Capital
ca. 950-975 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This capital would have formed the head or top part of a column. It comes from the palace complex of Madinat al-Zahra near Córdoba in southern Spain. The complex was founded in 936 by a member of the Umayyad dynasty of Spain.
It shows the powerful influence of the architecture of classical antiquity on early Islamic art. The capital has a ‘composite’ form that is entirely Roman, except for the inscription in Arabic along the top edge.
The form and decoration of column capitals in Islamic Spain soon evolved away from their classical roots. They developed much more recognisably Islamic characteristics including increasingly abstract vegetal motifs.
It shows the powerful influence of the architecture of classical antiquity on early Islamic art. The capital has a ‘composite’ form that is entirely Roman, except for the inscription in Arabic along the top edge.
The form and decoration of column capitals in Islamic Spain soon evolved away from their classical roots. They developed much more recognisably Islamic characteristics including increasingly abstract vegetal motifs.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Carved marble |
| Brief description | Marble capital with part of a Kufic inscription, Spain (Córdoba), ca. 950-75. |
| Physical description | Marble capital with part of a Kufic inscription. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Marks and inscriptions | (Inscribed in Arabic along top edge.) |
| Gallery label |
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| Credit line | Given by Dr W. L. Hildburgh FSA |
| Summary | This capital would have formed the head or top part of a column. It comes from the palace complex of Madinat al-Zahra near Córdoba in southern Spain. The complex was founded in 936 by a member of the Umayyad dynasty of Spain. It shows the powerful influence of the architecture of classical antiquity on early Islamic art. The capital has a ‘composite’ form that is entirely Roman, except for the inscription in Arabic along the top edge. The form and decoration of column capitals in Islamic Spain soon evolved away from their classical roots. They developed much more recognisably Islamic characteristics including increasingly abstract vegetal motifs. |
| Associated object | |
| Bibliographic reference | Mariam Rosser-Owen, Islamic Arts from Spain, London, 2010, p.24. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | A.10-1922 |
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| Record created | December 2, 2003 |
| Record URL |
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