 previous article in this issue | next article in this issue  |
Preview first page |
Document Details : Title: Palmyrene Reflections in Ummayyad Visual Culture Author(s): MEINECKE, Katharina Journal: Eastern Christian Art Volume: 14 Date: 2025 Pages: 125-142 DOI: 10.2143/ECA.14.0.3295409 Abstract : Umayyad visual and material culture is characterised by the appropriation of iconographic motifs and forms from various geographical areas within and beyond the Islamic world, especially from the Greco-Roman-Byzantine and the Sasanian empires. Among the appropriated Hellenistic motifs are some that can be attributed to a Palmyrene origin. In the caliphal residence at Qasr al-Hayr al-Gharbi in the Syrian desert to the west of Palmyra, a spoliated Palmyrene door frame was prominently integrated into the façade. It was evidently a highly valued artefact, for not only was its decoration of a peopled scroll carefully restored, but it also served as a model for a newly produced architectural ornament inside the palace. Another motif of Palmyrene origin is the reclining banqueter, a common motif in Palmyrene funerary sculpture, which is also attested in Umayyad palaces as a stucco relief at Qasr al-Hayr al-Gharbi and, further away from Palmyra, at Qusayr ‘Amra in modern Jordan. This article asks about the modes of transfer and motivations for the appropriation of Palmyrene motifs in Umayyad visual culture. |
|
