English (United Kingdom)

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/featured_content/oa?rat=en

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/highlighted_journal/

Global: Zendy Plus annual

Presents the access of premium content as premium feature

Premium Content

Presents the keyphrase highlighting as premium feature

Keyphrase Highlighting

Presents the summarisation as premium feature

Summarisation

Insights

Presents the pdf analysis as premium feature

PDF Analysis

Presents the zaia usage as premium feature

ZAIA

Global: Zendy Tools annual

Global: Zendy Free Plan

Global: Zendy Tools monthly

Global: Zendy Plus monthly

T H E BENAKI MUSEUM contains a pair of doors (fig. 1), part of the collection of Islamic art acquired by Antonis Benakis himself and one of the most impressive and important pieces on display when the Museum first opened in 1930. It was initially published a year later by Edmond Pauty who states that it was found by M. Ispenian in a tomb in the immediate vicinity of Baghdad together with another fragment of a door in the same collection (fig. 2). These doors had been dismantled and used to make the coffin. The pair of doors is impressive in size (height 2.55 m., width 1.23 m.). Each leaf is constructed from four planks (their width ranging from 13 to 20 cm. approximately) joined vertically by tenon and mortise. The planks run the whole height of the doors except for two small panels which are placed horizontally at the two extremities. The entire surface is carved in high relief and makes an elegant and impressive effect with the decoration standing out against a dark background. The quality of the carving is high and the dense layout is carefully planned and well balanced. The overall condition is fair except on the upper part where some of the decoration is damaged. The main decorative theme of the doors is a "tree motif under a lobed pointed arch resting on imbricate columns. It is repeated four times on two different scales, with two elongated versions on the upper part and two square ones below. The poor state of preservation on the upper section of the doors makes it easier to distinguish the iconography on the lower part. This "tree-motif is composed of a tall trunk rising towards a pointed eleven-lobed arch which is delineated by two rows of pearls. On the top of the imbricate trunk there is a fleuron composed of two half palmettes supporting a three-lobed leaf and springing out of another small leaf on two volutes. On the outer side of the half palmettes are slender leaves with curled tops. Under each lobe of the arch this same fleuron motif alternates with pine cones flanked by two half palmettes and resting on two volutes. The tree depicted could be a thuya, which is coniferous and has imbricate, flexible branches; it represents the Tree of Life, which was frequently depicted in pre-Islamic Persian art. The stems terminating in the pine cones and fleurons spring from near the base of the trunk and cross over it twice, at its lower and upper part. Filling the rest of the space is dense naturalistic foliage with small pine cones and heart-shaped leaves delineated by fine incisions, which starts at the base of the tree trunk and extends organically upwards in a naturalistic manner. In the area outside the arches are vine leaves set in circles made of twisting bifurcated stems, bunches of grapes and three-lobed leaves. The execution of these vine scroll motifs is different from that of the foliage since the circles are arranged roughly in rows, resulting in a distinct and more stylised form of decoration.

Umayyad ornament on early Islamic woodwork: a pair of doors in the Benaki Museum