Harvard Art Museums > 2008.130.1-4: The Mystery of Supplication Architectural Elements Collections Search Exit Deep Zoom Mode Add to Collection Copy Link Copy Citation Citation"The Mystery of Supplication (Wasma'a Chorbachi) , 2008.130.1-4,” Harvard Art Museums collections online, Apr 20, 2024, https://hvrd.art/o/332162. Identification and Creation Object Number 2008.130.1-4 People Wasma'a Chorbachi (Cairo, Egypt 1944 -) Title The Mystery of Supplication Classification Architectural Elements Work Type architectural element Date 2001 Culture Iraqi Persistent Link https://hvrd.art/o/332162 Physical Descriptions Medium T1 stoneware with incised and pressed decoration, gloss glazes, medium range electric firing to cone 7-8 Acquisition and Rights Credit Line Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Gift in memory of Annemarie Schimmel and Arthur L. Loeb Copyright © Wasma Accession Year 2008 Object Number 2008.130.1-4 Division Asian and Mediterranean Art Contact am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu Permissions The Harvard Art Museums encourage the use of images found on this website for personal, noncommercial use, including educational and scholarly purposes. To request a higher resolution file of this image, please submit an online request. Descriptions Description "The Mystery of Supplication" is a set of eight modular tiles by the artist Wasma'a Chorbachi, coming to Harvard in two groups of four (2006.195.1-4 and 2008.130.1-4). The tiles can be arranged in any number of ways to create a composition that combines a graceful arabesque with an inscription. The inscription reproduces the Muslim profession of faith, followed by formulaic praise. Written in a fluid and inventive thuluth script, the inscription translates as: "There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is the messenger of God. May his glory be glorified." Commentary The tiles in this composition are the work of the Iraqi-American artist, Wasma'a Chorbachi, whose work can also be found in the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, the British Museum, the National Museum of Scotland (Edinburgh), the Beit al-Qur'an (Bahrain) and in public buildings and private collections in the US, Europe, and the Middle East. Chorbachi's work reflects her extensive knowledge of Islamic art history and mathematics (she gained her PhD at Harvard ca. 1981) and ceramics. For many years, Chorbachi has taught in the ceramics studio of the Harvard Office of the Arts, and is currently teaching a course at MIT on mathematical systems in Islamic art. With this series of tiles, the artist has developed a style for integrating script and vegetation and for exploring the synthesis between the two. In this particular modular series, the words, which initially dominate the tiles, gradually interlace with vegetal designs and geometric forms, permeating and eventually merging with this representation universe. According to the artist, the words of the Muslim profession of faith "go out into the world." --Mary McWilliams, 2008 Verification Level This record was created from historic documentation and may not have been reviewed by a curator; it may be inaccurate or 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
