Corner Stone
1872-1879 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Plaster cast of a corner element decorated with arabesque ornament, from above the column to the left of the portal, at the main entrance to the Mosque-Madrasa complex of Sultan Hasan, Cairo, built 1356-63.
Plaster casts from a variety of historic monuments across Cairo were made to decorate the ‘maison arabe’ of the French aristocrat, the Comte Gaston de St Maurice (1831-1905), which was built for him between 1872 and 1879. The most popular ornament seems to have come from the buildings constructed during the reign of Sultan Qa’itbay (r.1468-96), however the impressive Mosque-Madrasa complex of Sultan Hasan was the next most represented building among St Maurice's cast collection.
St Maurice lived in Cairo for twenty years, serving as equerry to the Khedive (Ottoman governor) of Egypt. During that period, he accumulated a large collection of historic objects from Islamic Egypt, dating especially from the 14th-16th centuries but also including some 19th-century objects. The V&A acquired about 200 objects from St Maurice collection in 1884.
Plaster casts from a variety of historic monuments across Cairo were made to decorate the ‘maison arabe’ of the French aristocrat, the Comte Gaston de St Maurice (1831-1905), which was built for him between 1872 and 1879. The most popular ornament seems to have come from the buildings constructed during the reign of Sultan Qa’itbay (r.1468-96), however the impressive Mosque-Madrasa complex of Sultan Hasan was the next most represented building among St Maurice's cast collection.
St Maurice lived in Cairo for twenty years, serving as equerry to the Khedive (Ottoman governor) of Egypt. During that period, he accumulated a large collection of historic objects from Islamic Egypt, dating especially from the 14th-16th centuries but also including some 19th-century objects. The V&A acquired about 200 objects from St Maurice collection in 1884.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Plaster cast with patina |
| Brief description | Plaster cast of corner ornament from the portal of the Mosque-Madrasa complex of Sultan Hasan, Cairo, built 1356-63. |
| Physical description | Plaster cast made from locally available Egyptian building plaster, which has a pinkish tone. The surface has been patinated with a grey pigment and where this is flaking the pink colour of the material is showing through. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Object history | Bought from the collection of Gaston de Saint-Maurice (1831-1905) in 1884. Saint-Maurice displayed his extensive art collection at the 1878 Paris exhibition, in a gallery entitled L'Egypte des Khalifes. This was part of an official sequence of displays celebrating the history of Egypt, presented by the Egyptian state at this international event. Saint-Maurice held a position at the Khedival court, and had lived in Cairo in 1868-1878. Following the exhibition, Saint-Maurice offered his collection for sale to the South Kensington Museum (today the V&A). |
| Historical context | This object was copied in the Museum and given the number Repro.1884-824. This reproduction was recorded as being on loan to the Royal Scottish Museum according to nominal file (12/12/21). |
| Associations | |
| Summary | Plaster cast of a corner element decorated with arabesque ornament, from above the column to the left of the portal, at the main entrance to the Mosque-Madrasa complex of Sultan Hasan, Cairo, built 1356-63. Plaster casts from a variety of historic monuments across Cairo were made to decorate the ‘maison arabe’ of the French aristocrat, the Comte Gaston de St Maurice (1831-1905), which was built for him between 1872 and 1879. The most popular ornament seems to have come from the buildings constructed during the reign of Sultan Qa’itbay (r.1468-96), however the impressive Mosque-Madrasa complex of Sultan Hasan was the next most represented building among St Maurice's cast collection. St Maurice lived in Cairo for twenty years, serving as equerry to the Khedive (Ottoman governor) of Egypt. During that period, he accumulated a large collection of historic objects from Islamic Egypt, dating especially from the 14th-16th centuries but also including some 19th-century objects. The V&A acquired about 200 objects from St Maurice collection in 1884. |
| Associated object | |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | 1036-1884 |
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| Record created | July 30, 2008 |
| Record URL |
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