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Artwork Details
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Title:Tombstone
Date:10th–11th century
Geography:Attributed to Egypt
Medium:Granite, greyish; engraved on one side in Kufic script
Dimensions:H. 25 3/16 in. (63.5 cm) W. 15 3/4 in. (39.7 cm) D. 1 9/16 in. (3.8 cm)
Classification:Stone
Credit Line:Fletcher Fund, 1975
Object Number:1975.350.2
Tombstone
No script has given rise to so many or so varied calligraphic styles as the Arabic. And even without the testimony of the sixteenth–seventeenth-century writer Qadi Ahmad, it could be asserted that in some periods, most notably the ninth century, calligraphy truly was the greatest of arts, practiced by the best artists of the age. One of the greatest bodies of work left behind by ninth-century calligraphers is that of tombstones, the largest and finest collection of which is in the Museum of Islamic Art, Cairo.
Although the hardness of the stone has discouraged neat external shaping by the mason, the calligraphy itself here is of a marked style, respectably designed.The text begins (after the basmala) with Koran 3:18: "God bears witness that there is no god but He and [so do] the angels and those possessed of knowledge, the upright; there is no God but He, the Mighty, the Wise." and continues, "This is the grave of 'Uthman [i]bn Ya'qub, may God be merciful to him and.....Muhammad, may God bless him and his people and grant them peace.....people of the world." Although this stone bears no date, it can be placed in the ninth century by stylistic comparison with the extensive series in the Museum of Islamic Art, Cairo, referred to above.
Michael Keene in [Berlin 1981]
Tombstone
This tombstone is irregularly shaped because a slab of natural stone was used with no attempt to give it a square, more refined, form. No section of the text is missing, thus confirming that the granite slab was engraved in its original shape and that it is not fragmentary. The text was chiselled but is very shallow and is barely legible at times because of the lack of contrast against the background. The script is a bold, rather schematic and essential Kufic. The text, written on eleven lines, can be translated as follows (toward the end it is almost illegible): "In the name of God / the Clement the Merciful / God bears witness that there is no deity but / He and [so do] the angels and those possessed / by knowledge maintaining justice. There is no God but He, / the Mighty, the Wise. This is the tomb of / 'Uthman ibn Ya'qub, the mercy of / God be upon him and [may God] make him follow the sunna of Muhammad, may God bless / him and his family and grant [them] peace. / Oh God forgive me (?) along with [him who] follows / ...(?) the sunna of the worldly people." The first part of the text is a citation from Qur'an III:17. After the name of the deceased, who is impossible to identify, we are informed that he is a follower of the sunna, i.e. of the orthodox Islamic doctrine. Unfortunately, no date is given in the inscription, however this style of script together with comparable tombstones in the Museum of Islamic Art in Cairo makes it likely that this 'Uthman ibn Ya'qub died in Egypt in the 8th or 9th century.
Stefano Carboni in [Walker et al. 1994]'
Inscription: Engraved on one side: In the name of God / the Clement the Merciful / God bears witness that there is no deity but / He and [so do] the angels and those possessed / by knowledge maintaining justice. There is no God but He, / the Mighty, the Wise. This is the tomb of / 'Uthman ibn Ya'qub, the mercy of / God be upon him and [may God] make him follow the sunna of Muhammad, may God bless / him and his family and grant [them] peace. / Oh God forgive me (?) along with [him who] follows / ...(?) the sunna of the worldly people. (Stefano Carboni in [Walker et al 1994])
The text begins (after the basmala) with Koran 3:18: God bears witness that there is no god but / He and [so do] the angels and those possessed / of knowledge, the upright; there is no God but He, / the Mighty, the Wise. This is the grave of / 'Uthman [i]bn Ya'qub, may / God be merciful to him and.....Muhammad, may God bless / him and his people and grant them peace /.....people of the world. (Manuel Keene in [Berlin 1981])
sale, Parke-Bernet Galleries, New York, November 19, 1975, no. 233 (to MMA)
Mexico City. Colegio de San Ildefonso. "Arte Islámico del Museo Metropolitano de Arte de Nueva York," September 30, 1994–January 8, 1995, no. 89.
"Masterpieces from The Metropolitan Museum of Art New York." In The Arts of Islam. Berlin, 1981. no. 13, pp. 52–53, ill. (b/w).
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Daniel S. Walker, Arturo Ponce Guadián, Sussan Babaie, Stefano Carboni, Aimee Froom, Marie Lukens Swietochowski, Tomoko Masuya, Annie Christine Daskalakis-Matthews, Abdallah Kahli, and Rochelle Kessler. "Colegio de San Ildefonso, Septiembre de 1994–Enero de 1995." In Arte Islámico del Museo Metropolitano de Arte de Nueva York. Mexico City: Consejo Nacional para la Cultura y las Artes, 1994. no. 89, pp. 222–23, ill. (b/w).
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