Triangular Plaque
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.Al-Fudayn, an Umayyad residence located on trade routes joining cities such as Gerasa (Jerash) with the Arabian Peninsula, belonged to the exceptionally wealthy great grandson of the third Orthodox caliph ‘Uthman ibin ‘Afan. It was destroyed in the early ninth century, when a subsequent owner opposed the Abbasids. These luxury goods were found together and were perhaps hidden at that time.
A camel with her calf and a palm tree in front of an arch with a hanging lamp decorate this plaque. Similar arches become a visual symbol of the "Sura of Light," which compares the light of God to the light of a lamp in a niche.
A camel with her calf and a palm tree in front of an arch with a hanging lamp decorate this plaque. Similar arches become a visual symbol of the "Sura of Light," which compares the light of God to the light of a lamp in a niche.
Artwork Details
- Title: Triangular Plaque
- Date: 8th century
- Geography: Made in Eastern Mediterranean, excavated at al-Fudayn (Mafraq), Jordan
- Medium: Ivory, incised
- Dimensions: Overall: 11 x 2 3/4 in. (28 x 7 cm)
- Classification: Ivories
- Credit Line: Jordan Archaeological Museum, Amman (J.15709)
- Curatorial Department: Medieval Art and The Cloisters