Printing Plaque
(Islamic World )
The entire surface of this printing matrix is engraved with Qur’anic verses, prayers, and invocations to God, the Prophet Muhammad, and other religious leaders. It also contains representations of the Great Mosque at Mecca and the Mosque of Medina, the two holiest sites visited by Muslims during hajj, or pilgrimage. Both the writing and images are engraved in reverse because the plaque was used for printing. The resulting prints were dense but legible compositions in the form of hilye, or a kind of calligraphic image, which could then be hung in a space to bestow blessings.
Inscription
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object.
Henry Walters, Baltimore [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
Conservation
Date | Description | Narrative |
---|---|---|
10/1/2019 | Examination | examined for condition |
Geographies
Egypt
(Place of Origin)
Syria (Place of Origin)
Measurements
H: 10 13/16 x W: 6 7/8 x D: 1/4 in. (27.5 x 17.5 x 0.6 cm)
Credit Line
Acquired by Henry Walters
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
54.510