El estilo de este capitel, que se convirtió en un elemento estándar en la arquitectura andalusí durante el califato omeya (929-1031), se basaba en los capiteles de orden compuesto encontrados en diversas ruinas romanas repartidas por España (véase la siguiente ilustración). Aunque los escultores andalusíes respetaron la forma y la composición generales de los ejemplares antiguos, transformaron las hojas de acanto curvadas, los capullos y las volutas de los modelos tradicionales en tallos atenuados y estilizados, hojas más finas y flores geométricas que destacan sobre el marcado relieve del fondo. Una de las cuatro caras del capitel incluye una inscripción que parece identificar a su autor, Khabara.
The style of this capital, which became a standard form in Andalusi architecture during the Umayyad caliphate (929–1031), was based on the Composite order found in Roman-era ruins throughout Spain (illustrated below). Although Andalusi sculptors paid homage to the overall shape and composition of the antique examples, they turned the curly acanthus leaves, blossoms, and volutes of traditional models into stylized, attenuated stalks, slender leaves, and geometric blooms that are accentuated by a deeply excavated background. One of the capital’s four sides includes an inscription that seems to identify its maker: Khabara.
Due to rights restrictions, this image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.
Open Access
As part of the Met's Open Access policy, you can freely copy, modify and distribute this image, even for commercial purposes.
API
Public domain data for this object can also be accessed using the Met's Open Access API.
This artwork is meant to be viewed from right to left. Scroll left to view more.
Artwork Details
Use your arrow keys to navigate the tabs below, and your tab key to choose an item
Title:Capital with Acanthus Leaves
Date:10th century
Geography:(none assigned) Spain, probably Cordoba
Medium:Marble; carved in relief
Dimensions:H. 14 1/2 in. (36.8 cm) W. 13 1/2 in. (34.3 cm) D. 13 1/2 in. (34.3 cm) Wt. 140 lbs. (63.5 kg)
Classification:Sculpture
Credit Line:Theodore M. Davis Collection, Bequest of Theodore M. Davis, 1915
Accession Number:30.95.134
Capital
Masterfully carved, this Corinthian-style capital must have originally decorated a colonnaded hall or courtyard arcade in one of the lavishly embellished palaces erected during the tenth century under the patronage of the Umayyad dynasty in and around Cordoba, its capital. Three crowns of thick, fleshy acanthus leaves, springing from graceful stems with delicate foliage, form its main decorative elements; the curved finials of the leaves have been lost. The effect of the richly carved surface is rendered through the vigorous stems of the plant, which intertwine, branch out, and enclose the leaves and the other foliate motifs. As it fans out onto the surfaces of the corner volutes, the fine foliate spray emphasizes the volume of the capital, the complexity of the design, and the skillfulness of the workmanship. Executed in deep relief, the carving is crisply and distinctly articulated against the background. The name of the craftsman responsible for the carving appears in the partially preserved inscription on a boss at the top and center of one side of the capital.[1]
The harmonious dimensions, refined decoration, carving technique and style, and content and placement of the inscription indicate that the capital was most likely made in the royal workshops for Madinat al-Zahra.[2] This palatial city was begun by the Umayyad caliph ‘Abd al-Rahman III (r. 912–61) in 936 on the outskirts of Cordoba and continued by his son and heir, al-Hakam II (r. 961–76). The palaces of Madinat al-Zahra, their reception halls lavishly adorned with carved and painted stone capitals, arcades, and wall panels—all set within verdant gardens, open courtyards, and reflecting pools—are a testament to the wealth, power, and artistic accomplishments of the Umayyad caliphs at the height of their rule.
Olga Bush in [Ekhtiar, Soucek, Canby, and Haidar 2011]
Footnotes:
1. The inscription could be interpreted as عمل خبرة (made by Khabara), although other readings of the name are possible. Many craftsmen in the royal workshop during the Umayyad caliphate are known by their names, which they inscribed on architectural elements in the royal constructions. For identification of craftsmen who worked on one of the reception halls of Madinat al-Zahra, see Martinez Nunez, Ma[ria] Antonia. "La epigrafia del Salon de ‘Abd al-Rahman III." In Madinat al-Zahra: El Salón de ‘Abd al-Rahman III, editied by Antonio Vallejo Triano, pp. 107–52. Cordoba, 1995.
2. Similar capitals are extant in situ in one of the reception halls at Madinat al-Zahra, as well as in the museum on site. See Cressier, Patrice. "Los capiteles del Salon Rico: Un aspecto del discurso arquitectonico califal." In Madinat al-Zahra: El Salón de ‘Abd al-Rahman III, edited by Antonio Vallejo Triano, pp. 83–106. Cordoba, 1995. Among the examples closest to this capital stylistically are those in the Museo Arqueologico Provincial, Cordoba (no. 28.609), and in the Dar al-Athar al-Islamiyya, al-Sabah Collection, Kuwait City (no. LNS 1 S).
Inscription: On boss at one side of capital in Arabic in cursive script:
عمل خبرة
Made by Khabara[?]
Theodore M. Davis, New York (by 1914–d. 1915; bequeathed to MMA)
New York. The Cloisters, The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Spain, 1000–1200: Art at the Frontiers of Faith," August 30, 2021–January 30, 2022.
Dimand, Maurice S. A Handbook of Muhammadan Art. 2nd rev. and enl. ed. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1944. p. 106, ill. fig. 60 (b/w).
Ekhtiar, Maryam, Priscilla P. Soucek, Sheila R. Canby, and Navina Haidar, ed. Masterpieces from the Department of Islamic Art in The Metropolitan Museum of Art. 1st ed. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2011. no. 40, p. 72, ill. (color).
Perratore, Julia. "Spain 1000–1200." Art at the Frontiers of Faith (2021). p. 13, ill. fig. 12.
Ekhtiar, Maryam, and Claire Moore, ed. "A Resource for Educators." In Art of the Islamic World. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2012. pp. 116–17, ill. pl. 21 (color).
Perratore, Julia. "Art at the Frontiers of Faith." Spain 1000–1200, n. s., vol. 79, no. 2 (Fall 2021). no. 12, p. 13, ill.
The Met's Libraries and Research Centers provide unparalleled resources for research and welcome an international community of students and scholars.
The Met Collection API is where all makers, creators, researchers, and dreamers can connect to the most up-to-date data and public domain images for The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.
The Met's collection of Islamic art is one of the most comprehensive in the world and ranges in date from the seventh to the twenty-first century. Its more than 15,000 objects reflect the great diversity and range of the cultural traditions from Spain to Indonesia.
