Calligraphic Fragment from the Alhambra
Calligraphic Fragment from the Alhambra
Spain
Second half 14th century, Grenada
Stucco
H:19cm W:29cm D:2cm
£125,000
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The Alhambra Palace, which sits overlooking the city of Granada in southern Spain, is an abiding reminder of the glories of Islamic Spain. It is both the last, and the greatest, example of the final flowering of Arab-Islamic culture in the region under the Nasrid dynasty (1238-1492). Beyond the spectacular architecture and setting of the buildings which make up the complex, one of the most notable features of the interiors are their remarkable calligraphic stucco decorations, cladding entire rooms with poetry, Qur’anic quotations, and the ubiquitous Nasrid motto featured on the present piece.2 Over the past five centuries, the great palatine city-fortress has suffered demolitions, rebuilding, the depredations of Napoleon’s armies and earthquakes, with most of what remains either in situ or in the museum situated within its grounds.3 Architectural elements from the Alhambra are therefore rare and highly sought-after, making the present piece [Fig. 1] particularly important. The inscription, written in a distinctive Nasrid variant of thuluth used for architectural inscriptions as well as on other media, reads wa la Ghalib illa A[llah] (“There is no victor but G[od]”).
A full report by William Greenwood is available.
Originally from the Alhambra, Granada, Spain, most likely removed between 18th-early 20th Century.
Private Collection, acquired in 1975, mounted in old collection frame, with dated sticker on the reverse of the frame.
ALR: S00238971, With IADAA Certificate, this item has been checked against the Interpol database.
The present fragment is mounted and framed, at the top right of the back of the frame bears a sticker (upside down in relation to both the fragment and the hanging wire), which states;
THIS IS A TRUE PIECE OF THE AHLAMBRA
FROM GRANADA, SPAIN
PURCHASED IN 1975
This should not be taken to suggest that the fragment was taken from the Alhambra in 1975. Many pieces were removed as keepsakes by visitors to Andalusia in the 18th and 19th centuries, often apparently with the approval of the officials overseeing the buildings, and continued to enter public collections such as the Victoria & Albert Museum into the early 20th century.
