An Umayyad carved marble panel, Cordoba, probably Medinat al-Zahra', 10th Century

of rectangular form, carved in relief with a tree with undulating and intertwined branches forming cartouches filled with leaves and buds, the top of the tree with a pine cone, the border with cable design, mounted
81 x 37.5 cm.

Provenance
Oliver Hoare (1945-2018), acquired circa 1976.
Jean-Claude Ciancimino Collection (1931-2014), acquired prior to 1965.

This panel is a superbly executed example of the intricately carved naturalistic decoration that is characteristic of the art of Umayyad Spain and was used on everything from small ivory caskets to monumental architectural embellishments. Its origins can be traced back to the ornament of Umayyad Syria, which the Islamic craftsmen of Spain made a conscious effort to revive in order to enhance the prestige of the new western Caliphate.

This panel is likely to have been produced to adorn the walls of the palace of Medina al-Zahra' which was built for 'Abd al-Rahman III, the first Umayyad Caliph of Cordoba (Reg. 929-961). Construction took place between 936 and his death in 961, but was continued by his son Al-Hakam II (Reg. 961-976). Similar panels can still be seen in situ in the reception hall which can be dated by inscriptions to between 953 and 957. The time consuming and vastly expensive ornamental scheme of relief carved marble panels, which entirely cover the walls of the room, is in stark contrast to the related but vastly cheaper moulded stucco used by the Nasrids at the Alhambra during the twilight of Islamic rule on the Iberian peninsular.

In the centuries after Medina al-Zahra' was destroyed by Berbers in 1010, its decorative architectural elements were dispersed and reused in new buildings throughout southern Spain. For this reason, examples of finely carved stone panels, such as the present lot, can be found in many of the regional museums of modern day Andalusia.

For comparable examples depicting what may also be Trees of Life in the Archaeological Museums of Cordoba and Seville, see Jerrilynn D. Dodds, Al-Andalus, the Art of Islamic Spain, New York, 1992, pp. 242-243, nos. 36 and 36. Others are in the Malaga Museum (Inv. no. 8701), and the David Collection, Copenhagen (Inv. no. 86/2004).