panel executed in bold *thuluth* script is another distinctive feature of Mamluk woodwork, as indeed it is of Mamluk decorative arts in general.","short_description":"Sophisticated woodwork with complex geometric designs executed in ebony and ivory and enhanced with delicately carved *thuluth* inscription panels was commissioned throughout the Mamluk period to enhance the furnishings of mosques, mausoleums and public buildings all over the Mamluk empire.","type":"Woodwork, ebony, ivory","holder":"National Museums of Scotland (NMS).","dates":"Hegira late 8th–early 9th century / AD late 14th–early 15th century.","location":"Edinburgh, Scotland","dimensions":"Height 271.78, width 121.28 cm.","method_for_datation":"This *minbar* panel has been dated to between the late 8th–early 9th / late 14th–early 15th centuries on the basis of stylistic similarities with other Mamluk *minbar* and door panels, executed in wood, ebony and ivory, for example those seen in the V&A, London, the Islamic Museum in Cairo and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.","method_for_provenance":"Items like this are thought to have been commissioned in Egypt by Mamluk patrons throughout the late 8th–early 9th / late 14th–early 15th centuries. This *minbar* panel is typical of carved wood *minbars*, screens, doors and shutters intended for mosques, mausoleums and other public buildings throughout the Mamluk Empire.","provenance":"Egypt.","obtention":"Purchased from the Maurice Collection in 1884.","bibliography":"Atil, E., *Renaissance of Islam: Art of the Mamluks*, Washington D.C., 1981, p.202, cat. no. 99 (for a photograph of this piece); pp.208, cat. no. 104 (for related pieces); also pp.195–7 (for a general introductory essay on Mamluk woodwork).  \nBrend, B., *Islamic Art*, London, 1995, p.106, fig. 68.  \nScarce, J., *Domestic Culture in the Middle East: An Exploration of the Household Interior*, Edinburgh, 1996, p.52 (for a photograph of this item).","dynasty":"Mamluk","linkcatalogs":"IAM_EG_EN_001","author":"Ulrike Al-Khamis","copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["ivory","Minbar","Mosque interior decoration","Thuluth","wood"],"materials":["Ebony and ivory with modern redwood beading."]},"d467849e-57d5-56af-821f-861425864b86":{"name":"Pair of tables","description":"Little tables like these ones had an important place in typical oriental rooms for the tea and coffee, and in *fumoirs* (smoking rooms), masculine intimate spaces that proliferated all around Europe, like the Arab Room in the Cerralbo Museum. These tables decorated with geometrical patterns could have been produced in the East Mediterranean, but more likely is an Indian production for the Arab market. The second one, a two-level table, could have been produced in a south Spain or Morocco workshop.","type":"Furniture","holder":"Cerralbo Museum","dates":"19th century","location":"Madrid","dimensions":"69 x 65 cm; 71 x 91 cm","provenance":"Near East or India/ Spain or Morocco","author":"Cecilia Casas Desantes, Cristina Giménez","copy_editor":"Anne Dowell","keywords":["Production of applied arts in Europe in the Islamic mode","Neo-mudejar","moorish style"],"materials":["Wood, bone inlaid"]},"d4d8f026-9350-59c7-985e-107aaa7a0acb":{"name":"Wooden panel.","description":"A wooden panel with a sloping undecorated frame. The highly decorative subject of the panel itself is carved in high relief, depicting two identical bridled horse heads facing in opposite directions. The horses, which are of a highly stylised arabesque form, are set against a background of vegetal-stem and leaf motifs. The manes and the bridles of the two horses are decorated in low relief. The surface of the panel is ornamented with vegetal motifs in the shape of two branches, which emanate from the middle of the base and extend in two directions, conjoining between the necks of the two horses, hemming in between them beautiful sprouting leaf designs. The two branches then wind their way to the top with foliage decoration in the form of two semi palm-leaf fan designs. The panel clearly manifests the even division of sections on the surface, the harmony of decoration in each section and the detailed symmetry between the two vertical halves of the panel.  \nIt is possible to compare this panel with another, similar, housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. It too is carved in wood, adorned by two horse heads facing in opposite directions, and carved in high relief. This piece may have furnished a door, a cupboard, or a wooden screen.","short_description":"Fatimid artisans were skilled in combining different animal and vegetal elements in their decorative designs. One of their techniques was carving in high and low relief. This wooden panel carved in high relief resembles another housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.","type":"Woodwork, panel, wood","holder":"Museum of Islamic Art","dates":"Hegira 5th century / AD 11th century.","location":"Cairo","dimensions":"Length 33 cm, width 22 cm.","method_for_datation":"This panel was dated based on the detail and skill in the animal and vegetal depictions as decorative motifs, as well as the detail in the carvings of these decorative portrayals, which are extremely naturalistic, and part of an art form, which reached its climax during the Fatimid period. The prolific appearance of the horse with specific traits in the decorative vocabulary of this era also assisted in the dating. At the Museum of Islamic Art in Cairo there is a wooden door that dates to the Fatimid period that was discovered in the Maristan of Qalawun, which was originally part of the Western Fatimid Palace. One of the panels from this door is adorned by two horses whose style of carving and decoration closely resembles that used in the execution of the panel discussed here.","method_for_provenance":"The art of wood carving flourished in Islamic Egypt and continued to develop until it reached a high level of skill after the Fatimid Conquest of Egypt in 358 / 969. The style of carving and decoration on this panel closely resembles that used in the decoration of the panels of the Fatimid door whose provenance has been narrowed down to Egypt.","provenance":"Egypt.","obtention":"This piece was bought by the museum in 1909 from an antiquities dealer, Ilyas Khatoun al-Taji.","bibliography":"\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_, *Trésors fatimides du Caire*, exhibition catalogue, Paris, 1998.  \nGrabar, O., “Imperial and Urban Art in Islam: The Subject Matter of Fatimid Art”, *Colloque International sur l'histoire du Caire,* 1969, Cairo, 1972, pp.173–89.  \nHamdi, A., et al, *Katalog Ma'rid al-fan al-islāmi fi misr \\[Catalogue of the Islamic Art Exhibition in Egypt\\],* Cairo, 1969.  \nHassan, Z. M., *Funun al-Islam \\[Arts of Islam\\],* Cairo, 1948.  \nKhadr, M. Y., *Tarikh al-Funun al-Islamiyya \\[History of Islamic Arts\\],* UAE, 2003.  \nYasin, Abd al-Nasir, *Al-Funun al-Zukhrufiya al-Islamiyya fi Masr mundhu al-Fath al-Arabi hatta Nihayat al-'Asr al-Fatimi: Dirasa Athariya wa Hadariya lil-Ta'thirat al-Wafida \\[Islamic Decorative Arts in Egypt from the Time of the Arab Conquests to the End of the Fatimid Era: A Study of Emanating Influences on Archaeology and Civilisation\\],* Alexandria, 2002.","dynasty":"Fatimid","author":"Al-Sayyed Muhammad Khalifa Hammad","copy_editor":"Majd Musa","translator":"Amal Sachedina (from the Arabic).","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["figurative decoration","high relief","low relief","panel","vegetal decoration."],"materials":["Wood, carved in high relief with incised decorations for some of the details."]},"d569ff79-35bf-5838-a40c-92ba53dfc0f7":{"name":"Wardrobe.","description":"Large wardrobe with three compartments, each with a pair of doors, one of which was already missing when the piece was obtained by the museum. The general design and dimensions suggest that it was used to store fabrics or clothes folded and laid flat. It is decorated with knotwork in perfect harmony with the position of the compartments. The front of the wardrobe consists of a broad area of simple eight-lazo pieces. Between the frame and the panels there are three rectangular compartments that are twice as wide as they are high, each with a square door also decorated with lazos. The upper and lower doors are decorated in a similar fashion: an eight-lazo wheel inscribed in a square. The decoration of the central part is more complex: a ten-spoke wheel in the centre flanked by two identical half-wheels. The internal decoration is similar. The exterior paint has mostly disappeared, although a recent restoration process has discovered some colours: blues, reds, white and black. Conversely, the internal painting (ceilings and friezes) is perfectly conserved and is of exceptional quality. The ceilings are decorated with octagons arranged around their vertices, and white circles on a black background, while the friezes are decorated with poly-lobed arches drawn with thick white lines around similar knotwork structures. The corners are decorated with plant arabesques and lower down the inscription 'prosperity' is repeated in *kufic* characters.","short_description":"This piece is one of the few surviving wardrobes from the Middle Ages. As is often the case, it came from a religious building. The influence of Nasrid carpentry is clear in the assembly of the parts and the geometric lines that decorate the wardrobe.","type":"Woodwork, wardrobe, wood","holder":"National Archaeological Museum.","dates":"Late 15th century.","location":"Madrid","dimensions":"Height 265 cm, width 163 cm, depth 68.6 cm.","method_for_datation":"From the characteristic distribution of the panels and the painting style.","method_for_provenance":"Its origin is recorded on file, but there are no other details. This wardrobe is the twin of another held at the Institute of Valencia de Don Juan, Madrid, also originally from the convent of Santa Ursula, and very similar to a third at the Museum of Decorative Arts, Madrid.","provenance":"Convent of Santa Ursula, Toledo, Spain.","obtention":"The piece came to the National Archaeological Museum on 30 June 1930. It was purchased from the house of V. Bertrand by resolution of the Executive Committee for the Defence of National Art Treasures, after its export was prohibited.","bibliography":"Camps Cazorla, E., *Armario morisco procedente de Toledo*, Madrid: Museo Arqueológico Nacional, 1931.  \nFranco Mata, Á., “Antigüedades Cristianas del Siglo VIII al XV”, in *Guía General del Museo Arqueológico Nacional*, Vol. II, Madrid: Ministerio de Cultura, 1992: 98.  \nFranco Mata, Á, “Mobiliario Medieval en el Museo Arqueológico Nacional”, *Boletín del Museo Arqueológico Nacional*, Vol. XV (1997): 175–97.  \nGierlichs, J., “Eine Nasridsche Holzarbeit im Museum für Islamische Kunst in Berlin”, in *Al-Andalus und Europa: Zwischen Orient und Okzident*, Petersberg: Michael Imhof Verlag, 2004: 372.","dynasty":"Kingdom of Castile","linkcatalogs":"IAM_ES_EN_001","author":"Ángela Franco","copy_editor":"Rosalía Aller","translator":"Laurence Nunny","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["carving","furnishing","Mudéjar","Toledo","Wardrobe","wood"],"materials":["carving, freehand painting.","Pine"]},"d637d366-909f-55c1-86c7-bd60b9d571e9":{"name":"Water flask","description":"A wooden oval flask with metal edges decorated with zigzag (sawtooth) and wavy branch motifs. The body is ornamented with domed studs and rosettes of multi-petaled flowers with zigzag borders and simple cross-hatched lozenges. Metal fittings include rings for suspension. It features two cylindrical necks (one small, one large, pierced), with covers. One attached by a chain, the other missing.","type":"Flask","holder":"Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim Al Thani Museum FBQ Museum","dates":"Late AH 13th century / AD 19th century","location":"Ash-Shahaniyah, Qatar","dimensions":"Width: 12cm, Height: 32cm","provenance":"Hijaz","copy_editor":"Zeina Al Amad","keywords":["flask","water","wood"],"materials":["Wood, metal sheathing"]},"d6ede956-3098-5ac6-8afc-b9788d8dd31f":{"name":"The first postmaster's office in Tunis, 1892","short_description":"The objects assembled in this room all date to the late 19th century and belong to a set of urban Tunisian furnishings. These articles were all part of Tunis' first municipal postmaster's office. They consist of four chairs and a bench in painted wood, centred around a two-layered desk, painted in a floral motif on a pale blue background. Behind, a shelving unit, painted in the same style. This furnishing set shows evidence of traditional Tunisian, Turkish and various European influences.","type":"Woodwork; furniture","holder":"Musée des Postes, Télégraphes et Télécommunications","dates":"19th century","location":"Tunis","author":"Saloua Zangar","translator":"Flaminia Baldwin","keywords":["Painted wood","floral decoration","Turkish influences","European influences"],"materials":["Wood, paint, gold leaf"]},"da8131c4-37b0-5710-a8a7-07aeac9637d5":{"name":"Mughal Cabinet","alternate_name":"Contador Mughal","description":"During the first half of the 16th century, the Indian sub-continent was confronted by two new foreign presences: the Portuguese, who had dominion over the coastal regions and, in the north, the forces that would later become the vast empire of the Mughals. Among the Mughal Emperors, Akbar (r. 1556–1605) stands out. He consolidated his rule and, having gained stability and subsequently reorganised the imperial finances, he demanded from his workshops creations of extraordinary quality. Akbar understood the complex reality of India with its roots in both Hindu and Islamic traditions. The imperial workshops, therefore, produced hybrid objects to reflect this reality, but also revealed the strong artistic influences of the Portuguese missionaries (namely the Jesuits), and of the Chinese and European merchants. Such were Akbar's curiosity and interest in the Christian religion of the Portuguese and their art, that he requested the civil and ecclesiastical authorities in Goa to send a Jesuit mission to his court. A refined artistic style resulted from this fusion, seen not only in paintings but also in textiles, metalwork, clothing and furniture.  \nThis magnificent piece of furniture takes as its prototype Portuguese cabinets which had inspired those made in Goa. The decoration and the materials used are, however, from Mughal sources. The front of the cabinet is inlaid and symmetrical in 12 sections; each section a drawer decorated with human figures among vegetation in either courtly scenes or with animals. The doors are decorated with the Tree of Life, among which branches are mythical birds and elephants. Significantly, beneath, are Portuguese figures – indicated by their clothing – hunting on horseback with long lances.  \nThis cabinet clearly shows the crossover between cultures and illustrates the luxurious items available among the European courts.","short_description":"The term Mughal defines the dynasty founded in 1526 by Babur in Northern India and also signifies objects produced by the imperial workshops where several influences from different areas of the empire and from Portuguese missionaries combined. Based on Portuguese cabinets made in Goa, the material and the decoration are typically Mughal. Significantly, on the bottom of the doors, Portuguese figures – indicated by their clothing – are hunting on horseback with long lances.","type":"Domestic furniture","holder":"National Museum of Ancient Art","owner":"Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga","initial_owner":"Col. Burnay","dates":"16th–17th century","location":"Lisbon, Lisbon","dimensions":"H: 140 cm; l: 142 cm; w: 60 cm (including feet)","place_of_production":"Sind or Gujarat","method_for_datation":"By stylistic analysis","obtention":"Acquisition in 1936","bibliography":"Maclagan, E., *Os Jesuítas e o Grão-Mogol*, (trans. A. A. Dória), Porto, 1946.  \nSilva, M. C., “Obras de arte indo-portuguesas de carácter mongólico,” *Garcia de Orta*, Lisbon, 1972.  \nOkada, A. F., Richard, F., Cohen M., *A la Cour du Grand Moghol*, Paris, 1986.  \nPinto, M., Mendes, H., “Art Mogol,” in *Via Orientalis*, *Europalia/91 Portugal*, Brussels 1991, pp. 143–8.  \nJaffer, A., *Luxury Goods from India*, London, 2002.  \nBorges, de Sousa, C., *Encompassing the globe: Portugal and the World in the 16th and 17th centuries*, Washington, 2007, pp. 122–123.","workshop":"Indo-Portuguese furniture with Mughal influence","dynasty":"Mughal Dynasty","copyright":"Copyright images: Divisão de Documentação Fotográfica/ Instituto dos  Museus e da Conservação,I.P.","author":"Conceição Borges de Sousa","translator":"Jane Lusaka, Conceição Borges de Sousa","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["animal decoration","court life","furnishing","human representation","hunting scene","imaginary animal","India","inlay","Jesuit","mission","Mughal","royal workshop","tree of life","vegetal decoration"],"materials":["feet inlaid and carved","lacquer, and brass fittings","natural and dyed ivory","Teak, Indian rosewood and other exotic woods"]},"db39b375-c70e-50cc-84c8-684cd0ce707f":{"name":"Pencase","short_description":"The pencase is adorned with a characteristic decoration consisting of amorphous, leaf-like structures that are entwined together. In their entirety, they are reminiscent of spiral tendrils. Three slightly raised, copper-coloured cartouches “float” on top of this greenish-yellow ground. They are filled with a wave decoration that resembles the guilloche pattern of European goldsmiths.  \n  \nAs far as we know today, this decoration was developed by Rajab ʿAli in the first half of the 19th century, with Abu Talib later taking up the style and making it famous. The pencase exhibited here was probably made by a copyist.  \n  \nAccording to an inscription on the top, the work was ordered by a man named Hasan.","type":"Pencase","holder":"Museum Rietberg","initial_owner":"Private collection, Switzerland","dates":"Hegira 1255-1285 / AD 1840-1870","location":"Zurich","dimensions":"Length: 21.3cm, Height: 3.6cm, Width: 3.7cm","method_for_datation":"By comparison with similar dated works.","method_for_provenance":"Old museum inventory.","provenance":"Iran","obtention":"Gift","bibliography":"Khalili, Nasser, Robinson, B.W., and Stanley, Tim, “The Abu Talib style,” *Lacquer of the Islamic Lands*, vol 1, London: The Nour Foundation in association with Azimuth Editions and Oxford University Press, 1996: esp. 222-231.","dynasty":"Qajar","author":"Axel Langer","copy_editor":"Jonathan Turnbull","materials":["Papier maché, opaque watercolour, lacquer"]},"db9d64b9-ba34-55d1-a83a-84be84dad32d":{"name":"Zamora Cathedral chest.","description":"Prismatic chest made of overlapping nailed boards and covered with thin plates of ivory on a wood base. At the end of the AH 10th / AD 16th century, the smooth ends were unskilfully painted with children playing and other decorations, indicating that it was reused, undoubtedly for religious purposes, particularly as it was found in a cathedral. The borders around the plates are separate metal sheets that, until their restoration in 1991, were in a precarious condition. They bear abundant Islamic decoration engraved in lobed plaques, with dogs and leopards chasing gazelles, hares fleeing from dogs, birds with stylised vegetal decoration on blue backgrounds tinged with red and green. Certain broad-leafed shoots are reminiscent of Sassanid themes. The silver-gilt handle, placed in the middle of the lid, elegantly mimics two leaves. The hinges are finished with embossed plates made of the same material and their long convex bars, covered with exquisite niello work, trace the shapes of undulating branches, dots and disks of chiselled silver. The base is decorated with marquetry work in a two-cross design using rosewood and boxwood. An inscription in *kufic* characters that runs around all four sides of the lid asks for God's blessing upon Muhammad and wishes good fortune and happiness upon the owner of the object. The piece has recently been linked to Seville because of the style of the inscribed characters. A number of parchment documents, containing tales and drawings of birds and a person, link it to late 12th-centurySicilian art, which contradicts another hypothesis that dates the piece to the late 11th century.","short_description":"Example of the reuse of a Muslim object. Paintings of children and angels playing were added in the late AH 10th / AD 16th century to the Andalusian-style decoration consisting of lobed plaques with animals and a border inscribed in *kufic* characters wishing good luck and happiness to the owner of the chest.","type":"Woodwork, chest, wood","holder":"National Archaeological Museum.","dates":"Hegira 6th century / AD 12th century.","location":"Madrid","dimensions":"Height 23.5 cm, height without lid 13.3 cm, width 31.5 cm, depth 20 cm.","method_for_datation":"From the delicate engraving technique used for the animals.","method_for_provenance":"The characters in the inscription that runs around the lid have led this chest to be linked to Seville.","provenance":"Seville, Spain.","obtention":"The piece was bought for the National Archaeological Museum from Juan Lafora y Calatayud in 1913.","bibliography":"Ferrandis, J., *Marfiles árabes de Occidente*, Madrid, 1935–40, p.119.  \nFranco Mata, á., “Arqueta”, in *Marfiles y Esmaltes Medievales y Renacentistas en España*, Exhibition catalogue, Madrid, pp.34–5, cat. no. 17.  \nGómez Moreno, M., *Catálogo Monumental de España. Provincia de Zamora (1903–1905)*, Madrid, 1927, I, pp.79–80  \nZozaya, J., “Unos Dibujos Sículo-árabes”, in *Al-Andalus und Europa. Zwischen Orient und Okzident,* Petersberg, 2004, pp.101–6.","dynasty":"Almoravid","author":"Ángela Franco","copy_editor":"Rosalía Aller","translator":"Laurence Nunny","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["animal decoration","engraving","figurative decoration","Figurative representation","ivory","kufic","niello","polychrome decoration","relief decoration","wood","zoomorphic imagery"],"materials":["engraving, niello, relief work, polychromy.","Wood, ivory, silver"]},"dbaf64d8-8c35-5357-b8f2-f283d7c34f4d":{"name":"Damascus Room","short_description":"The room was dismantled intact from a courtyard home in the al-Bahsa quarter of Damascus, which was torn down in 1978 to make way for a road. Except for its paneled wood ceiling, which has not survived, the room is largely in its original state, with one of the best-preserved painted surfaces—including brilliant pinks, oranges, blues, and greens—of any similar room of the period. As is characteristic, it is comprised of colorful stone floor tiles, painted and carved wood walls, elaborate cupboard doors and storage niches, a high arch of plaster voussoirs decorated with stone paste inlays, which served to divide the room into upper and lower sections separated by a single, tall step; and unusually, an intricately inlaid stone wall fountain with a carved and painted stone hood. Much of the painted wood surfaces are embellished with a particular type of relief decoration known in Arabic as al-‘ajami, which is typical of the period. This technique produces raised designs of gypsum (mixed with glue), which are then covered with metal leaf, colored glazes, and matte paint. A calligraphic band of Arabic poetry, abridged from the Hamziyya, by the Egyptian poet Sharaf al-Din Muhammad b. Sa‘id al-Busiri (d.c., 696/1297), circumscribes the upper register of the walls. The main floral decoration is likely based on textile designs, while the room’s cornices incorporate detailed depictions of platters of fruit and pastry.  \n  \nClick [here](< https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TY90jtuEFBs>) to **watch a video presentation** of this artefact.","type":"Architecture; Architectural Elements","holder":"Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA)","dates":"Hegira 1180 / AD 1766–67","location":"Los Angeles","dimensions":"Installation: 609.6 × 457.2 × 600cm","method_for_datation":"The room bears a dated inscription on one of the cornices: Hegira 1180 / AD 1766-67. Although it remained in use in situ for over 200 years, the main decorative elements were not altered. The pilasters, dado and all other structural elements are modern replacements.","method_for_provenance":"Apart from information regarding the room's original location in a house in the al Bahsa section of Damascus, the overall style, materials and technique are typical of 18th-century Damascus.","provenance":"Syria, Damascus","obtention":"Constructed for a home in al-Bahsa, Damascus subsequently belonging to the family of Mohamad Salim El Mourabeh (b. 1932), until 1978 (removed from); home destroyed in 1978 (sold to); Mikhael Daher Al Haddad (b. 1920) and by descent, Daher Haddad (birth/death date unknown), Junyeh, Lebanon, until 2014 (sold to); LACMA (through Robert Haber & Associates, New York) in 2014. Conservation of the room was organized in partnership with the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture; additional conservation support was provided by the Friends of Heritage Preservation.","bibliography":"Komaroff, Linda, *Beauty and Identity: Islamic Art from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art*, Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 2016: 20-31; 287-297, figs. 3a, 3b, 4, 5.  \nKomaroff, Linda, *Collecting Islamic Art at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art: A Curatorial Perspective*, Los Angeles: Art Catalogues; LACMA, 2017: 10-16.  \nKomaroff, Linda, \"A Damascus Room in Los Angeleles,\" in Robert Hillenbrand (ed), *The Making of Islamic Art: Studies in Honour of Sheila Blair and Jonathan Bloom*, Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2020 (In Press).","dynasty":"Ottoman","author":"LACMA Staff","keywords":["Ajami","Ajami room","Aleppo room","Arabic inscription","architectural decoration","calligraphy","ceramic","Damascus room","domestic furnishing","geometric decoration","geometric patterns","interior ornament","Ottoman architecture","painted wooden wall paneling","Syrian craft","wood paneling"],"materials":["Wood (poplar) with gesso relief, tin and brass leaf, glazes and paint, plaster with stone paste inlays, marble, and multicolored stones"]},"dd57b7f5-40c3-5332-a75c-8e83bd4d0d32":{"name":"Floor mirror","short_description":"A large, rectangular, bevelled mirror is set into a white painted wood frame with carved ivory inlaid around the front of the mirror. The ivory is carved with linear bands of lotus motifs with petals at the finials and center seams. Vertical dowels have a cube at the center with a dragon head pin, used to hold the mirror in place. Legs on both sides extend to the front and back in a curving animal form with tiger heads, feathered bodies, and claw feet on ivory casters.","type":"Islamic, Indian & Southeast Asian works of art; decoration object","holder":"Shangri La, Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art","dates":"Hegira early 13th century / AD early 19th century","location":"Honolulu, Hawai'i","dimensions":"Overall: 69.5 x 71.1 x 45.4 cm","provenance":"Northern India","keywords":["furnishing","India","ivory","mirror","wood"],"materials":["Ivory","wood, mirror"]},"df4709cd-ab73-5f8f-9d79-ecac52cd3487":{"name":"Damascus Room","short_description":"The Damascus Room is a residential winter reception chamber (*qa‘a*) typical of the late Ottoman period. Among the earliest extant, nearly complete interiors of its kind, the room’s large scale and refined decoration suggest that it was part of the house of an affluent family. Poetry inscribed on the walls indicates that the patron was Muslim and possibly a member of the religious elite who claimed descent from the Prophet Muhammad. Because wealthy homeowners periodically refurbished reception rooms in accordance with shifting trends, Damascene houses and their interiors rarely date to a single building phase. Although an inscription dates most of the woodwork to 1707, alterations were made to the room in subsequent years.","type":"Reproductions","holder":"The Metropolitan Museum of Art","dates":"Dated Hegira 1119 / AD 1707","location":"New York","dimensions":"H: 671.6cm, W: 509.2cm, D: 804.2cm [from inside front entrance to back wall]","provenance":"Damascus, Syria","obtention":"Gift of The Hagop Kevorkian Fund, 1970  \nFormer owner \\[dealer\\]: \\[Asfar and Sarkis, Damascus, Syria, until early 1930s; sold to Kevorkian\\]  \nFormer owner: Hagop Kevorkian, New York (early 1930s–d. 1962)  \nFormer owner: Kevorkian Foundation, New York (1962–70; gifted to MMA)","bibliography":"Burn, Barbara (ed), *Masterpieces of the Metropolitan Museum of Art*, New York/Boston: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1993: 90-91, ill. (colour).  \nCampbell, Thomas P. (ed), *The Metropolitan Museum of Art Guide*, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2012: 142-143, ill. (colour).  \nDaskalakis-Matthews, Annie Christine, \"Pearls from Water Rubies from Stone: Studies in Islamic Art in Honor of Priscilla Soucek,\" in Linda Komaroff and Jaclynne Kerner (eds), *Artibus Asiae, Vol. 66/2. Festschriften*, Zurich: Artibus Asiae Publishers, 2006: 69-96, ill. figs. 19, 20, 24. Mamluk Elements in the Damascene Decorative System of the 18th and 19th centuries by Annie-Christine Daskalakis-Mathews.  \nEkhtiar, Maryam, Canby, Shelia R., Haidar, Navina and Soucek, Priscilla P. (eds), *Masterpieces from the Department of Islamic Art in The Metropolitan Museum of Art*, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2011: no. 238, 7,13, 14, 333-337, ill. 335 (colour).  \nEkhtiar, Maryam and Moore, Claire (ed), *Art of the Islamic World. A Resource for Educators*, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2012: 186-187, ill. pl. 38 (colour).  \nEttinghausen, Richard, \"Islamic Art\", *Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin*, 33/1 (Spring 1975): ill. 40-1 (colour).  \nde Montebello, Philippe and Howard, Kathleen (ed), The Metropolitan Museum of Art Guide, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1992: 327, ill. fig. 37 (colour).  \nPeck, Amelia and Daskalakis-Mathews, Annie-Christine, *Period Rooms in the Metropolitan Museum of Art*, New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1996: 287–95, ill.  \nSwietochowski, Marie and Jenkins-Madina, Marilyn, *Notable Acquisitions 1965–1975*, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1975: 141, ill. (b/w).  \nWelch, Stuart Cary, *The Islamic World. Vol. 11*, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1987: 126-127, ill. fig. 97 (colour).","dynasty":"Ottoman","copyright":"The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of The Hagop Kevorkian Fund, 1970","keywords":["Ajami room","Aleppo room","Arabic inscription","architectural decoration","brass","calligraphy","carpentry","ceramic tiles","Damascus room","domestic furnishing","fountain","geometric decoration","geometric patterns","gold","gold leaf","interior ornament","marble","metalwork","Mother-of-pearl","Ottoman architecture","painted wooden wall paneling","stucco","Syrian tiles","wood paneling"],"materials":["wood (cypress, poplar, and mulberry), mother-of-pearl, marble and other stones, stucco with glass, plaster ceramic tiles, iron, brass","Wood (poplar) with gesso relief, gold and tin leaf, glazes and paint"]},"dfe32ab1-3f2d-5b86-a9eb-e9b6f8d8f2a4":{"name":"Comb.","description":"A comb, approximately square in shape, which has fine teeth on one edge and thick ones on the other. In the area between the two sets of teeth there is a thin rectangular field, embellished with a circle in the middle, and two framed rectangular areas that are incised. In the centre of the circle is a blazon in the form of a *fleur-de-lys*. On the two sides of the circle are two depressed triangular zones, inside of which are three tiny concentric circles, executed by using a stamping device on the front and the back of the comb's side edges. There is an inscription written in *naskhi* script and carved in high relief that reads: 'Eternal Glory and Prosperity'. A series of tiny scattered circles intermingle with the inscription. The comb has similar decorations on the front and back.  \nThe section between the two sets of teeth is considered to be the most important. The craftsman was able to show off his skill by employing a variety of epigraphic, geometric and vegetal motifs; depictions of living creatures such as birds and fish were also included. The central section of the comb was also often embellished with a blazon of the person for whom it was made: *fleur-de-lys*, a goblet, a pack or clothes' bundle (the blazon of the person responsible for the sultan's wardrobe) or a polo stick. Studies of the decorative styles and production techniques used on the central sections of combs have certainly helped enormously in the dating of them.  \nSome of the more curious inscriptions recorded on these combs include: 'I am a comb made to comb none but the beautiful'; 'May God dispose in the best way'; 'He who hides my secret, is my master'. Some inscriptions indicate that combs were designated specifically for the use of women. Besides combs for the hair, there were combs with teeth on one side only, which were used to straighten the beard. In his work *Al-Khitat* (1853), the author and historian, al-Maqrizi refers to a *suq* that specialised in the manufacture and sale of combs, called Suq al-Amshatiyyin (the Market of the Comb-Sellers). He located the *suq* between the Madrasa Salihiyya and the Suq al-Sagha (the Market of the Goldsmiths) in Cairo.","short_description":"Combs were used for grooming a woman's hair or a man's beard. Some, like this one, had a set of teeth at each end. In most cases combs were decorated with incised geometrical, vegetal, animal, fish or bird shapes or blazons and inscriptions.","type":"Comb, wood","holder":"Museum of Islamic Art","dates":"Hegira 8th century / AD 14th century.","location":"Cairo","dimensions":"Length 7.5 cm, width 7.5 cm.","method_for_datation":"The comb was dated according to the style of the inscription on it, which resembles recorded inscriptions on other Mamluk objects. In addition, the widespread use of the depiction of the *fleur-de-lys* on Mamluk objects points to a Mamluk-period piece. Furthermore, the decoration on this comb, together with the design and execution, closely complements other such combs in the collection at the Museum of Islamic Art in Cairo, some of which carry the names of Mamluk amirs.","method_for_provenance":"The comb was uncovered during an archaeological excavation in Fustat, Egypt, and it would appear to have been the property of a merchant. It is worth mentioning that a large number of combs have been discovered in archaeological expeditions in Fustat as well as in other cities in Egypt.","provenance":"Cairo, Egypt.","obtention":"The comb was bought by the Museum from an antiquities dealer in 1912.","bibliography":"The object is unpublished but the reader may find interesting reading in the following:  \nAbdel Azim, R., and Sayour, S., “Parfums et cosmétiques dans le monde arabo-musulman”, *Catalogue d'exposition*, Cairo-Paris-Marseilles, 2002.  \nAl-Maqrizi, *Al-mawā'iz wa'l-i'tibār bi-dhikr al-khiţaţ wa'l-āthār \\[Exhortations and Contemplation of the Recollection of Plans and Monuments\\],* 2 vols, Cairo, 1853.  \nHamdi, A. M., *Mu'addat al-Tajmil bi-Mathaf al-Fan al-Islami \\[Cosmetic Implements at the Museum of Islamic Art\\],* Cairo, 1959.","dynasty":"Mamluk","linkcatalogs":"IAM_EG_EN_001","author":"Salah Sayour","copy_editor":"Majd Musa","translator":"Amal Sachedina (from the Arabic).","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["comb","cosmetic","geometric decoration","high relief","incision","naskhi script, epigraphic decoration","wood"],"materials":["decorated in high relief and incised.","Wood"]},"dfeaa5f1-63bf-55dd-a784-98bce952f149":{"name":"Minbar.","description":"A wooden *minbar*; a double door (surmounted by a *muqarnas* frieze with traces of painted floral decoration) opens to a staircase of seven steps, at the top of which is a small landing topped by an onion-shaped dome. Almost all the exterior surfaces of the minbar are decorated with geometric patterns using wood inlaid with ivory plaques like a mosaic. Some of these patterns are quite bold, such as the 16-pointed stars and polygons on the triangular side panels, while others are more dense and complex, such as the pattern on the twin doors of the entryway. The *minbar* bears several inscriptions on carved wood or ivory panels. Some are Qur'anic verses; for example, 33:56 and 16:90 (respectively) are found above the front and back of the *minbar* doors. Other inscriptions praise Sultan Qaytbay and wish him a long reign.  \n  \nThis *minbar* would have been used in one of the many mosques that Qaytbay either had built or renovated during his sultanate, although it is not known which one. This is one of the last Mamluk minbars to use ivory, as economic conditions made it a prohibitively expensive material in the final years of the dynasty.","short_description":"A wooden *minbar* (pulpit) with extensive all-over decoration including geometric patterns formed of inlaid ivory. This was probably used in one of the many mosques founded or renovated by Sultan Qaytbay, who presided over a period of great economic and artistic revival in the Mamluk lands.","type":"Woodwork","holder":"Victoria and Albert Museum.","dates":"Around hegira 872–901 / AD 1468–96.","location":"London, England","dimensions":"Height 708 cm, width 113 cm, depth 304 cm","method_for_datation":"Inscriptions on the *minbar* name Qaytbay as Sultan and imply that he is still alive ('may God extend his rule'). Thus the *minbar* is dated to his regnal dates, AH 872–901 / AD 1468–96.","method_for_provenance":"How was provenance for object established: Cairo was the Mamluk capital and thus the likeliest place that an object of such quality would have been made.","provenance":"Probably Cairo.","obtention":"Purchased by the Museum in 1869 from the collection of Dr Meymar.","bibliography":"Atil, E., *Renaissance of Islam: Art of the Mamluks*, Washington, DC, 1981, pp.195–6.  \n  \nPhilips, T., *Africa: The Art of a Continent: 100 Works of Power and Beauty*, New York, 1996, cat. no. 7.67.  \n  \nStanley, T., with Rosser-Owen, M. and Vernoit, S., *Palace and Mosque: Islamic Art from the Middle East*, London, 2004, pp.100–101.","dynasty":"Mamluk","linkcatalogs":"IAM_EG_EN_001","author":"Barry Wood","copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["calligraphy","geometric decoration","inscription","Mosque interior decoration","religious object"],"materials":["Wood inlaid with ivory and bone."]},"e0dd9b89-fd8e-5b2e-a57e-fda48b2a6792":{"name":"*Peškun*","description":"Оctagonal *peškun* (Tr. *peşkun*) decorated with floral and geometric motifs, each side having a blossom branch ornament that rests on a pointed draped arch at the bottom spreading to the top of a side. A heart-shaped branch has a flower at the top, while its bottom makes a central part of an opening in the shape of braces. The leaves surround the branch and are placed in a horizontal rectangular field at the top of the side as well. Eight sides carry an octagonal plate at the top with a central flower and floral motifs that surround it. The inner octagonal of the plate’s edge is decorated with leaves. All ornaments are made of mother-of-pearl and brass wire using the incrustation technique, while the edge of the octagonal top plate is ornamented with bone. Peškun is the name of a traditional piece of Ottoman furniture in the shape of a table or stool, originally meant for sitting, although it had different purposes throughout history, especially as a decorative table in Balkan oriental interiors of the 19th and of the first half of the 20th century. Over time, the larger table in the set (of usually three pieces) began to be used as a coffee table, while the smaller ones were used as stools. The *Peškun* was ordinarily made of walnut wood, ornamented with incrusted floral and geometric motifs made of mother of pearl and bone.","type":"Table","holder":"Museum of Applied Art","dates":"Hegira late 13th–early 14th century / AD late 19th century–early 20th century","location":"Belgrade","dimensions":"Height: 49.5cm, width: 43cm","place_of_production":"Austria-Hungary, possibly Sarajevo","method_for_datation":"By stylistic analysis, material, technique, and analogy with other similar examples.","obtention":"Purchased in 1951.","author":"Ana Samardžić","keywords":["incrustation","Ottoman Balkans","peškun","side table","stool"],"materials":["incrustation","Walnut, mother-of-pearl, bone, brass"]},"e0f43983-a8c9-5141-b857-a481b15f6d1d":{"name":"*Ashari Balam*","description":"The *ashari Balam* is the iconic boat of Basra, with a graceful shape and distinctive scroll-shaped stem head, pictured on many postcards and photographs of the British Mandate era (AH 1339-1351 / AD 1920-1932) that celebrated Basra’s reputation as “the Venice of the East”. The *ashari* may be either punted (propelled by pole), rowed, or sailed. It is not coated with tar, but caulked.  \n  \nThere are three main boat types known as “*ashari*” (named after the al-Ashar area of Basra): the open water *ashari*, often under sail, a working boat that carried cargo; the marsh *ashari*, which is wider and used for net fishing and cargo; and the canal *ashari*, mainly used for passenger transportation and leisure trips, comparable in its function to the Gondola of Venice. Some of the latter type were fitted with canopies or shaded booths.  \n  \nProduction continued into at least the AH 1400s / AD 1980s with a design that had changed little since the Ottoman era. The canal *ashari* can be considered as the last of the “gondolas” of Iraq, a category of boats that may have existed continuously since (at least) the early Islamic period: the historian al-Shabushti (AH 4th / AD 10th century) described how the people of Baghdad travelled in pleasure boats where they enjoyed playing music and games, eating and drinking. Even as far back as the 4th millennium BC (Uruk 3 period), a Sumerian boat with the characteristics of a gondola – a small but luxurious passenger craft – was depicted a cylinder seal impression found in the wetlands of Uqair in Diyala.  \n  \nSafina Projects has made extensive studies of these boat types, including models of several variants and full-sized reconstructions of the canal *ashari* and the open water *ashari*, which have been returned to use on Basra’s waterfront. The latter (pictured here) was built in AH 1444-43 / AD 2022-23 by Basra maritime historian Asaad Dawood in consultation with an experienced local boatbuilder, drawing on Rashad Salim’s research into archival imagery of the *ashari* and oral history interviews with former boatbuilders.","type":"Boat (scale model)","holder":"Open Museum Initiative for Water Cultures","owner":"Safina Projects CIC","initial_owner":"Safina Projects CIC","dates":"AH 1444/ AD 2022","location":"Basra","dimensions":"Length: 11m, beam length: 1.5m, minimum height: 0.6m, prow height: 1.15m","method_for_datation":"Production was supervised by current owner.","method_for_provenance":"Production was supervised by current owner.","provenance":"Basra, Iraq","obtention":"Made in workshop organised by Safina Projects.","bibliography":"Al-Behadli, J., 'The Ark for Iraq Programme: the Experience of Safina Projects in the Study of Traditional Boats and their Revitalisation', *Al-Turath al-Sha’bi*, (2024), 325 \\[Published in Arabic\\].  \n  \nRitter, H., 'Mesopotamische Studien', *Der Islam: Zeitschrift für Geschichte und Kultur des Islamischen Orients* (1919).","author":"Hannah Lewis, Rashad Salim","keywords":["basketry","boat","Transport","Watercraft"],"materials":["carpentry, caulking","Teak wood (Javanese import), Pine wood (Russian import)"]},"e144c07e-081a-52eb-91fc-9fd067a8b179":{"name":"*Motherhood*","type":"Sculpture","holder":"National Museum of Oman","owner":"National Museum of Oman","dates":"AH 1402–03 /AD 1982","location":"Muscat","dimensions":"Height: 80cm","place_of_production":"Oman","provenance":"Local acquisition, purchasing AD 2018","obtention":"Local acquisition program (purchased 2018).","artist_birthdate":"AD 1955","artist_birthplace":"City of Masqat","artist_deathdate":"2018","artist_deathplace":"City of Masqat. Sultanate of Oman","copy_editor":"Alvaro Miranda","materials":["Teak Wood"]},"e1a05d50-90fe-5598-b556-5c2fb0929803":{"name":"Door from the Dome of the Rock.","description":"A door made up of two halves identical in width and height. The door is constructed in wood with the outer panels plated with copper, and the inside left unplated. Each of the doors is surrounded by a copper frame that forms a surround of simple copper decoration consisting of small panels. Polygons fixed at the four corners by copper nails and with a fifth nail at the centre, cover the two surfaces of the doors completely. At the bottom, top and outer sides of each door, and in the transitional area of the decoration with the borders, there is ornamentation consisting of half polygons and triangles. On the inner, middle sides of the doors there are inscriptions written in Mamluk *thuluth* script in an elongated style and repeated twice, these read: “Sultan of Islam and Muslims, Destroyer of Polytheists, Reviver of Justice in the World, al-Malik al-Ashraf Abu al-Nasr Qaytbay, May God strengthen his triumph”.At the top of the door a later inscription commemorates restoration work that took place in AH 946 / AD 1540 under the aegis of Sultan Sulayman, the Magnificent (r. AH 926–74 / AD 1520–66).  \nIt is worth mentioning that this is one of three similar doors acquired by the Islamic Museum. All three are in excellent condition perhaps on account of the restorations Sultan Sulayman presided over. The doors were transferred from the Dome of the Rock during restoration work in the 1960s, when the doors were replaced by new custom-made wooden doors that were crafted in Jerusalem. The fourth Mamluk door is still *in situ* at the Dome of the Rock.","short_description":"A door of two halves identical in width and height and made of wood with the outer panels completely plated with copper. The name of Sultan al-Ashraf Qaytbay appears on the door as well as the name of Sultan Sulayman the Magnificent who ordered the restoration of the door.","type":"Door, copper","holder":"Islamic Museum, al-Aqsa Mosque / al-Haram al-Sharif.","initial_owner":"Al-Malik al-Ashraf Abu al-Nasr Qaytbay (r. 872–901 / AD 1468–96).","dates":"Hegira 872–901 / AD 1468–96.","location":"Jerusalem","dimensions":"Height 445 cm, width 274 cm, depth 15 cm.","method_for_datation":"The door was dated based on the inscription on it which alludes to Sultan al-Ashraf Abu al-Nasr Qaytbay.","method_for_provenance":"Jerusalem was narrowed down as the place of manufacture because a door such as this would have had to been made in a workshop on site.","provenance":"Jerusalem.","obtention":"The piece was transferred from the Dome of the Rock to the Islamic Museum in around 1960.","bibliography":"Al-'Arif, A., *Tarikh Qubbat al-Sakhra wa al-Masjid al-Aqsa \\[The History of the Dome of the Rock and al-Aqsa Mosque\\],* Jerusalem, 1955.  \nAl-Hanbali, Mujir al-Din, (d. 927 / 1520), *Al-Uns al-Jalil bi Tarikh al-Quds wa al-Khalil \\[The Significant Ambiance in the History of Jerusalem and Hebron\\],* Amman, 1973.","dynasty":"Mamluk","linkcatalogs":"IAM_EG_EN_001","author":"Nazmi Al-Ju'beh","copy_editor":"Majd Musa","translator":"Amal Sachedina (from the Arabic).","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Door","door of the Dome of the Rock","Mamluk door","Thuluth","wood","wood plated with copper"],"materials":["Copper-plated with carvings and lattice work."]},"e25a6015-7ec0-5c37-9571-2555b21065b7":{"name":"Cane of Krste Petkov Misirkov","short_description":"The book “On Macedonian Matters” by Krste Petkov Misirkov (1874–1926) provides the only comprehensive national program dealing with important national and political issues at the turn of the 20th century. The work of this great visionary and analyst was published for the purpose of drawing the attention of the European League of Nations to Macedonia, whose existence as separate nation was not recognized.","type":"Object for personal use; walking help","holder":"Museum of Macedonia","dates":"Early 20th century","location":"Skopje","author":"Nada Andonovska (author), Dragan Georgiev, historian (consultant)","copy_editor":"Daniel de la Vega","keywords":["National issues","European League of Nations"]},"e438f7f3-f994-5b2c-ac3c-df61c9c9dbff":{"name":"Vertical fixed-heddle loom","description":"A simple loom composed of two bars between which the warps are stretched. This type of loom is called a “back strap loom” because one bar is attached to a fixed object, and the other to the weaver usually as a strap around the back. The weaver leans back and their body weight is used to provide tension on the loom. To open the shed, the weaver relaxes tension on the warps and raises the heddles. The other shed is opened by simply drawing the shed roll toward the weaver. Both simple and complex textiles can be woven on this loom.","type":"Loom","holder":"Department of Antiquities","owner":"Department of Antiquities","dates":"Early 20th century","location":"Amman","dimensions":"L: 30cm, W: 40cm","method_for_datation":"Early 20th century treadle loom weavers from Syria and Palestine settled in Jordan. They produced rugs, saddle bags and other textiles.","provenance":"Amman","obtention":"Purchased","bibliography":"Ibrahim, Moawiyah, *et al.*, *Museum of Jordanian Heritage*, Amman-Jordan: Yarmouk University, 1988.","author":"Samia Khouri","copy_editor":"Lisa Kelman"},"e500a55c-8788-5600-85fa-bfffc127c785":{"name":"Two-man plow (*qiraz*)","description":"The *qiraz* is used to divide fields into manageable, level plots and to create water channels and basins in freshly ploughed soil. The channels are connected to the local *falaj* system, after which seeds are sown and irrigation can commence. The shovel-like blade is moved back and forth by two men working together in a steady rhythm.","type":"Two-man plow (*qiraz*)","holder":"National Museum of Oman","owner":"National Museum of Oman","dates":"AH 14th century / AD 20th century","location":"Muscat","dimensions":"Height: 4.5cm, length: 110cm, width: 33.7cm","place_of_production":"Oman","provenance":"Local acquisition","obtention":"Local acquisition.","dynasty":"al-Busaid","copy_editor":"Alvaro Miranda","materials":["Wood and iron"]},"e517942c-70d7-57bc-a52b-35d6eeba7a6c":{"name":"Box","short_description":"By the second half of the 10th/16th century Ottoman woodworkers had begun to employ inlays of mother-of-pearl and tortoiseshell, two materials that are very hard to work with. The tortoiseshell was generally laid over metal foil to give it a lustrous quality, and mother-of-pearl plaques were frequently inlaid with black mastic to further emphasise their luminosity. Both techniques were used to enhance this boldly decorated box, which, like other such surviving boxes, was likely intended to store a precious manuscript. The main decoration is of a type known as *çintamani*, which was particularly associated with Ottoman court art. In this appealing design, three circles (sometimes accompanied by a double wavy line) are arranged to form an endless repeat pattern.","type":"Furnishings","holder":"Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA)","dates":"Hegira c. 1049 / AD c. 1640","location":"Los Angeles","dimensions":"22.2 x 33 x 22.2cm","method_for_datation":"The ornament and techniques link the box to the interior decoration of the Baghdad and Revan Pavilions at the Topkapi Saryi, Istanbul, from Hegira 1040s / AD 1630s, most notable their wood shutters and door panels veneered with mother-of-pearl, tortoiseshell, ebony and ivory.","method_for_provenance":"The *çintamani* decoration and inlays of mother-of-pearl and tortoiseshell indicate an Ottoman provenance.","provenance":"Turkey","obtention":"Possibly left Turkey by the 19th century, as suggested by the brass handles (now removed) and keyhole reflecting European workmanship. Nicholas Shaw Fine Art Ltd., until 2005 (sold to); LACMA, purchased with funds provided by the Art Museum Council in honor of the museum's 40th anniversary through the 2005 Collectors Committee.","bibliography":"Komaroff, Linda, *Lo Terrenal y lo divino: Arte islámico siglos VII al XIX Colección del Museo de Arte del Condado de Los Angeles*, Santiago, Chile: Centro Cultural La Moneda, 2015: 175, 177.  \nKomaroff, Linda, *Beauty and Identity: Islamic Art from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art*, Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 2016: 260.","dynasty":"Ottoman","author":"LACMA Staff","keywords":["chintamani","cintamani","court art","court life","inlay","ivory","Manuscripts","woodwork"],"materials":["Ivory, tortoiseshell, mother-of-pearl, wood, and bone inlay"]},"e54a1ead-e798-5108-9955-0d012c8ffe1a":{"name":"Sacrarium door.","description":"The originality of this magnificent door lies in that its design does not fully obey the wheel theory (the elements formed by the knotwork). The design is limited to the traditional pair of twelve-pointed stars in the centre. Several of the lines that make up the stars continue to form several large squares that focus the design. As additional decoration there are markedly Gothic leaves and flowers with considerable reliefwork and movement of planes, which endow the piece with rich contrasts of light. The background is painted blue, the strips in red and blue on the upper part of the sides and the beading in gold. The framework bears gilt letters on a blue background between two narrow gold lines, and the spaces between the vertical sides are painted in red. The translation of the Latin text in Gothic characters about the Passion reads 'Oh Jesus, our devotion, love and desire, the creator of all man and the Lord of time, to triumph you chose to take away our crimes with a cruel death'. The hinges and other fixtures are gilded. The back is constructed of elements identical in form and size to those on the front: the strips form the corresponding compartments, painted and gilded, with flowers also gilded.","short_description":"The Mudéjar craftsman who made this door expertly combined interlacing patterns from the Hispano-Muslim tradition with floral motifs. The decoration is framed with an inscription in Gothic script alluding to the Passion, in accordance with its original function in Jaen Cathedral.","type":"Woodwork, door, wood","holder":"National Archaeological Museum.","dates":"15th century.","location":"Madrid","dimensions":"Height 191cm, width 92cm, thickness 11cm.","method_for_datation":"Stylistic parallels with contemporary Mudéjar doors.","method_for_provenance":"The documents of sale state the origin as Jaen Cathedral. Its stylistic elements are also characteristic of Jaen doors.","provenance":"Jaen Cathedral, Spain.","obtention":"The piece was bought for the National Archaeological Museum from the Count of Almenas on 7 April 1927.","bibliography":"Camps Cazorla, E., “Puertas Mudéjares con Inscripción Eucarística”, *Archivo Español de Arte y Arqueología*, III, Madrid, 1927, pp.197–220.  \nFranco Mata, á., “Antigüedades Cristianas de los Siglos VIII al XV”, in *Guía del Museo Arqueológico Nacional*, 2nd edition, Madrid, 1993, p.101.","dynasty":"Mudéjar","linkcatalogs":"IAM_ES_EN_001","author":"Ángela Franco","copy_editor":"Rosalía Aller","translator":"Laurence Nunny","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["carving","Door","gilding","Gothic","inscription","Jaen","Mudéjar","polychrome decoration","wood"],"materials":["carving, polychromy, gilding.","Wood"]},"e5f1c81b-4603-55ef-a255-2e21e07fd132":{"name":"House door.","description":"This house door consists of a heavy rectangular leaf, itself containing a smaller gate. It would have originally closed on an exterior frame that was fixed to the wall. It is fitted with a large wrought-iron strap hinge in the shape of twisted tridents that act as clamps. It is also fitted with two knockers, one on the gate, and the other on the door itself to enable men riding mules to knock without dismounting. Each one consists of a large square-section iron ring decorated with small carved motifs and mounted on a hemispherical support with a serrated edge. The nails, whose round heads followed the lines of frame and the cross-pieces, constitute the main decoration of the door, which is a prototype of Marinid and Nasrid house doors of rich and poor alike. This style continued to exist in almost all Moroccan towns until the middle of the 20th century, and the trident-shaped strap hinges remain a distinctive sign of the homes of families of Andalusian origin in Tetouan.","short_description":"This door is decorated with a wrought-iron strap hinge in the form of twisted tridents, which remained a distinctive sign of households of Andalusian origin in Tetouan until the mid-20th century.","type":"Woodwork, door, house, wood","holder":"Batha Museum.","dates":"Hegira 8th / AD 14th century.","location":"Fez.","dimensions":"Height 217 cm, length 110 cm.","method_for_datation":"The house from which the door came was from the Marinid era.","method_for_provenance":"Object salvaged from ruins.","provenance":"Fez.","obtention":"Salvage.","bibliography":"Gallotti, J., *Le jardin et la maison arabes au Maroc*, Vol. I, Paris, 1926.  \nMiège, J.-L., Benaboud, M. and Erzini, N., *Tétouan, ville andalouse*, Paris, 1996.","dynasty":"Marinid","linkcatalogs":"IAM_MA_EN_001","author":"Naima El Khatib-Boujibar","copy_editor":"Margot Cortez","translator":"Laurence Nunny","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["civil architecture","geometric decoration"],"materials":["Wood and wrought iron."]},"e6f78f9b-4e8d-5e2b-9673-96d90aa7b3ff":{"name":"Pair of panels with an arabesque design","short_description":"A pair of identical panels with an arabesque consisting of two floral braids intertwining with each other on two levels. This type of arabesque with elongated leaves appears during the 12th century, and an example may be found on the portable *mihrab* of the Sayyida Nafisa mosque dated circa 1145-1156. However, the complex symmetrical structure of the ornamentation also recalls the *minbar* from the mosque of Sultan Lajin (AH 696 / AD 1296).","type":"Woodwork, panel, wood","holder":"Benaki Museum","dates":"Hegira 7th century / AD 13th century","location":"Athens","dimensions":"62 cm","provenance":"Egypt or Syria","dynasty":"Ayyubid","keywords":["arabesque","panel","wood"],"materials":["Wood"]},"e78eac4c-6c8e-50e5-a207-fa39bdf93414":{"name":"Small table.","description":"A small table, rectangular in shape and on four legs, which consists of a tray clad with Delft earthenware tiles that feature floral decoration and are surrounded by an openwork band.  \nFour sides of this small table are covered by sculpted, turned and openwork panels featuring floral or vegetal motifs. In the corners, along the extension of the legs with which they form part, vertical cartouches feature inscriptions in cursive lettering; one of these reveals the name of the craftsman and the location of the object's manufacture through the phrase 'made by Ibn Hadj-la-B'lade al-Djazaïri'.  \nThe item of furniture is painted in a variety of colours, notably green, orange and gold.","short_description":"Rectangular four-legged table consisting of a top covered with Delft earthenware tiles with floral decoration surrounded by an openwork railing. There are carved panels on all four sides, and inscriptions in cursive characters on each of the corners. The piece is painted green and orange, and gilded.","type":"Woodwork, ceramic tile, furniture","holder":"National Museum of Antiquities and Islamic Arts","dates":"Hegira 925–1245 / AD 1519–1830.","location":"Algiers","dimensions":"Height 63 cm, length 83 cm.","method_for_datation":"From the style of manufacture and the decoration, as well as from the earthenware tiles of Delft, which were imported from Holland during the Ottoman era.","provenance":"Algiers.","bibliography":"Institut du Monde Arabe, *L'Algérie en héritage, art et histoire*, catalogue, Paris, 2003.  \nMarçais, G., *Le musée Stéphane Gsell, musée des antiquités et d'art musulman d'Alger*, Algiers, 1950.  \nMarye, G., *Catalogue du Musée national des antiquités algériennes*, Part 2, Algiers, 1899.","dynasty":"Ottoman","author":"Leila Merabet","copy_editor":"Margot Cortez","translator":"Maria Vlotides","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["cursive characters","floral decoration","furnishing","inscription","Ottoman","vegetal decoration"],"materials":["Cut out pieces of wood, ornamented with openwork and painted","earthenware tiles."]},"e79d0da8-0e74-53d4-8df3-5ad805dd038d":{"name":"High Choir, Organs","description":"The dioceses of Braga and its archbishops was very important within the Catholic Church since the early Middle Ages, before the foundation of the Kingdom of Portugal, as well as throughout the Portuguese history namely in the Baroque period.  \nIn the North of Portugal during the 18th century there was an active workshop that provided important clients in accordance with the splendour and dignity of the court and religious life. Facing the need to replace the old choir stalls from the 16th century, Braga Cathedral commissioned Marceliano de Araújo and Miguel Francisco da Silva to design the monumental High Choir, the choir stalls and the gilded, carved wood organ cases in 1737.  \nThe whole set of the choir stalls made of carved and gilded wood includes two rows of seats, the cathedra for the Archbishop and in the centre a remarkable choir stand with the same decorative programme. Due to the major role of music within the Baroque Roman Catholic liturgy, Simão Fontanes was commissioned to build the mechanics of two impressive Baroque organs (1737-1738) with thousands of copper pipes, which are encased in magnificent cases made by Braga's woodcarver Marceliano de Araújo.  \nThe ceiling painting also belonging to this phase of the cathedral redecoration was executed by Manuel Furtado de Mendonça.  \nThe organs of the Braga Cathedral, commonly included within the category of the Iberian organs, are installed in two balconies over the central nave. The abundance of sculpture ornaments distributed from the base of the building to the top of the Cathedral allows us to include this artwork as one of the finest examples of the Baroque woodcarving in Portugal.","short_description":"The choir is located at the west end of the nave and includes two encased organs and choir stalls. They are an example of the work produced in the 18th century by the Northern Portuguese workshop to supply important clients in accordance with the dignity of the court and religious life.","type":"Ecclesiastical furniture and sculpture","holder":"Braga Cathedral","owner":"Braga Cathedral","initial_owner":"Braga Cathedral","dates":"1730-1739","location":"Braga, Braga","place_of_production":"Braga","method_for_datation":"Historical evidence and stylistic analysis","provenance":"Braga Cathedral","obtention":"In situ","bibliography":"Ferreira, J. A., *Fastos Episcopais da Igreja Primacial de Braga (séc. III - séc. XX)*, III, Braga, 1932.  \nSmith, C. R., *A Talha em Portugal*, Lisboa, 1963.  \nSmith, C. R., *Marceliano de Araújo – Escultor Bracarense*, Porto, 1970.  \nAlves, N. M. F., \"A actividade de pintores e douradores em Braga nos séculos XVII e XVIII\", in *Actas do IX Centenário da Dedicação da Sé de Braga*, vol. II/2, Braga, 1990.  \nDoderer, G., *Os Órgãos da Sé Catedral de Braga*, Lisboa, 1992.","workshop":"Porto and northern region workshop","author":"Fernanda Barbosa","translator":"Cristina Correia","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["carved","gilding","musical instruments","organ cases, organ","wood"],"materials":["Wood, carved and gilded with gold leaf"]},"e8e399f5-c3f4-5c44-8ed7-085220b24c32":{"name":"*Farmácia Barbosa*","alternate_name":"Barbosa Pharmacy (reconstruction)","description":"A reconstruction of Farmácia Barbosa, an 18th-century apothecary, with its numerous niches and shelves painted in cream, and examples of 18th-century Portuguese pharmaceutical earthenware.  \nThe central niche, decorated with engraved Baroque motifs in gold, held a religious image – St. Michael – which would guide the pharmacist's actions. The stands, with shelves, had drawers at the bottom for storing medicinal plants and samples, while the shelves held the hand-painted apothecary's jars, decorated profusely in the Baroque style or embellished with a private or religious coat of arms. Painted in monochrome two-tone blue, some are labelled in Latin to describe the product inside and some have blank spaces ready to have a label or inscription applied.  \nThe Portuguese earthenware displayed in this pharmacy came from the dispensaries of various convents such as those belonging to the orders of the Augustinians, the Carmelites, the Dominicans, St. Philip of Nery (Oratory), the Third Order of St. Francis, the Jesuits, the Poor Clares and even the military orders of Aviz and Santiago.  \nAnother collection of apothecary jars belonged to the Santa Casa da Misericórdia of Viana; their earthenware was produced at the Darque factory in 1774. This reconstruction includes the original pharmacy ceiling from Santa Casa da Misericórdia, its edges decorated with vegetal motifs in red, green, blue and white. The apothecary display case decorated with carvings bears the initials of the original owners of the pharmacy, Manuel Rodrigues Barbosa, at its centre. Barbosa practiced the profession in the Monastery at Paço de Sousa and acquired all the equipment from there in 1834.  \nFeatures discovered during restoration suggest that the higher central area predates the rest. This is shown by its structure; how it was built and the materials used. Inside the old pharmacy, there are bottles, flasks, weights and measures, retorts, crucibles and *pharmacopeias* that together make up the pharmaceutical arsenal used in the preparation of medicaments in the 18th century.","short_description":"A reconstruction of Farmácia Barbosa, an 18th-century apothecary. The stands, with shelves, had drawers at the bottom for storing medicinal plants and samples, whilst the shelves would hold the famous hand-painted apothecary jars profusely decorated in the Baroque style.","type":"Woodwork","holder":"Pharmacy Museum","owner":"Museu da Farmácia / Associação Nacional de Farmácias","initial_owner":"Paço de Sousa Monastery","dates":"c. 1770–1790","location":"Lisbon, Lisbon","dimensions":"H: 2.90 m","place_of_production":"Paço de Sousa, Penafiel","method_for_datation":"Documents and evidence recovered during restoration process.","provenance":"Paço de Sousa Penafiel","obtention":"Private Donation","bibliography":"Basso, M. P., *Treasures of the Pharmacy Museum*, Lisbon, 2001.","author":"Paula Basso","translator":"Mick Greer","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["apothecary jars","furnishing","medicine","Pharmacy","science"],"materials":["Carved wood"]},"ead4767a-7d82-5048-a0d2-07b5b5b4d68a":{"name":"Table of of Krste Petkov Misirkov","short_description":"Krste Petkov Misirkov (1874–1926) was actively engaged in politics, fighting for the recognition of Macedonians as a people with distinct tradition and language. He is one of the few who made great contribution to raising international awareness of Macedonian people at the close of the 19th century and in the early 20th century.","type":"Furniture","holder":"Museum of Macedonia","dates":"Early 20th century","location":"Skopje","author":"Nada Andonovska (author), Dragan Georgiev, historian (consultant)","copy_editor":"Daniel de la Vega","keywords":["Recognition","language","tradition"]},"eeadc3f4-cf85-5e38-bce5-3c6d8631b78c":{"name":"Maghrebi *rab’a*.","alternate_name":"Maghrebi Qur’an manuscript.","description":"A *rab’a*, a Qur'anic manuscript divided into 30 parts, each of which has an independent binding. The *rab’a* was preserved in a square wooden box covered on the outside with leather and embellished by four embossed decorative bands that incorporate geometric patterns outlined with silver thread. In between the four bands are three silver belts which reach from the back to the front of the box to support it. Each belt is decorated with three star-like shapes made from silver and overlaid with blue enamel. In all, the box bears 10 decorative forms in the same style; on the four corners of the box, for example, there are geometric shapes inlaid with mother-of-pearl and red and blue enamel.  \nThe bindings of all 30 parts are made from embossed red leather, with both the front and back embellished with ornamentation and text, which is identical on all the volumes. On each cover there are four inscription bands that form a square, and which are encircled by silver thread. The text is gilded, and in the middle of each front cover there is a silver-braided circle. Within the circle in gilded text is a Chapter from the Qur'an (14: 52), which tells the story of Ibrahim (Abraham). It reads: “Here is a message for mankind. Let them take warning there from, and let them know that he is (no other than) One God. Let men of understanding take heed”.On the back cover there is another quote from the Qur'an “al-Baqara” (“the Cow”, 2: 181), which reads: “If anyone changes the bequest after hearing it. The guilt shall be on those who make the change. For Allah hears and knows (All things)”.  \nEach part of the *rab'a* begins with two identical illuminated panels that differ in design from one volume to the next. Most of the square-shaped panels are surrounded by broad illuminated frames and contain decoration consisting of lines, circles and squares painted in more than one colour, but predominantly in gold. The *rab'a* is written in Maghrebi-style script with black ink, with five lines to each page. Verses are divided from each other by the word “verse” written in gold and surrounded by three circles. The *waqf* charter of the *rab'a,* written in an illuminated *kufic* script within a square that is also illuminated, is on the last two pages of each volume.","short_description":"A *rab’a*, a Qur’anic manuscript in 30 parts, preserved in a wooden box covered with leather and decorated with silver bands. The texts are in Maghrebi *kufic* script, written with saffron water on gazelle parchment. The *rab’a* is filled with decorative motifs, colours and illumination. This is one of three *rab’a* written for Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem; only the last copy has come down to us.","type":"Maghrebi, rab'a, parchment, manuscript","holder":"Islamic Museum, al-Aqsa Mosque / al-Haram al-Sharif.","initial_owner":"Commander of the Faithful, Abu al-Hasan Ali, the first Marinid (ruled in the Maghreb AH 732–49 / AD 1331–48).","dates":"Hegira 745 / AD 1344.","location":"Jerusalem","dimensions":"Length 22 cm, width 20 cm, depth 5 cm.","method_for_datation":"The *rab’a* is dated by an inscription.","method_for_provenance":"The Maghreb was narrowed down as the place of production for this manuscript based on the *waqf* charter that appears at the end of each volume. For example, the *waqf* in the eighth volume reads: “The eighth volume of this Holy Qur'anic manuscript completes a part of a thirty volume series, all of which have been written in the handwriting of Abd Allah Ali, *amir* of the Muslims, son of the *amir* of the Muslims, Abi Said Uthman, son of the *amir* of the Muslims, Abi Yusuf Ya'qub bin Abd al-Haqq, ruler of the Maghreb, May God bless him, and it has been endowed for recitation in al-Aqsa Mosque.”","provenance":"Maghreb.","obtention":"The piece was transferred at an unknown date from al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem to the Islamic Museum.","bibliography":"Al-Makri, A., (d. 1041 / 1631), *Nafaha al-Tayab (al-Tayb) min Ghasan Ghusn al-Andalus al-Ratib \\[A Pleasant Breeze from the Branch of Verdant al-Andalus\\],* Vol. 2, Leiden, 1860.  \nAl-Maqrizi, A., (d. 845 / 1442), *Al-Suluk li Ma'arifat duwal al-Muluk \\[The Right Ways to Know the Lands of the Rulers),* Vol. 2, Cairo, 1971.  \nAl-Qalakshandi, A., (d. 821 / 1418), *Subah al-'Asha fi Sana'at al-Inasha' \\[The Break of Evening in the Making of Literary Creation\\]*, Cairo, 1913.  \nRosen-Ayalon, M., “Some Comments on a Maghrebi Qur'an”, in *Jerusalem Studies in Arabic and Islam,* No. 19, 1995, pp.73–80.  \nSalameh, K., *Al-Makhtutat al-Qur'aniya fi al-Muthaf al-Islami fi al-Haram al-Sharif, al-Quds \\[Qur'anic Manuscripts in the Islamic Museum in al-Haram al-Sharif, Jerusalem\\],* Paris, 2003.  \n*Pilgrimage, Sciences and Sufism: Islamic Art in the West Bank and Gaza,* pp.72–3.","dynasty":"Marinid","linkcatalogs":"IAM_PA_EN_001","author":"Khader Salameh","copy_editor":"Majd Musa","translator":"Amal Sachedina (from the Arabic).","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Abu al-Hasan al-Marini","illumination","kufic script","Maghrebi script","mashaf","Parchment","Qur’an","religious manuscript"],"materials":["binding of illuminated leather.","Black ink on gazelle parchment"]},"efc1e427-4c81-58f3-a2ae-e846616be1e3":{"name":"Qur’an cabinet.","description":"The body of the cabinet is four-sided and has short legs. The cover is in the shape of a dome. The wood has been decorated with ebony and ivory using the inlay technique.  \n  \nThe side faces of the cabinet's body are organised into rectangular panels. The interiors of these panels have the same designs as those found in bookbinding compositions of the classical Ottoman period. In the corners of the rectangular panels are ivory corner pieces. Cartouches with palmette-shaped lobes are covered with ebony. At the centre of each of the panels are ivory medallions in relief, each with a huge boss at its centre and pendants terminating in rosette and palmette motifs. On either side of the medallions are Chinese cloud-bands; while in the upper and lower areas are four six-sided rosettes. The interiors of the six-sided rosettes are decorated with mosaic-inlay of white and painted ivory and silver wire. Around the rectangular cartouches are inlays of ivory over ebony, as well as undulating designs featuring split-palmette motifs.  \n  \nAround the bottom border of the cover, separated by lobed cartouches, are ivory cartouches on which is carved Qur'an *sura* 2, verse 255 in *thuluth*\\-style calligraphy.  \n  \nThe surface of the dome is covered with broad ebony and ivory plaques, the V-shapes of which make up a zigzag design. The dome comes to a point; its upper section is decorated with ivory inset with the reverse side out, a series of ebony palmettes, and six-sided rosettes filled with mosaics. The finial on top has broken off.  \n  \nThe cabinet was prepared in order to house sections of the Qur'an. It has five interior compartments. The interior of the dome is decorated with medallions made up of compositions of palmette and *rumi* (split-palmette) motifs painted (*kalemişi*) on a background painted cream. The inner border of the cover is decorated with black palmettes and *rumi*s on a red ground.","short_description":"This wooden cabinet was produced at the Ottoman palace ateliers to contain chapters of the Qur'an. It is decorated in classical Ottoman style and inlaid with ebony, ivory and silver wires.","type":"Walnut, ebony, ivory, mosaic","holder":"Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts.","dates":"Hegira first half of the 10th century / AD 16th century.","location":"Sultanahmet, Istanbul.","dimensions":"Height 86.5 cm, width 50.7 cm.","method_for_datation":"The enrichment of the surfaces, the shape, the technique, and the balanced use of materials all reflect the attributes of Ottoman woodwork of the first half of the 10th / 16th century.","method_for_provenance":"The cabinet shows all the characteristics of the decorative motifs and compositions of the classical Ottoman Period, as formulated in the Ottoman court workshops. It is highly probable that the object was produced in the first half of the 10th / 16th century in one of the Istanbul workshops directed by the court.","provenance":"Istanbul, Turkey.","obtention":"Brought to the Museum in 1914 from the Ayasofya Library, which was built by Sultan Mahmud I (r. 1142–68 / 1730–54).","bibliography":"Atasoy, N. and Artam, T., *The Splendors of the Ottoman Sultans*, Memphis, 1992, pp.162–3.  \n  \nKunt, M., and Woodhead, C. (eds), *Suleyman the Magnificent and His Age*: The Ottoman Empire in the Early Modern World**, Addison-Wesley, 1995, cat. no. 86.  \n  \nölçer, N. *et al, Museum of Turkish and Islamic Art*, Istanbul, 2002, pp.254–5.","dynasty":"Ottoman","linkcatalogs":"IAM_TR_EN_001","author":"Gönül Tekeli","translator":"Barry Wood, İnci Türkoğlu","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Chinese motifs","ebony","inlay","ivory","Qur’an cabinet","wood"],"materials":["ebony, ivory and silver wire inlaid, and painted (kalemişi).","Wood"]},"f01728d7-fe74-597e-b37f-12f01e9ac1a3":{"name":"*Rab’a* of Sultan Murad.","description":"A *rab’a* (Qur'an divided into 30 parts) that has been preserved in two identical wooden cube-shaped boxes, each of which is covered with a level of stucco and painted black. A number of inscription bands form part of the decoration and contain gilded texts written in *thuluth* script. The texts include *hadiths* of the Prophet to encourage study of the Qur'an. The corners of each box are decorated with vegetal designs composed of intertwining plant motifs gathered within a frame of zigzag lines.  \nEach volume of the *rab’a* is bound by a two-leaf cover and a library marker. Each leaf of the cover holds a medallion with a helical frame and an illuminated background. The spine is decorated with independent illuminated vegetal motifs. Each medallion is connected at the top and bottom by two suspended ornaments. The two inside covers are decorated with a medallion, divided into illuminated geometric forms on a blue, black, red and green background. The medallion is connected at the top and bottom to a smaller medallion.  \nThe endowment charter of the entire *rab’a* appears at the beginning of the first volume. On the first page of every volume there is a condensed version of the charter surrounded at both the top and bottom by two decorative bands that are different in size and decorative style from one volume to the next.  \nFolio 2b–3a forms the beginning of each volume. The frontispiece consists of two identically decorated pages. Five lines are written on each of the two pages, in alternating gold and black, the text surrounded by a number of bands with extremely beautiful ornamentation in polychrome; specifically red and gold against a background of blue. The text is intercepted with independent vegetal decoration in a variety of different colours.  \nEach page of the 30 volumes of the *rab’a* is divided into five horizontal rectangles. In each of the first, third and fifth rectangles, there is a single line of the Qur'an written in a large and illuminated *rayhani* script. In each of the second and fourth rectangles, four lines are written in black *thuluth* script. The second and fourth rectangles are intersected on both sides by two side-bands ornamented with illuminated motifs consisting of intertwining vegetal decoration against a white background.  \nThe layout of this *rab’a* is reminiscent of the Qur'anic manuscript of Sultan Bayezid.","short_description":"A *rab’a* (Qur’an in 30 parts) in two wooden boxes covered with stucco and painted black with inscriptions and vegetal designs. The *rab’a* was donated by Sultan Murad to al-Aqsa Mosque. Each page is divided into five parts, three in illuminated *rayhani* script and two in *thuluth* script written with black ink. The word ‘Majestic’, chapter names, verse numbers and their area are illuminated.","type":"Manuscript, woodwork, stucco decoration","holder":"Islamic Museum, al-Aqsa Mosque / al-Haram al-Sharif.","initial_owner":"Sultan Murad III (r. AH 982–1003 / AD 1574–95).","dates":"Hegira 1001 / AD 1593.","location":"Jerusalem","dimensions":"Length 36 cm, width 24.5 cm, depth 2 cm.","method_for_datation":"The *rab’a* is inscribed with the date and endowment.","method_for_provenance":"Turkey was narrowed down as the place of production for this manuscript supported by the text of the *waqf* charter which appears on the third page of the Qur'an. The name of the copyist, illuminator and the place of production does not appear.","provenance":"Turkey.","obtention":"The *rab’a* was transferred from al-Aqsa Mosque to the Islamic Museum but it is not known when.","bibliography":"Farid, M., *Tarikh al-Daula al-'Ulya al-Othmaniya \\[History of the Ottoman Empire\\],* Beirut, 1981.  \nSalameh, K., *Al-Makhtutat al-Qur'aniya fi al-Muthaf al-Islami fi al-Haram al-Sharif, al-Quds \\[The Qur'anic Manuscripts in the Islamic Museum in al-Haram al-Sharif, Jerusalem\\],* Paris, 2003.","dynasty":"Ottoman","linkcatalogs":"IAM_TR_EN_001","author":"Khader Salameh","copy_editor":"Majd Musa","translator":"Amal Sachedina (from the Arabic).","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Hadith","illumination","leather","mashaf","Paper","Qur’an","religious manuscript","rihani","Thuluth","vegetal decoration"],"materials":["Coloured ink and gilding on paper","the binding embossed and illuminated leather. The box made from wood, covered with decorative stucco."]},"f13296ae-615e-5b30-99df-9e194b691b4f":{"name":"Coffee Mortar and Pestle","description":"A carved wooden mortar and stone pestle for pounding coffee beans. Coffee drinkers consider coffee ground by hand to be the most desirable kind.","holder":"Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts","dates":"13th-14th century/AD 19th century","location":"Istanbul","dimensions":"Diameter: 14.4cm, height: 27cm, pestle: 30cm","dynasty":"Ottomans (AH 698–1340 / AD 1299–1922)","materials":["Wood, metal"]},"f31ff28f-d559-5abc-880d-148f4aa71f67":{"name":"Table (*khwan*) with scenes of princely leisure and inscribed with Persian poetry","short_description":"This low, rectangular wood table on four legs is extensively ornamented with lacquerwork on the table top. Around the interior rim are painted and gilded floral arabesques surrounding inscriptions in cartouches. On the surface of this table, young men and women repose, feast, and hunt in abundant landscapes, and their style of depiction echoes manuscript illustrations of canonical Persian poetry.","type":"Islamic, Indian & Southeast Asian works of art; painted woodwork; furniture","holder":"Shangri La, Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art","dates":"Hegira early 14th century / AD late 19th or early 20th century","location":"Honolulu, Hawai'i","dimensions":"Overall: 28.9 x 82.9 x 157.5 cm","provenance":"Iran","dynasty":"Probably Qajar","keywords":["animal decoration","court life","Figurative representation","floral decoration","fugurative decoration","furnishing","garden","horsemanship","human representation","hunting","poetry"],"materials":["painted, gilded and lacquered","Wood"]},"f42822cc-df6c-53fe-9c96-a6c99bf89d34":{"name":"Qur’an stand.","description":"The decoration on this Qur’an stand, which is made from a single piece of wood, has been carved out from the wood, and consists of a combination of calligraphy and abstract floral motifs executed to the highest standard. The Arabic inscription, ‘the power lies in God’, is written in monumental knotted *kufic* script, within a square section in the upper half of the lectern, on a spiralling tendril, which provides a vivid yet unobtrusive backdrop that does not interfere with or cut in between the letters. The ‘Throne verse’ of the Qur’an – Sura 2 verse 255 – is to be found, framed and written in *thuluth* script, on the back. (‘God! There is no god but Him, the Living, the Eternal One. Neither slumber nor sleep overtakes Him. His is what is in heaven and what is on earth. Who can intercede with Him except by His permission? He knows what is before and behind men. They can grasp only that part of His knowledge which He wills. His throne is as vast as heaven and earth, and the preservation of both does not weary him. He is the Exalted, the Immense One.’) A few tendrils fill in the small spaces left empty within the inscription.  \nThe foot of the Qur’an stand is covered in sculpted, carved tendrils consisting of smooth or feathered bifid and lanceolate leaves. Leaves and spiralling tendril arabesques overlap each other in various ways and over several layers, crowned by a trefoil.  \nThe folding lecterns, most of which were made of wood, served throughout the Islamic world as supports for large Qur’an books, used during recitations. Secondary literature maintains that the form of the Qur’an stand had been derived from folding chairs such as were already used in ancient Egypt. They were among the most valuable furnishings of every mosque, and were decorated using an abundance of techniques. The woodcarver of this lectern is probably the same as the artist who carved the wooden cenotaph of the poet Jalal ad-Din Rumi (AD 1207–73), a founder of Sufism, which can be found in the Mevlana Tekke in Konya.","short_description":"Wooden folding stands were used in the Islamic world to hold heavy Qur’ans or other books to read while sitting on the floor. This remarkable example with fine arabesques and superb inscriptions was probably made in Konya, Turkey, to be given to a mosque by a Rum Seljuq sultan.","type":"Carved woodwork","holder":"Museum of Islamic Art at the Pergamon Museum","dates":"Hegira mid-7th century / AD mid-13th century.","location":"Berlin","dimensions":"Height 107 cm, width 50 cm.","method_for_datation":"The artist named in the inscription, ‘Abd al-Wahid ibn Sulayman, is probably the same artist whose wooden cenotaph exists in the Mevlana Tekke in Konya, which can be dated to be from the 13th century. If this assumption is correct, and both names denote the same person, then the Qur’an stand can also be dated to the mid-13th century. There is also a strong possibility for this date on stylistic grounds.","method_for_provenance":"Its provenance from Konya has not been guaranteed; however, a series of stylistically similar Qur’an stands makes its provenance from Konya very likely. The inscription of the carpenter’s name is further evidence of the existence of a tradition in the making of Qur’an stands.","provenance":"Konya, Turkey.","obtention":"As an anonymous gift in 1907.","bibliography":"Enderlein, V., *Islamisches Museum*, Rostock, 1983, pp.61–2, ill. 44.  \nHaase, C. P., “Koran und Koranpult”, in *Transformationen, Der Koranständer*, (ed. J. W. Frembgen and E. Rößler), Munich, 1997, pp.9–12.  \nKühnel, E., *Islamische Schriftkunst,* Berlin 1942, 3rd edition, Graz, 1986, p.33, ill. 33.  \n*Museum für Islamische Kunst*, Catalogue, Mainz, 2001, pp.60–1.","dynasty":"Seljuqs of Rum (Anatolian Seljuq)","author":"Annette Hagedorn","translator":"Maria Vlotides, Brigitte Finkbeiner","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["arabesque","carving","furnishing","kufic","Qur’an stand","religious object","vine tendrils"],"materials":["Walnut wood, carved."]},"f50d39b2-f8db-5777-9fdd-bfe1a5755107":{"name":"Sickle (*mijaz*)","description":"The sickle is a tool that has been employed worldwide for its utility: it is a manual agricultural tool that consists of a curved blade that is usually used for harvesting grain crops or cutting weeds used to feed livestock.","type":"Sickle (*mijaz*)","holder":"National Museum of Oman","owner":"National Museum of Oman","dates":"Hegira 14th century / AD 20th century","location":"Muscat","dimensions":"Height 3cm, length 36cm, width 3cm","place_of_production":"Oman","provenance":"Local acquisition","obtention":"Local acquisition.","dynasty":"al-Busaid","copy_editor":"Alvaro Miranda","materials":["Wood and iron"]},"f596dba8-2ee8-5042-9e06-4a090887dd12":{"name":"Armchair of Krste Petkov Misirkov","short_description":"Krste Petkov Misirkov (1874–1926) was an imposing figure that contributed to the standardization of the modern Macedonian language. He lived and worked in St. Petersburg, Russia. Misirkov’s book “On Macedonian Matters” is a starting point in explaining Macedonian distinctiveness, having served as an intellectual and contemplative engine for generations of Macedonians fighting in the battlefield and in literature alike.","type":"Furniture","holder":"Museum of Macedonia","dates":"Early 20th century","location":"Skopje","author":"Nada Andonovska (author), Dragan Georgiev, historian (consultant)","copy_editor":"Daniel de la Vega","keywords":["Modern Macedonian language"]},"f5efa1b5-e76e-5603-80c4-2602ee925386":{"name":"Bag for hauling water with draft animals (*ad-dalū*)","description":"This huge leather bag (*ad-dalū*) is designed for lifting water by means of draft animals. An angled pathway allows the animals to walk uphill while lowering the bag into a well or reservoir, and downhill when pulling against the weight of the water-filled bag. A single *dalū* has a capacity of 10 to 40 litres.","type":"Bag for hauling water with draft animals (*ad-dalū*)","holder":"National Museum of Oman","owner":"National Museum of Oman","dates":"Hegira 15th century / AD 21st century","location":"Muscat","dimensions":"Height 110cm, width 71cm, diameter 16cm","place_of_production":"Northern Oman","provenance":"Local acquisition","obtention":"Local acquisition.","dynasty":"al-Busaid","copy_editor":"Alvaro Miranda","materials":["Goatskin bag, wood frame and palm fibre rope"]},"f7759c4e-3d0e-535a-b438-1292b547ebc5":{"name":"Qur’an cabinet.","description":"The body of the cabinet is shaped like a six-sided prism sitting on top of arched feet. A pyramidal cover with 12 sides rises from a 12-cornered drum.  \n  \nThe walnut boards of the cabinet are decorated with inlaid ivory. In some places ebony is used. On the cover, vertical ivory plaques and medallions with pendants have been arranged from the top downwards. The plaques are carved with intricate designs of palmette leaves, Chinese-inspired floral motifs, and spiralling tendrils. On the base of the dome, on top of the drum, carved ivory plaques have been arranged horizontally. These bear Qur'anic verses (2: 255 and 59: 22–4) in *thuluth* script carved in relief. On the cover itself, as well as its sides, are plaques with more Qur'anic verses 48: 28–9; 3: 18–9; 27: 30).  \n  \nOn the sides of the body, bands of ivory delineate horizontal rectangular panels. The interiors of the corners of these panels have corner pieces of ivory featuring arabesques and palmettes. In the centres of the panels are carved ivory plaques with relief inscriptions in *thuluth* script which state in Turkish that the cabinet was made in the name of Sultan Bayezid II (r. AH 886–918 / AD 1481–1512) and gives the year hegira 911 / 1505. An ivory plaque beneath the last line of this inscription contains the signature of the maker of the cabinet, again carved in relief: 'Work of Ahmad bin Hasan Qalib-i Fani'.  \n  \nThe arches at the base of the cabinet are decorated with mosaic designs of inlaid ivory coloured green. The three-section finial at the top of the cover is made of ebony and ivory. The interior of the cabinet has three partitions for storing the Qur'an and *juz* (one-thirtieth) sections thereof.","short_description":"This wooden Qur'an cabinet inlaid with ivory was made for Sultan Bayezid II by master Ahmed bin Hasan in AH 911 / AD 1505. The rendering of the surfaces and balanced use of materials reflect the stylistic characteristics of Ottoman woodwork of the first half of the 10th / 16th century.","type":"Walnut, ebony, ivory, mosaic","holder":"Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts.","initial_owner":"Sultan Bayezid II (r. AH 886–918 / AD 1481–1512).","dates":"Hegira 911 / AD 1505.","location":"Sultanahmet, Istanbul.","dimensions":"Height 82 cm, width 56 cm.","method_for_datation":"According to the inscription on the object, it was made in 911 / 1505.","obtention":"The object was transferred from the tomb of Sultan Selim II (974-82/ 1566-74) in the Ayasofya Mosque, Istanbul, to the Museum in 1926.","bibliography":"*Anadolu Medeniyetleri III, Selçuklu-Osmanlı*, Istanbul, 1983, No. 19.  \n  \nçığ, K., “İmzalı Eski çekmece,Cüz ve Hilye-i Saadet Mahfazaları ve Sanatkarları”, *Milletlerarası Birinci Türk Sanatları Kongresi*, Ankara 1962, pp.101–19.  \n  \nLevenson, J. A., *Circa 1492: Art in the Age of Exploration*, Washington D.C., 1991, p.194.  \n  \nÖlçer, N. *et al, Museum of Turkish and Islamic Art*, Istanbul, 2002, pp.252–3.  \n  \nRogers, J. M., and Ward, R. M., *Suleiman the Magnificent*, London, 1990.","dynasty":"Ottoman","linkcatalogs":"IAM_TR_EN_001","author":"Gönül Tekeli","translator":"Barry Wood, İnci Türkoğlu","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Cabinet","ebony","ivory","Qur’an"],"materials":["Walnut, ebony, ivory, bone, mosaic-inlay technique."]},"f7ea9d0f-6f86-5412-9641-8c467e39607d":{"name":"Door with ivory intarsia","short_description":"This wooden door is decorated with geometric carving and ivory, inlaid relief work. The decoration purely geometric, and the wood serves as the framework for the ivory inlays. Made of two patterns, a hexagonal, honeycomb-like repetition combines with sets of crossing lines to for a large X-like shape and a diamond shape in the centre of the door; a six-pointed star is place at each intersection.  \nFollowing the Ottoman conquest in 1518, Egypt and Syria witnessed a rich construction period. Sultans and emirs built elaborate complexes featuring ornate woodwork.","type":"Interior architecture","holder":"MKG Museum for Applied Arts","dates":"Hegira 9th-10th century / AD 15th-16th century","location":"Hamburg","dimensions":"Height: 183cm, Width: 91cm","method_for_datation":"The design is typical for the Ottoman or Mamluk period.","method_for_provenance":"Purchased via the art market.","provenance":"Egypt, Cairo","obtention":"Purchased in 2013.","bibliography":"Von Achenbach, N., *Erwerbungen 2013-2014* ,Hamburg: Stiftung für die Hamburger Kunstsammlungen, 2014.","dynasty":"Late Mamluk or Early Ottoman","copy_editor":"Caitlin Link","keywords":["Door","Geometric pattern","Mamluk"],"materials":["Wood, ivory"]},"f88193ec-c618-5df9-8728-cdb15d419ec4":{"name":"*Alfarje* ceiling.","description":"From the room assumed to be the royal chamber of Alfonso XI (r. 1312–50), this is a flat *alfarje* ceiling with exposed beams, made up of four weight-bearing main beams placed across the room. Perpendicular to and above these beams runs a beam 504 cm long, extended on both ends by two shorter beams, all three with the same section. This structure creates a ten-caisson ceiling. The ceiling is covered with crossbeams, each with three cuts along its length, and boards with elongated-hexagon shaped *menado* decoration (simple decoration of wooden triangles in the corners, creating hexagons), with two thin boards on each side. The finish consists of base boards, flashing on the beams and the walls, *argeutes* (the boards placed between two corbels) and strips. The underside of the main beams is decorated with symmetrical plant motifs, Nasrid pepper-shaped leaves with central ornamentation, and medallions or eight-bow knots on the sides. In the middle of the beams there are single-tower castles, and banded coats of arms are painted on the ends. The elongated-hexagon tile (*alfardon*) motif appears on the sides painted with a cursive inscription in Arabic that reads 'There is no God but Allah' with the occasional addition of the word 'happiness'.  \nThe palace of King Alfonso XI was inhabited by Doña Leonor de Guzmán (the king's lover, 1310–50) and, according to the chronicler Teodomiro Ramírez de Arellano, both Don Fadrique and Don Enrique were conceived there, the latter being the future King Henry II of Castile, the founder of the House of Trastamara, conferring on the piece a certain documental importance.","short_description":"From a room thought to be the royal chamber of the palace of Alfonso XI (r. 1312—50) in Córdoba, this ceiling was covered with multicoloured heraldic, plant and Arabic epigraphic motifs.","type":"Woodwork, ceiling, wood","holder":"National Archaeological Museum.","dates":"1350–60.","location":"Madrid","dimensions":"Length 900 cm, width 400 cm.","method_for_datation":"It has been dated after 1360, as single-tower castles and banded coats of arms were not used during the reign of Peter I (1350–66), but they were from the reign of Henry II (1366–79). Nonetheless, it could be earlier as the style is typical of the 1350s.","method_for_provenance":"Appears in the piece's record, which is the only source of information on the piece.","provenance":"Córdoba, from the Palace of King Alfonso XI, subsequently the home of General Fresneda before its demolition.","obtention":"The piece was bought for the National Archaeological Museum from Luis Moreno de Cala on 29 September 1980.","bibliography":"Cuevas, S., “ADELPHA Denuncia el Traslado Irregular de un Artesonado Mudéjar”, *El País*, 2 September 1980.  \nFranco Mata, á., “Antigüedades Cristianas del Siglo VIII al XV”, in *Guía del Museo Arqueológico Nacional*, Madrid, 1992, Vol. II, p.96.  \nLópez Guzmán, R., *Arquitectura Mudéjar: Del Sincretismo Medieval a las Alternativas Hispanoamericanas*, Madrid, 2000, p.185.  \nMartínez Caviró, B., “Carpintería Mudéjar Toledana”, *Cuadernos de la Alhambra*, 12, Granada, 1976, pp.225–65.  \nRamírez de Arellano, T., *Paseos por Córdoba: O Sean Apuntes para Su Historia*, Cordoba, 1873–5.","dynasty":"Mudéjar","linkcatalogs":"IAM_ES_EN_001","author":"Ángela Franco","copy_editor":"Rosalía Aller","translator":"Laurence Nunny","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["alfarje","Alfonso XI","carving","ceiling","coat of arms","Cordoba","Mudeéar","Peter I","polychrome decoration","wood"],"materials":["carving, polichromy.","Wood"]},"f8cd2cbd-0428-53e7-a7ce-f3ee1f3011f9":{"name":"Shelving unit","short_description":"This unit is made of two shelves, one in an arch shape and the second topped by small hooks and a perforated decoration. The name of its maker, \"Becghtache\" is written on its underside, flanked by two six-point stars.","type":"Walnut wood","holder":"Musée Public National des Arts et Traditions Populaires","dates":"19th century","location":"Algiers","dimensions":"70.5 x 52.5 cm","translator":"Flaminia Baldwin"},"fafb3812-1969-5e3a-b9d0-22446066efee":{"name":"Chest for a Portable Altar","alternate_name":"*Arca-Altar portátil*","description":"Portable altars in the form of chests were an element of religious furniture, epitomising Portuguese maritime travel to different parts of the world.  \nThis type of furniture developed from the 16th century onwards as Portuguese maritime voyages, in particular to India and China, increased.  \nThese voyages often involved both regular and secular clergymen embarking on missionary activities, aristocratic families, the backbone of the administration in the Portuguese empire, or those who set out for diverse corners of the world in the quest for new commercial markets.  \nThe need to reduce the volume and weight of the cargo transported on these voyages resulted in the construction of furniture that was light and easy to handle and store.  \nThis piece of furniture is built of wood and covered with black-painted leather. It is adorned with engraved plant motifs and a pattern made out of tacks. On the outside it is fairly plain. The exuberance of the piece is revealed after it is opened and assembled. The internal lining in red silk is further embellished by gold trimming. The fittings that frame the lid were inspired by incised motifs, a decorative mode that flourished during the period.  \nThe liturgical implements (chalice, crucifix, pyx, cruet, paten and bell), all of which were necessary to celebrate mass, were stored in a drawer below the altar table, in customised, made-to-measure indentations.  \nMany masses were celebrated aboard the carracks on altars such as this one, as well as on land, at sites that did not have suitable facilities for religious worship.  \nMass could only be celebrated on altars that contained an altar-stone – a stone that had been blessed – upon which was placed the chalice and the host. In this altar, the altar-stone is found in a concave indentation within the table.  \nDuring voyages, priests were obliged to celebrate mass every Sunday and on holy days. A particular feature of masses celebrated on board ship was that they did not have the consecration and consequently did not have communion. They were thus called “dry masses”.  \nIn his work, *As* *Cartas Ânuas da China: 1636, 1643 a 1649,* a compilation of letters from China written to the Jesuit General in Rome annually, the Jesuit priest António de Gouveia described the presence of altars in the houses of Portuguese settlers. He relates that it was a common practice to “assemble the altar” in the largest room so that mass could be held.","short_description":"A chest containing a portable altar, it was designed to be transported long distance on Portuguese maritime voyages to enable those on board to celebrate Mass both while on board the ship and, on arrival, in foreign lands.","type":"Ship's Furniture","holder":"Macau Scientific and Cultural Centre Museum","owner":"Macau Scientific and Cultural Centre Museum","dates":"17th–18th centuries","location":"Lisbon, Lisbon","dimensions":"Open: h: 227 cm; w: 175 cm; depth: 96 cm. Closed: h: 44 cm; w: 93 cm; depth: 54 cm","place_of_production":"Portugal","method_for_datation":"Stylistic analysis","obtention":"Acquisition","bibliography":"Rego, A., da Silva, *Documentos para* *a História das Missões do Padroado Português do Oriente: Índia,* Lisbon, Fundação Oriente, Comissão Nacional para as Comemorações dos Descobrimentos Portugueses, 1991.  \n*Fons Vitae,* Pavilhão da Santa Sé na Expo 98, Lisbon, 1998, p. 183.  \nGouveia, A., de, *Cartas Ânuas da China: 1636, 1643 a 1649*, Lisbon, 1998, pp. 126, 163, 252, 254.  \n*Cartas Ânuas do Colégio de Macau 1594–1627,* edited by João Paulo Oliveira e Costa, Fundação Macau, 1999.  \n*Guia do Museu do Centro Científico e Cultural de Macau*, Lisbon, 1999.","author":"Maria Manuela d'Oliveira Martins","translator":"Roopanjali Roy","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["religious furnishing","travel"],"materials":["Leather, wood, tacks","oil on canvas, silk, gold trimming"]},"fb0d852c-219c-5753-93b5-9648fdd94679":{"name":"Alhambra cupola.","description":"The cupola in Berlin was once part of the Torre \\[tower\\] de las Damas in the Palacio del Partal, and was built above elaborate stuccowork. From the tower’s windows one could enjoy a view over the city of Granada as well as over the palace complex, including the parts of the Alhambra that no longer exist today, which were built by the Nasrid ruler Muhammad III (r. AH 701–708 / AD 1302–1308). The Nasrid rulers’ motto, ‘There is no victory other than from God’, which plays an important part in the cupola’s decoration, can be read as a proclamation of Islam, which was threatened by the approaching *Reconquista*.  \nThe cupola is, in its most basic form, a square, which then develops inwards, first into an octagon, and then into 16 trapezia. Each side of the square is decorated with a triangle that features woven geometric patterns complemented by plant motifs. A small miniature cupola sits at the centre of the triangles. The octagon is formed by panels with small arches, in which symmetrical *kufic* inscriptions lie on a red background, along with pinecones, small seashells and arabesques. The Nasrid motto ‘There is no victory other than from God’ is repeated on the rectangular panels of the 16-sided form. These are surrounded by small *muqarnas* (stalactite) arches. The subsequent 16 trapezia show the interlaced carvings that are typical of the Islamic world. Small polygons or stars repeat the Nasrid motto. A 16-sided horizontal panel, also decorated with interlaced carving, covers the cupola. The appeal of the decoration lies in the contrast between the strictness and severity of the flat bands of interlaced carvings and the raised levels of relief work. Wooden ceilings and cupolas of this kind are a particular feature of Islamic architecture in the Maghreb. Countless examples can be found, not just in the Alhambra, but also in many other buildings in Spain and in North Africa.","short_description":"This cupola is from a building in the Alhambra palace complex called the Palacio del Partal, which was once the private house of a German banker who was allowed to transfer the cupola to his Berlin villa. Wooden ceilings and cupolas of this kind are a feature of Islamic architecture in the Maghreb.","type":"Woodwork, cupola, Alhambra","holder":"Museum of Islamic Art at the Pergamon Museum","initial_owner":"In 1885, Arthur von Gwinner bought a piece of land in the Alhambra area, which included a section with buildings, streets and gardens. In 1891 he donated the Palacio del Partal to the city of Granada. In return, he was allowed to dismantle the wooden cupola, removing it from the Torre de las Damas and transporting it to Berlin. In 1892 he reassembled the cupola, incorporating it in his Berlin home. In 1921 he donated his property to the Spanish government.","dates":"Around hegira 719 / AD 1320.","location":"Berlin","dimensions":"Height 190 cm, width 355 cm, depth 355 cm.","method_for_datation":"The cupola can be dated through its provenance from the Palacio del Partal, which formed part of the Alhambra Palace and which was built under Muhammad III (r. 701–708 / 1302–1308).","method_for_provenance":"Documents show that the cupola came from the Palacio del Partal in the Alhambra Palace complex in Granada, Spain, from where it was removed in 1892. Its Spanish provenance is thus guaranteed.","provenance":"Part of the Torre de las Damas from the Palacio del Partal within the Alhambra palace complex in Granada, Spain.","obtention":"Acquired in 1978 from Arthur von Gwinner’s descendants.","bibliography":"Brisch, K., “Eine Kuppel aus der Alhambra in Granada”, *Berichte aus den Berliner Museen Preußischer Kulturbesitz*, 3rd series, 14, 1978, pp.6–7, 10–11.  \nBrisch, K., “Eine Kuppel aus der Alhambra in Granada”, in *Jahrbuch Preußischer Kulturbesitz* 16, 1979, pp.169–76.  \nChmelnizkij, S., “Methods of Constructing Geometric Ornamental Systems in the Cupola of the Alhambra”, *Muqarnas* 6, 1989, pp.43–9.  \nDodds, J. D., *Al-Andalus: The Art of Islamic Spain*, New York, 1992, cat. no. 116.  \nFernández-Puertas, A., *The Alhambra I*, London, 1997, pp.235–9.","dynasty":"Nasrid","linkcatalogs":"IAM_ES_EN_001","author":"Jens Kröger","translator":"Maria Vlotides, Brigitte Finkbeiner","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["Alhambra","architectural decoration","Cupola","geometric patterns","muqarnas","palatial architecture"],"materials":["Cedar and poplar wood, carved and joined together from individual pieces. Certain sections are painted (red, blue and green)."]},"febb9b50-5023-54dc-aba9-74d232d247aa":{"name":"*Mihrab* from the Damsaköy Taşkınpaşa Mosque.","description":"The *mihrab* is made of walnut. The geometric and vegetal motifs and inscriptions which make up its decoration are executed with deep carving with round surfaces, double-level carving and bevelling. The *mihrab* exhibits outstanding craftsmanship. Its niche is framed by two wide borders. The outermost border from floor level up to 68 cm is decorated with a vegetal composition featuring palmettes and *rumi* (split-palmette) leaves. The second border is covered up to about 100 cm with a geometric network. Both borders continue at these respective heights with inscription bands containing verses from the Qur'an (10:255, 59:20–23, 46:31).  \n  \nThe *mihrab*'s lobed niche is framed with thin borders of various widths comprised of vegetal decoration featuring palmette and *rumi* (split-palmette) motifs. The form of the niche hood, as well as the fact that its interior is empty, suggests that this part is a restoration. The niche interior itself, which is semi-circular in profile, is decorated with an intricate vegetal composition.  \n  \nThe spandrels of the *mihrab* niche have round medallions containing inscription bands. The frames of the medallions feature deeply carved vegetal motifs which give the impression of having been executed in openwork. The right medallion has the word 'Allah' in the centre, surrounded by a verse from the Qur'an (59:22); the left medallion has the word 'Muhammad' surrounded by part of verse 59:23.  \n  \nThe large rectangular panel on the upper section of the *mihrab* contains a geometric network made up of 12-pointed stars. The *mihrab* has no pediment crowning it.  \n  \nAlthough buildings outside Anatolia and from various historical periods feature wooden *mihrab*s, such as the Azhar Mosque (AH 360–62 / AD 970–2) and Sayyida Nafisa Mosque (AH 532–3 / AD 1138–45) in Cairo, the Iskodar Mosque in West Turkistan (5th–6th / 11th–12th century), and the Halawiyya Madrasa in Aleppo (end of the 6th / 12th to beginning of the 7th / 13th century), the *mihrab* of the Damsaköy Taşkınpaşa Mosque is the only one in Anatolia made of wood. For this reason it is of special importance.","short_description":"The only example of of a wood-built *mihrab* in Anatolia, this *mihrab* is an exceptional work of art displaying excellent craftsmanship and rich geometric, floral and calligraphic decoration.","type":"Woodwork","holder":"Ankara Ethnographic Museum.","dates":"Hegira 654–842 / AD 1256–1438.","location":"Ulus, Ankara","dimensions":"Height 350 cm, width 203 cm.","method_for_datation":"The Damsaköy Taşkınpaşa Mosque has no foundation inscription. However, the tombs found in the courtyard there have inscriptions dating to the 8th / 14th century, so it is accepted that the mosque was probably built in the mid-14th century. In addition, in the 8th / 14th century it was common for geometric and vegetal compositions to be used together with inscriptions, especially in tile-mosaic and stucco *mihrab*s. This decorative programme was used on the wooden *mihrab* of the Damsaköy Taşkınpaşa Mosque.","method_for_provenance":"Although the exact place of production for this *mihrab* is unknown, both its stylistic characteristics and the motifs used on it point to a local (Anatolian) provenance.","provenance":"Anatolia.","obtention":"The wooden *mihrab* that once belonged to the Taşkınpaşa Mosque in Damsaköy was transferred, along with the *minbar*, to Ankara Ethnographic Museum on 23 October 1940.","bibliography":"Bakırer, Ö., *Onüç ve Ondördüncü Yüzyıllarda Anadolu Mihrapları*, Ankara, 1976.  \n  \nBakırer, Ö., “Ürgüp'ün Damsa Köyü'ndeki Taşkın Paşa Camii'nin Ahşap Mihrabı”, *Türk Tarih Kurumu Belleteni* 139 (1971), pp.367–82.  \n  \nÖney G., “Anadolu Selçuklu ve Beylikler Devri Ahşap Teknikleri”, *Sanat Tarihi Yıllığı* III (1969–1970), Istanbul, pp.135–71.","dynasty":"Qaramanid","author":"Sevinç Gök Gürhan","translator":"Barry Wood, İnci Türkoğlu","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Bevelled style","carving","geometric decoration","inscription","mihrab","Mosque interior decoration","Qaramanids","vegetal decoration","wood"],"materials":["assembled from walnut panels and decorated entirely with deep carving with round surfaces, double-level carving and bevelling.","Walnut"]},"ff274184-f67a-583f-9714-b7a7b2f69739":{"name":"Wardrobe","description":"The massive body of this single-piece wardrobe – veneered, part carved, inlaid and gilded – closes with double doors. Each door has two central, shaped panels with mouldings and inlaid vegetal motifs. The doors –flanked by turned pillars – are supported on carved scrolls in darker wood. The wardrobe stands claw and ball feet, its base decorated with applied carved acanthus leaves, also in darker wood. The richly moulded cornice projections have a square crest above them topped by a fir cone, with facing carved scrolls of acanthus leaves in darker wood.  \nThe wardrobe, typical of the massive single-piece Baroque clothes presses of south German provenance, furnished the manor of the Counts Drašković from Bisag.","short_description":"The design of this massive wardrobe with two inlaid-panel doors, twisted pillars and a carved crest is typical of late 17th-, early 18th-century south German production. The wardrobe furnished Bisag Manor in Hrvatsko prigorje, owned by a branch of the Counts Drašković. Jelisaveta Drašković, a descendant of this family that played a very important role in Croatian history, sold the wardrobe to the museum.  \nThe Germanisches Nationalmuseum in Nuremberg has an identical wardrobe.","type":"Furniture","holder":"Museum of Arts and Crafts","initial_owner":"Drašković family","dates":"About 1700","location":"Zagreb, North-West Croatia","dimensions":"H: 214 cm; w: 190 cm; d: 65 cm","place_of_production":"Southern Germany","method_for_datation":"From analysis of style and comparison with other examples in the available literature.","provenance":"Drašković family of Bisag Manor near Komin","obtention":"Purchased in 1935 from Jelisaveta Drašković (see above).","bibliography":"Kružić-Uchytil V., *Barokni namještaj iz fundusa MUO* (Baroque Furniture in the MUO Holdings), Zagreb, 1985","author":"Nela Tarbuk","translator":"Nikolina Jovanović","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["carving","furnishing","inlay","turned wood","vegetal decoration","wood carving"],"materials":["Veneered, carved and turned walnut wood with inlay and \"poker work\" drawing"]}}