Basin of King Bâdis

This basin was allegedly brought to Granada during the Zirides era (in the eleventh century) by King Bâdis of the Taifas, perhaps to embellish the Old Fortress, after which it appears to have been taken to the Alhambra fortress. It apparently remained for some time in a corner of the entrance to the living quarters.

It may originally have been placed in the centre of a patio, with pipes added to run water through it. Its frequent removal has produced cracks in the basin and made it fragile.

Rectangular in shape, the basin was carved from a block of white marble, and sculpted on all four sides. Various animals are depicted, and the two main panels show lions in a hunting scene gripping stags or gazelles by the neck; on the side panels are two large eagles with outspread wings, seizing stags. Two small animals, which are difficult to identify, cling to their wings.

An inscription in cursive script, added during subsequent sculpting, adorns one of the main panels. The year 1305 can be made out, which corresponds to the reign of Mohammed III, the Nasrid sultan of Granada. A frieze on the other main panel shows ducks eating fish and frogs. A similar frieze may be seen on another basin in Madrid's National Archaeological Museum[1].

The lion and the eagle undoubtedly represent power and strength. The motifs appeared on various objects in pre-Islamic Mesopotamian and Sassanid cultures[2].

The lion motif is widely used in Islamic art, as on the frieze discovered in the Convent of Chelas near Lisbon, which shows two lions facing each other, believed to date back to the ninth or tenth century. Much later lions appear on the fountain of the Nasrid Alhambra in Granada. Eagles, and notabmly eagles seizing their prey are also depicted on Iranian fabric from the tenth and eleventh centuries, on the ceiling of the Palatine Chapel in Palermo (1140 A.D.) and on sculpted gates from the Seljuk era in Turkey. Lions attacking other animals can be seen on artifacts from the Umayyad Caliph period, such as the pyxis from al-Mughira[3] and the Silos chest[4].

The realistic scenes depicted round the edges of the basin, slightly reminiscent of Nilotic motifs, contrast starkly with the more Hieratic style motifs on the sides.

One of the few of its type surviving in Europe, the basin’s imposing size and rich decoration make it a striking example of the inter-culturality that prevailed between East and West.

The basin’s motifs and craftsmanship are similar to two other pieces from the same period:

      - A basin discovered in the Lista road in Seville[5]

      - The ‘Abd al-Malik basin[6].

All three pieces form a cohesive family.

[2] The motif of a triumphant lion devouring an animal is seen on a drag from Susa dated 5 B.C. (Louvre, Paris - Department of Antiquities, inv. N 8336 /MN 1376). An eagle with outspread wings can be seen on a bitumen cupel, a much older piece from Susa (Louvre, Paris, Department of Antiquities, inv. Sb 364). dated 3000 B.C.

[3] Louvre, Paris, dated 968 A.D.

[4] Museo de Burgos, dated 1026.

[5] Museo Arqueológico Nacional . Madrid.  The inscription indicates that it was made in  987-988 A.D. in Madinat al-Zahra.

[6] Marrakesh, Musée Dar Si Said, made around 1002 A.D..