Nine stucco figures and one fragment from Iran

This article outlines the tradition of Islamic figural sculpture from the early 8 th c. to 1300, citing both surviving examples and the record of those many examples that no longer survive from areas as diverse as Syria-Palestine, Iraq, N. Africa, Afghanistan, Iran, Andalusia and Anatolia, in relief and in the round, figurines and larger sculptures in a variety of materials. Attention is drawn to the 'statue of the lancer figure' that was placed on top of al-Qubbah al-Khadra, the hall of audience of the Caliph, Abu Ja'far al Mansur, in Bagdad and which remained in-situ until 941 and which was recorded by Ibrahim b. 'Ali al-Khutabi in the 10 th c. as, 'the crown of Bagdad, a guidepost for the region and one of the great achievements of the Abbasids'. A clearly visible landmark sculpture and a Caliphal model for Islamic rulers in the use in public, as well as in private spaces, of sculpture. Özet: Bu makale, erken VIII. yüzyıldan XII. yüzyılın sonlarına değin İslami figüratif heykeltıraşlık geleneğini antik kaynaklar ışığında inceleyerek, Suriye-Filistin, Irak, Kuzey Afrika, Afganistan, İran, Endülüs ve Anadolu gibi farklı coğrafyalardan günümüze ulaşabilmeyi başaran ya da kayıtlara geçen örnekler ışığında ele almaktadır. Özellikle Bağdat'ta halife Abu Ja-far al Mansur'un kabul salonunu örten al-Qubbah al Khadra'nın (Yeşil Kubbe) tepesine konuşlandırılan ve X. yüzyılda yaşayan İbrahim bin Ali al-Khutabi tarafından " Bağdat'ın tacı, bölgenin sembolü ve Abbasilerin gerçekleştirdiği en önemli eserlerden biri " olarak kabul edilen 'atlı mızraklı süvari' 941 yılına kadar yerinde in-situ şeklinde durmuştur. Bu yönüyle İslami yöneticilerin halife örneğinde de izlenebildiği üzere, kamu alanlarında olduğu kadar özel alanlarda da halk tarafından görülebilen nirengi noktalarında heykellerinin yer aldığı iddia edilmektedir. Anahtar Kelimeler: Erken İslamik Heykeller, Kabartmalar, Abbasi haraketli heykelleri

AUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND ASSOCIATION FOR MEDIEVAL AND EARLY MODERN STUDIES, BIENNIAL CONFERENCE 8 – 11 February 2024, 2024

This article draws upon research conducted in the Jericho region especially Khirbat al-Mafjar, analyze and discuss the local architecture related to the stucco technique of this palace. Islamic art and architecture in the region are largely unknown yet to the international scientific community due to a turbulent history, especially in the 20th century. However, as a monster, this desert palace and related Islamic decorative art draws inspiration from different traditions: Greco-Roman, Near Eastern, Christian and Sasanian iconography. Figurative art in the Islamic world exists despite condemnation by jurists; one of the favored areas is manuscript decoration, but in the field of architecture it remains marginal. Moreover, when one tries to trace a connection between figurative presences in Islamic architecture, often they appear relatively independent aesthetically, thematically and functionally. Major archaeological discoveries of buildings from the Umayyad period, such as Qasr-Amra, Khirbat al-Mafjar, Qasr al-Hayr West have brought to light astonishing evidence of architectural decoration of a figurative nature. Themes with zoomorphic and anthropomorphic elements are depicted in these monuments, but they are the exception rather than the rule.Today, the palace of Khirbat al-Mafjar is unique in its variety of architectural forms and decorations - a heritage of stucco technique.

Many people have contributed to this work in a variety of ways. I would like to thank in particular: David Stronach for his unfailing and affectionate support, his detailed readings of my manuscript, and his insightful comments. He will remain for me a model of intellectual modesty, rigour and insight. Finbarr Barry Flood and Jocelyne Dakhlia for their minute reading of the manuscript, and insightful and enriching remarks.

A Companion to Islamic art and Architecture 2, 2017

These invigorating reference volumes chart the influence of key ideas, discourses, and theories on art, and the way that it is taught, thought of, and talked about throughout the English-speaking world. Each volume brings together a team of respected international scholars to debate the state of research within traditional subfields of art history as well as in more innovative, thematic configurations. Representing the best of the scholarship governing the field and pointing toward future trends and across disciplines, the Wiley Blackwell Companions to Art History series provides a magisterial, state-of-the-art synthesis of art history.

Beiträge zur Islamischen Kunst und Archäologie 8, 2022

These invigorating reference volumes chart the influence of key ideas, discourses, and theories on art, and the way that it is taught, thought of, and talked about throughout the English-speaking world. Each volume brings together a team of respected international scholars to debate the state of research within traditional subfields of art history as well as in more innovative, thematic configurations. Representing the best of the scholarship governing the field and pointing toward future trends and across disciplines, the Wiley Blackwell Companions to Art History series provides a magisterial, state-of-the-art synthesis of art history.

Journal of the American Academy of Religion, 2006