Day 156 - Minbar door
June 3, 2019
Gallery 450 introduces the 15 galleries devoted to the art of the Islamic world. The gallery's contents include works in multiple media: ceramics, glass, carpets, wood carvings, and paper. One takeaway is the supremacy of the Qu'ran, whose words are incorporated into many of the objects. It turns out that some of my thoughts about important considerations in visiting the galleries that I raised in my last entry- particularly the influence of local cultures and artistic traditions expressed within a unified belief system- were very much on target. On the other hand, contrary to my speculations, I learn that calligraphy also evolved over time and in different locations.
The first work I look at is a beautiful silver pectoral ornament embellished with lots of dangling pendants and inset with large carnelians. It's from a tribal area, probably Turkmenistan, and undated; you can imagine women wearing such ornaments today for dress-up occasions. There's also an impressive carpet from 16th century Iran, probably Kashan. Against a deep red background, animals and flowers are woven in blue, beige, and green; long-tailed birds adorn a border. It's a bit unnerving, though, to see that many of the animals are depicted in combat, with large cats attacking their writhing victims. I don't think I would want this on my floor or wall!
Today's work is a set of doors that would have been placed in front of stairs leading up to the minbar, or raised pulpit, in a mosque. Perhaps 8 feet tall and 4 feet wide, the doors were made in Cairo around 1325-1330, during the Mamluk period, and are thought to have come from a mosque constructed around that time. A deep, rich rosewood predominates, along with mulberry wood. The wood has been carved and then inlaid with ivory, ebony, and other woods. The inlays take a variety of geometric forms, from irregular pentagons and trapezoids to 5- and 12-pointed stars. They are arranged perfectly symmetrically around the door's opening, but the variety is such that they are never boring. The ivory is delicately carved, with openwork and swirling vegetal motifs.
The first work I look at is a beautiful silver pectoral ornament embellished with lots of dangling pendants and inset with large carnelians. It's from a tribal area, probably Turkmenistan, and undated; you can imagine women wearing such ornaments today for dress-up occasions. There's also an impressive carpet from 16th century Iran, probably Kashan. Against a deep red background, animals and flowers are woven in blue, beige, and green; long-tailed birds adorn a border. It's a bit unnerving, though, to see that many of the animals are depicted in combat, with large cats attacking their writhing victims. I don't think I would want this on my floor or wall!
Today's work is a set of doors that would have been placed in front of stairs leading up to the minbar, or raised pulpit, in a mosque. Perhaps 8 feet tall and 4 feet wide, the doors were made in Cairo around 1325-1330, during the Mamluk period, and are thought to have come from a mosque constructed around that time. A deep, rich rosewood predominates, along with mulberry wood. The wood has been carved and then inlaid with ivory, ebony, and other woods. The inlays take a variety of geometric forms, from irregular pentagons and trapezoids to 5- and 12-pointed stars. They are arranged perfectly symmetrically around the door's opening, but the variety is such that they are never boring. The ivory is delicately carved, with openwork and swirling vegetal motifs.
I wonder whether Maimonides would have seen similar doors when he went to Cairo. But when I check his dates, I see that he lived a century and a half earlier.
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