Facings with figurative decorations

This frame is decorated with people and animals in high relief that stand out from deeply cut vegetal scrolls. These aesthetics, which were widely used during the Fatimid period, are found on ivories and woodwork, such as the panel with protomes of horses in the Museum of Islamic Art in Cairo[1]. From the twelfth century, the ground was sometimes entirely perforated, as is the case in the small ivory plates in the Louvre Museum[2].

The bunches of grapes (or fir cones) and leaves attached to spiralling stems betray the origin of the vegetal motif: the decorative representations of vine branches, which were common during the Roman period, were adopted and gradually stylized by Islamic craftsmen during the Umayyad period[3].

The people and animals are engaged in various activities and are represented in various positions.

On the upper plate are three horsemen with falcons in a hunting scene; the first is mounting his horse; the middle horseman, whose horse is galloping, is preparing to launch his falcon from his left hand; the third horseman, on the far left, is galloping towards the right; in front of him is an animal, probably a rabbit. The plate is ornamented with three other people who are running: one, on the right, is flanked by two dogs, and the other two on the left are taking animals (probably gazelles) to a place where they can drink. The lower plate is ornamented with drinkers and musicians playing an ‘ūd (lute) and a nay (flute).

On the left-hand vertical section (from the bottom up) there’s a representation of a huntsman pointing a spear towards a lion attacking a quadruped, a flute player, a bird (probably a falcon) attacking a gazelle, and a person playing an ‘ūd. On the right-hand section, there are two representations of a falcon attacking a gazelle, separated by a drinker and a man carrying a basket, probably a grape-picker. And, finally, in the upper section, there’s a bearded man holding a rabbit and a falcon.

The iconography, which combines hunting, music, and drinking, is connected with princely pursuits, which are common in Islamic iconography: in Egypt, al-Andalus, the Near East, and in the decorations on the ceiling in the Palatine Chapel in Palermo (Sicily).

The vivacity of the scenes and the naturalism of the representations, which are more characteristic of Fatimid art, are reminiscent of scenes on friezes from the Fatimid palace in Cairo, found in the māristān of Qalā’ûn, a wood panel in the Louvre Museum[4], and other Fatimid ivories. The precise and detailed representations of the clothing have also enabled comparisons to be made with textiles produced in Sicily during the Fatimid period.

[2] Ivory plates, Louvre Museum, Paris, OA 6265 et OA 6266

[3] Decoration on the south facade of the residential palace of Mshatta, Jordan, mid eighth century.

[4] OA 4062