Name of Object:

Lower part of a semi-naked female statue

Location:

Amman, Jordan

Holding Museum:

Jordan Archaeological Museum

About Jordan Archaeological Museum, Amman

Date of Object:

Hegira first half of the 2nd century / AD first half of the 8th century

Museum Inventory Number:

J. 16583

Material(s) / Technique(s):

Carved limestone.

Dimensions:

Height 75 cm, width 52 cm

Period / Dynasty:

Umayyad

Provenance:

al-Mushatta, Jordan.

Description:

The lower part of a semi-naked female figure found at Qasr al-Mushatta. Carved out of limestone, the figure has a drape over her thighs the edge of which she holds with her left hand along with a basket or bag. In her right hand she holds an unidentified object.

The proportions of this female figure are curvaceous and voluptuous. Such figures obviously flouted Muslim principles and were not supposed to be seen by the public.

View Short Description

The lower part of a semi-naked female figure found at Qasr al-Mushatta. Carved out of limestone, the figure has a drape over her thighs. Such figures flouted Muslim principles and were not supposed to be seen by the public.

How date and origin were established:

Qasr al-Mushatta, where this figure was found, dates to the end of the Umayyad period (first half of the 2nd / first half of the 8th century).

How Object was obtained:

The figure was found during the course of restoration work and an archaeological excavation that was carried out in 1962 by the Department of Antiquities of Jordan at the Umayyad palace of al-Mushatta; the object was then transferred to Jordan Archaeological Museum.

How provenance was established:

The figure was found within the Umayyad palace of al-Mushatta.

Selected bibliography:

Enderlein, V., and Meinecke, M., Mschatta-Fassade, Berlin, 1992, p.144, fig. 8.

Trumpelmann, L., 'Die Skulpturen von Mschatta', Archaologischer Anzeiger, Berlin, 1965, pp.235–76; A1.1–4 (for other sculptures from al-Mushatta).

Citation of this web page:

Aida Naghawy "Lower part of a semi-naked female statue" in Discover Islamic Art, Museum With No Frontiers, 2024. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=object;ISL;jo;Mus01;32;en

Prepared by: Aida NaghawyAida Naghawy

Aida Naghawy is an archaeologist and the Director of Jordan Archaeological Museum. She studied archaeology at the University of Jordan where she gained her MA. She was affiliated to the Jordanian Department of Antiquities from 1974 as a curator of Jordan Archaeological Museum. In 1981 she became inspector of Jerash antiquities and co-ordinator of the Jerash International Rehabilitation project. She was also head of the archaeological awareness section at the Department of Antiquities. Aida is the author of numerous publications on Islamic coins. She has carried out excavation work in Jerash and is the founder of Jerash Archaeological Museum and the Islamic Museum of the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs.

Copyedited by: Mandi GomezMandi Gomez

Amanda Gomez is a freelance copy-editor and proofreader working in London. She studied Art History and Literature at Essex University (1986–89) and received her MA (Area Studies Africa: Art, Literature, African Thought) from SOAS in 1990. She worked as an editorial assistant for the independent publisher Bellew Publishing (1991–94) and studied at Bookhouse and the London College of Printing on day release. She was publications officer at the Museum of London until 2000 and then took a role at Art Books International, where she worked on projects for independent publishers and arts institutions that included MWNF’s English-language editions of the books series Islamic Art in the Mediterranean. She was part of the editorial team for further MWNF iterations: Discover Islamic Art in the Mediterranean Virtual Museum and the illustrated volume Discover Islamic Art in the Mediterranean.

True to its ethos of connecting people through the arts, MWNF has provided Amanda with valuable opportunities for discovery and learning, increased her editorial experience, and connected her with publishers and institutions all over the world. More recently, the projects she has worked on include MWNF’s Sharing History Virtual Museum and Exhibition series, Vitra Design Museum’s Victor Papanek and Objects of Desire, and Haus der Kulturen der Welt’s online publication 2 or 3 Tigers and its volume Race, Nation, Class.

MWNF Working Number: JO 66

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Islamic Dynasties / Period

Umayyads


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