This eight-pointed star-shaped woodcarving was likely part of the paneling of a minbar (raised pulpit in a mosque). It depicts a building representing a domed mosque. The Arabic calligraphy repeats one of the most common verses from the Qur’an, Ayat al-kursi (The Throne), which speaks of God’s omniscience and provides divine protection to those who recite it. The verse runs around the building from right to left and ends in the center, incorporated into the depiction of a mihrab (the niche in every mosque that directs Muslim prayer toward the holy city of Mecca). Just above the mihrab are invocations to the Prophet Mohammad and Ali, his son-in-law. Dense flowering vines fill all other space within the star.
While depictions of people and animals do appear in Islamic art, such as in the context of palaces, they are not permitted inside the most sacred part of holy buildings. Such structures instead use calligraphy combined with geometric patterns, vegetation, and images of sacred architecture as ornament.
Wood
10 1/2 x 10 1/2 x 1 1/4 in. (26.67 x 26.67 x 3.18 cm)
Gift of Nasli M. Heeramaneck
55.163
Now on view at the
Asian Art Museum
Resources
Exhibition HistorySeattle, Washington, Seattle Asian Art Museum, Boundless: Stories of Asian Art, Feb. 8, 2020 - ongoing [on view beginning Dec. 10, 2021].
Published ReferencesThe Art Quarterly, Spring 1956, p. 72
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