Name of Object:

Fresco panel: ‘Dancers’

Location:

Amman, Jordan

Holding Museum:

In situ at Qusayr ‘Amra

About In situ at Qusayr ‘Amra, Amman

Original Owner:

Possibly al-Walid II (AH 125–6 / AD 743–4)

Date of Object:

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

Material(s) / Technique(s):

Fresco.

Dimensions:

n/a

Period / Dynasty:

Umayyad

Provenance:

Qusayr ‘Amra, Jordan.

Description:

A fresco in one of the compartments of the apodyterium (vestiary) at Qusayr ‘Amra. The apodyterium is covered by a tunnel-vault, which is divided into diamond-shaped compartments by frescoed leafy bands, containing an agglomeration of isolated pastoral scenes. One compartment depicts a female dancer dancing to the accompaniment of a flutist. She wears a long undergarment indicated by a band of dark red colour. The whirling folds at the bottom of her skirt suggest motion which is accentuated by the raised left arm and the tilt of her head.

On the intrados of the western arch in the audience hall, near its southern curve, is another dancing woman. She is naked except for a loin cloth, and wears wristlets, armlets, and a bracelet. The figure, although voluptuous, shows vivid movement, achieved through the active twist of the body, the counter-poised position of the arms, and the forward-thrust of the right leg, all of which acts to accentuate the sense of motion. Her vigorous movement is reminiscent of one of the dancing bacchante from the 'Bacchic Procession' now at Madaba Archaeological Museum.

View Short Description

One fresco is in a compartment of the apodyterium (vestiary) at Qusayr ‘Amra and depicts a female dancer and a flutist; on the intrados of an arch in the audience hall is another dancing woman. Both show movement reminiscent of images of dancing bacchantes.

How date and origin were established:

Qusayr ‘Amra and its frescos date to the Umayyad period, an accurate dating achieved primarily through analysis of some of the paintings in situ, the most important being the fresco panel depicting six rulers; 'The Family of Kings'. Their names, written above their heads in Arabic and Greek, identify them as: 'Caesar', the Byzantine emperor; 'Kisra', the Sasanian emperor; the king of Abbyssinia (Ethiopia); and 'Roderick', the Visigothic king of Spain. Historical inference has established the identities of the other two as the emperor of China and the ruling prince 'khaqan' of the Turks. Since Roderick ruled for only one year before he was killed in AH 92 / AD 711, this date provides a terminus post quem for construction of the monument.

How Object was obtained:

The fresco is in situ at Qusayr ‘Amra.

How provenance was established:

One of the fresco panels is in the apodyterium, and the other is in the audience hall at Qusayr ‘Amra.

Selected bibliography:

Almagro, M., et al, Qusayr 'Amra: Residencia y baños omeyas en el desierto de Jordania, Madrid, 1975, platesXLII b-c.
Fowden, G., Qusayr Amra: Art and the Umayyad Elite in Late Antique Syria, Los Angeles, 2004, pp.67–8.

Citation of this web page:

Ghazi Bisheh "Fresco panel: ‘Dancers’" in Discover Islamic Art, Museum With No Frontiers, 2024. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=object;ISL;jo;Mus01_H;48;en

Prepared by: Ghazi BishehGhazi Bisheh

Ghazi Bisheh is an archaeologist and former Director General of the Department of Antiquities of Jordan. He studied archaeology at the University of Jordan, and history of Islamic art and architecture at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, from where he holds his Ph.D. He was affiliated to the Department of Antiquities of Jordan for most of the period between 1980 and 1999, and was its Director General twice (1988–91 and 1995–9). He was also an associate professor of archaeology at Yarmouk University during the early 1990s. He is the author of numerous publications, including The Umayyads: The Rise of Islamic Art (Brussels: Museum With No Frontiers, 2000), of which he is a co-author. He has carried out excavation work both inside and outside Jordan in sites such as Qasr al-Hallabat, Madaba, Carthage and Bahrain. He is a member of the German Archaeological Institute and is the Deputy Director of the International Council of Museums for the Arab countries.

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 89

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Umayyads


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