LAMP HOLDER - Aga Khan Museum
Aga Khan Development Network
 
The Aga Khan Museum: Metalwork - Umayyad, 10th century CE  Place your mouse over the image
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Classification
Metalwork

Object name
Lamp Holder

Geography
Andalusia

Period
Umayyad, 10th century CE

Dynasty
Umayyad

Materials and technique
Cast bronze, with openwork, engraved, and punched decoration

Dimensions
Height 52.5 cm

Accession number
AKM00593

Description

This rare lamp stand was produced under the Spanish Umayyads (756-1031 CE), descendants of the first Muslim Umayyad dynasty based in Damascus. When the Abbasids overthrew the Umayyads in 749 CE, the only surviving member of the family fled to the Iberian Peninsula and founded a new branch of the dynasty. Although the object includes a typical Islamic inscription in Arabic kufic script, its form and decoration reflect the Byzantine culture that preceded Umayyad rule in Syria.