Plaque
mid 11th century (made), 13th century (altered)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Small carved ivory plaque which would once have formed the front wall of a casket. It features decoration of an upside-down heart-shaped palmette which forms the base of a tree, whose branches develop into scrolling roundels inhabited by symmetrically-placed gazelles (on the bottom) and birds (at the centre), with a crown of leaves at the top. The animals hold plant shoots in their mouths, which is a characteristic of ivories produced under the patronage of the taifa rulers of Toledo, as is the heart-shaped palmette. The style of the carving is very similar to that on the 'Palencia casket', which is now in the Museo Arqueológico Nacional (Madrid). This was signed by the craftsman, 'Abd al-Rahman ibn Zayyan, and dated 441 AH / 1049-50 AD. The centre of production was at Cuenca, a small town near Toledo, as we know from the inscriptions on other extant ivories from this workshop.
The small rectangular box near the top of the plaque would originally have been left uncarved, and the casket's lockplate would have been attached here. However, this plain area of ivory was recarved at a later date, probably in the 13th century, to bear the bust of an angel giving a blessing. This speaks of the survival of this object, which must have found its way into the Treasury of some Cathedral in Northern Spain. This was the means of preservation of many ivory caskets made in Al-Andalus, and several were 'restored' by having missing sections replaced by enamel plaques.
The small rectangular box near the top of the plaque would originally have been left uncarved, and the casket's lockplate would have been attached here. However, this plain area of ivory was recarved at a later date, probably in the 13th century, to bear the bust of an angel giving a blessing. This speaks of the survival of this object, which must have found its way into the Treasury of some Cathedral in Northern Spain. This was the means of preservation of many ivory caskets made in Al-Andalus, and several were 'restored' by having missing sections replaced by enamel plaques.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Carved ivory |
| Brief description | Sculpture; Carved ivory plaque from a casket. Spain (probably Cuenca, nr. Toledo), mid 11th century. The ivory is probably from the workshop of 'Abd al-Rahman ibn Zayyan, whose signature is found on the 'Palencia casket', made at Cuenca in 441 AH / 1049-50 AD, now in the Museo Arqueológico Nacional (Madrid). The inset angel was carved later, probably in the 13th century. [Case numbering changed from 1 to 48 to be consistent with Ceramics Dept 30/4/97]; Ivory Hispano-arabic (cuenca) ah 441 (ad 1049-50) |
| Physical description | Small carved ivory plaque which would once have formed the front wall of a casket. It features decoration of an upside-down heart-shaped palmette which forms the base of a tree, whose branches develop into scrolling roundels inhabited by symmetrically-placed gazelles (on the bottom) and birds (at the centre), with a crown of leaves at the top. The animals hold plant shoots in their mouths, which is a characteristic of ivories produced under the patronage of the taifa rulers of Toledo, as is the heart-shaped palmette. The style of the carving is very similar to that on the 'Palencia casket', which is now in the Museo Arqueológico Nacional (Madrid). This was signed by the craftsman, 'Abd al-Rahman ibn Zayyan, and dated 441 AH / 1049-50 AD. The centre of production was at Cuenca, a small town near Toledo, as we know from the inscriptions on other extant ivories from this workshop. The small rectangular box near the top of the plaque would originally have been left uncarved, and the casket's lockplate would have been attached here. However, this plain area of ivory was recarved at a later date, probably in the 13th century, to bear the bust of an angel giving a blessing. This speaks of the survival of this object, which must have found its way into the Treasury of some Cathedral in Northern Spain. This was the means of preservation of many ivory caskets made in Al-Andalus, and several were 'restored' by having missing sections replaced by enamel plaques. |
| Styles | |
| Gallery label | PLAQUE FROM A CASKET
Ivory
HISPANO-ARABIC (CUENCA); middle of the 11th century.
The ivory is probably from the workshop of Abd er-Rahman ibn Zeyan whose signature at Cuenca and the date 441 A.D./1049-50 A.D. is on a casket from the Cathedral of Palencia, now in the Museo Arqueologico Nacional, Madrid. The Angle, inset, is of later date.(Used until 11/2003) |
| Production | This plaque is very similar in style to the objects made in the workshop of 'Abd al-Rahman ibn Zayyan, whose signature is found on the 'Palencia casket', made at Cuenca in 441 AH / 1049-50 AD, now in the Museo Arqueológico Nacional (Madrid). |
| Summary | Small carved ivory plaque which would once have formed the front wall of a casket. It features decoration of an upside-down heart-shaped palmette which forms the base of a tree, whose branches develop into scrolling roundels inhabited by symmetrically-placed gazelles (on the bottom) and birds (at the centre), with a crown of leaves at the top. The animals hold plant shoots in their mouths, which is a characteristic of ivories produced under the patronage of the taifa rulers of Toledo, as is the heart-shaped palmette. The style of the carving is very similar to that on the 'Palencia casket', which is now in the Museo Arqueológico Nacional (Madrid). This was signed by the craftsman, 'Abd al-Rahman ibn Zayyan, and dated 441 AH / 1049-50 AD. The centre of production was at Cuenca, a small town near Toledo, as we know from the inscriptions on other extant ivories from this workshop. The small rectangular box near the top of the plaque would originally have been left uncarved, and the casket's lockplate would have been attached here. However, this plain area of ivory was recarved at a later date, probably in the 13th century, to bear the bust of an angel giving a blessing. This speaks of the survival of this object, which must have found its way into the Treasury of some Cathedral in Northern Spain. This was the means of preservation of many ivory caskets made in Al-Andalus, and several were 'restored' by having missing sections replaced by enamel plaques. |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | 4075-1857 |
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| Record created | September 30, 2003 |
| Record URL |
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