***Note to peer reviewer: This sandbox contains additions to the existing Wikipedia article: Ivory carving
Ivory held large significance in the Islamic world, especially in the regions of Cordoba, Spain. The ivory caskets found on the Iberian Peninsula were likely constructed in the workshops of Madinat al-Zahra, a Umayyad palace in Cordoba.[1] The containers were intricately carved, with motifs of hunting scenes, floral patterns, geometrical designs, and Kufic script. The Umayyads were one of the first Islamic dynasties to promote Islam through art, architecture, and political authority. Although primarily present in the Arabian peninsula, Cordoba, Spain, served as a prominent landmark for the Eastern spread of Islam under the Umayyad caliphate.[2] One of the most substantial buildings constructed during Umayyad presence in Spain was Madinat al-Zahra, a palace-suburb in the city of Cordoba.[3] The palace was the center of administrative and political rule. Like other Islamic buildings of the 10th century, the art and architecture surrounding the palace reflected the insertion of Islam into society.
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Objects produced in courtly settings were made for elite political and religious figures, often proclaiming the endurance of the caliphate at that time.[4] Pyxis of al-Mughira depicts these themes, utilizing symbolic imagery of lions, hunting, and abundant vegetal ornaments. This Pyxis is heavily detailed and completely covered in decoration. Like the bands of text along the top of the container, the imagery is meant to be perceived from right to left, containing various scenes that complete a unified display.[1] The use of symbolism was successful in these works because instead of celebrating one specific caliph, the figures and animals are reminiscent of the prevalence of Islam as a whole.[5] Lions were a common symbol of success, power, and monarchy. Additionally, vegetal and floral imagery displayed abundance, and in the context of many ivory carvings, fertility and femininity.[1] Women of the court were often the recipients of these ivory containers, for weddings or ceremonies. The containers were used to hold jewelry or perfumes, thus embodying an intimate environment for the container, the owner, and the contents. The delicate character of the ivory was utilized to create a relationship between the object and the woman it was created for. Many containers also included poetic phrases that activated the object, calling attention to its visual characteristics. In one Pyxis of Zamora (pictured), the inscription reads, "The sight I offer is of the fairest, the firm breast of a delicate maiden. Beauty has invested me with splendid raiment that makes a display of jewels. I am a receptacle for musk, camphor, and ambergris." [1]
- ^ a b c d Prado-Vilar, Francisco (1997). "Circular Visions of Fertility and Punishment: Caliphal Ivory Caskets from al-Andalus". Muqarnas. 14: 19. doi:10.2307/1523234.
- ^ Umayyad legacies : medieval memories from Syria to Spain. Borrut, Antoine., Cobb, Paul M., 1967-. Leiden: Brill. 2010. ISBN 978-90-04-19098-6. OCLC 695982122.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link) - ^ The Grove encyclopedia of Islamic art and architecture. Bloom, Jonathan (Jonathan M.), Blair, Sheila. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 2009. ISBN 0-19-530991-X. OCLC 232605788.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link) - ^ Department of Islamic Art. “The Art of the Umayyad Period in Spain (711–1031).” In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/sumay/hd_sumay.htm (October 2001)
- ^ Meisami, Julie Scott, 1937-. Medieval Persian court poetry. Princeton, New Jersey. ISBN 978-1-4008-5878-1. OCLC 889252264.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)