Capital
Silves, Faro, Portugal
Silves Municipal Archaeology Museum
Hegira 4th century / AD 10th century
MMAS 00590 [سجل الإيداع]؛ MNA E6566 [السجل المبدئي
Sculpted white marble.
Height 23 cm, width 22 x 21 cm
Umayyad of al-Andalus, Caliphate period
Urban area of Silves.
Capital made of white marble profusely decorated with acanthus leaves. The basket and abacus of the capital are entirely decorated with interlaced plant motifs. Its decoration is similar to others from the same period. Its artistic quality suggests that it was probably part of the architectural structure of an important palace or religious building.
View Short DescriptionWhite marble capital profusely decorated with acanthus leaves, dating back to the AH 4th / AD 10th century. Its artistic quality suggests that it came from a palace or religious building of great importance. It was found in urban Silves in the late 19th or early 20th century.
By comparison with identical pieces from the same period.
Donation from the National Archaeology Museum in Lisbon.
The date of the find is unknown. It was found in the urban area of Silves and passed on to the National Archaeology Museum in the late 19th or early 20th century.
Portugal Islâmico: Os últimos Sinais do Mediterrâneo, exhibition catalogue, Lisbon, 1998,
Gomes, R. V., Palácio Almóada da Alcáçova de Silves, Lisbon, 2001, p.61.
Maria da Conceição Amaral "Capital" in Discover Islamic Art, Museum With No Frontiers, 2024. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=object;ISL;pt;Mus01_B;22;en
MWNF Working Number: PT 31
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