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In the Marinid period (c. 1244–1465), the walls of wealthy homes, hostelries, and theological schools in Morocco were often ornamented with revetments of tile and stucco and with monumental, intricately carved wood panels. A prosperous dynasty of Berber origin, the Marinids were energetic defenders of Islam in the western Mediterranean while Muslim and Christian powers were contesting over the Iberian Peninsula. Marinid architectural decoration is connected to the arts of Islamic Spain in its complexity, combination of media, and use of motifs such as polylobed arches.

The convolutions and repetitions of this panel’s carving capture and hold the eye. An inscription in angular script permeates the pattern, filling but also slipping through the contours of the large arch. It is based on a single Arabic word, yumn, written forward and backward. This popular invocation, suggesting prosperity or good fortune, appears in a wide range of media, including ceramics from Uzbekistan and Iran in the nearby case.

Identification and Creation

Object Number
2012.5
Title
Lintel
Classification
Architectural Elements
Work Type
architectural element
Date
Early to mid 14th century
Places
Creation Place: Africa, Morocco, Fez
Period
Marinid period
Culture
Islamic
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/339972

Location

Location
Level 2, Room 2550, Art from Islamic Lands, The Middle East and North Africa
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Physical Descriptions

Medium
Wood
Technique
Carved
Dimensions
47.6 x 522 x 12.7 cm (18 3/4 x 205 1/2 x 5 in.)

Provenance

Recorded Ownership History
Family of Valerie Colin, Belgium (1940s-2010), sold; [Ariadne Galleries, New York] (2010-2012), sold; to the Harvard Art Museums, 2012.

Footnotes:
Valerie Colin, Notarized statement of ownership, 4 June 2008
Valerie Colin, Notarized statement of ownership, 4 April 2011

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Eric Schroeder Fund
Accession Year
2012
Object Number
2012.5
Division
Asian and Mediterranean Art
Contact
am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
Permissions

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Descriptions

Description
This monumental wooden panel is carved in bold relief with a pattern that repeats small and large lobed arches, an ornamental inscription, scalloped palmette, and a network of split-leaf scrolls on multiple levels. The larger lobed arch encloses a Kufic inscription in mirror repeat in which the ascenders are plaited at the axis of repeat and the extension of the final letter (nun) breaks out of the arch, to terminate at the upper border in a foliate motif. The inscription is a decorative formula based on the Arabic word for prosperity (al-yumn). The decorative frieze is topped by a narrow border consisting of a band of quatrefoils. The panel is made up of four distinct timber sections, joined top and bottom, and left and right. The panel served as an architectural element. Although the wood has been carbon-dated to the 12th -13th century, the closest parallels so far can be found in the wooden lintels preserved in madrasas built during the Marinid period in Morocco, that is, early 14th century. The lintels appear in the façade of the courtyard of these madrasas, where they span the openings of the arches on the ground floor.

Exhibition History

  • 32Q: 2550 Islamic, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 11/16/2014 - 01/01/2050

Verification Level

This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of Asian and Mediterranean Art at am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu