Scribal Object: An Abbasid Tombstone

For my scribal object, I chose a tombstone from the Abbasid period (dated 861-62). Crafted out of marble, this tombstone bears a religious inscription. Ironically, it violates conventional practices of the time. Displaying verses from the Qur'an, this tombstone serves to replicate sacred text, a very much unorthodox purpose. As I learned, any sort of ornamental grave markers were strictly condemned during this period. This relationship between ideology and popular practice offers great insight into the role of scribes throughout the Middle Ages. As shown by this gravestone, scribes served to "depict" the lives of ordinary people. Such unorthodox descriptions on graves suggest a lack of compliance with orthodox ideals in everyday life. Additionally, scribes seemed to serve as the final portrayers of people's lives. They inscribed passages on graves that presumably epitomized the deceased (or at least offered some insight into his/her life). It also appears that scribes served to proliferate Arab writing/calligraphy beyond scripture, as is evidenced by the quality of letters present on this tombstone. Essentially, scribes were not limited to the "usual" lines of work (e.g. calligraphy, copying of scriptures, etc.). In this way, scribes functioned to fill in historical gaps left by rulers and other writers of history. Finally, scribes offered insight into language and culture through their grave inscriptions specifically. Gravestones might have had various occupations, language constructions (i.e. colloquial compared to formal), and cultural insights (e.g. tribal affiliation) inscribed in them, all of which offer a wealth of information to historians about the times and the people of the times. Thus, scribes were a vital link between the populace and the government...between the past and the present.

A Close Reading of Sura 49:16

Enter “Umayyad Period” into the Harvard Art Museum database and you’ll find a cup, a small sculpture, and an encyclopedic array of coins. Enter “Abbasid Period” – the reign of the next Islamic caliphate – and you’ll find more coins and pottery, but also a few manuscripts. Presented above is a page from one such manuscript. Dating back to the 9th Century, it may, in fact, be one of the oldest Islamic manuscripts in the Harvard Art Museum’s collection.

            Looking at this page one can begin asking a number of questions. What is the ink made of? What material is this written on? Why is the material surrounding the letters whiter than the rest of the page? What are all those dots for, in particular the triangular array of six dots in the lower left corner? Who wrote this?

            Most interesting to me, however, is the most obvious question: what does this text say? According to the description provided by the Art Museum, this page contains a portion of the 16th verse of the 49th chapter (sura) of the Quran. A simple Google search yields the following translation of this verse: “Say, ‘Would you acquaint Allah with your religion while Allah knows whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth, and Allah is Knowing of all things?’”

            With this translation, and with some further research, I would like to not only understand what this verse means, but to also understand the scribe’s writing itself. I would like to be able to look at this page and read it (from right to left) in the original Arabic. Given the remarkably clear nature of this writing, this should be a reasonable task. Indeed, observe the regularity of the “backwards e” appearing on the far right side of the second, fourth, and sixth lines, and the “L” appearing on the second, third, fifth, and sixth lines. The scribe provides us with a mechanically precise, flourish-free transcription of this verse. His text is inviting to newcomers, such as myself.

Byzantine Coin of Romanos IV

Harvardartmuseums.org

For my object biography, I will be working with a coin of Romanos IV. It is a silver coin from the Byzantine world that is thought to have been produced around the year 1070. Coins seem to be an abundant resource as far as Medieval artifacts go, and at first I thought I'd opt to study some different type of object, something more unique. As I looked more closely at the coins, however, I realized that each coin is unique. Each one has its own story and its own purpose, completely different from the next. Variations in shape, material, iconography, and writing struck my interest and made me want to learn more about the world of coins.

The first thing that struck me about this particular coin was the hole. Why is there a hole in the coin? Was it made to be worn like a charm? If so, did it actually function as currency as well? The second thing was the title “Coin of Romanos IV.” Who was Romanos IV? What is his story? How does it relate to the story of this coin? In this way, this object stirred question after question within me and I decided that it is worth digging deeper. I feel that getting to know this coin will lead me to better picture the people who held it, the places it travelled, and the beliefs that dominated that time period.

I plan to begin by studying the big picture and then work smaller and smaller. I will let my study be guided by the questions I have about the object. I will first try to answer, through books and internet research, questions like “What was the state of the Byzantine empire in 1070?” and then work my way to specific matters, like the mysterious hole.

The Seal of Constantine VII, Imperial Strator and Kommerkiarios of the West

For this assignment, despite the many choices and objects to choose from, the one that I found most interesting and perhaps most perplexing was the seal of Constantine VII, formally presented as “seal of Constantine Imperial strator and kommerkiarios of the West” on the HAM website. It took me a while to find an object I would have interest writing on. There were numerous coins, belts, and paintings, but the seal of Constantine VII was the object that truly caught me eye. Initially based off appearance, I had assumed it was a coin (should have read the title first…), but saw it was way to thick and bulky looking compared to the other coins I had seen in the museum and on the website. Once I actually read the description, I thought it was a rather interesting and unlike most of the other objects. I noticed that it was described as being made of lead, and wondered how the seal itself was made. Based on what little I know of seals, I knew a lead seal would not be made the same way a wax seal was made. Observing the seal, the obvious likeness of Constantine VII was inscribed on the seal. Writing was on the seal as well, since It is from the Byzantine Empire, I’m going to assume that the language it is written is Latin. Unfortunately, not knowing much of Constantine VII, I am curious as to the rule and reign of this monarch. He is given such a great title, and I am curious as to why such a grandiose and exulted title is given to him. Obviously, he is a king, but knowing the history of the time period, the history of his rule and finding out what is written on the seal exactly (I’m making an educated guess that it is the Imperial strator and Kommerkiarios part listed in the description, but other text is written as well), might reveal to me why such a thing was written on the seal, and for what purpose this king could have used this seal during his reign.

Object Biography: Lamp with Scenes from the Life of Christ

For my object biography project, I have chosen a lamp with scenes from the life of Christ. This lamp (or censer) includes the likes of The Crucifixion and The Annunciation. The scenes appear to be in chronological order, beginning with The Annunciation and ending with The Women at the Tomb. However, key events, such as The Last Supper and The Resurrection, do not appear. This could be due to a simple lack of space, or perhaps it is due to the religious beliefs of the time and/or the importance of certain Biblical events to the Byzantines. The actual material of the lamp appears to be some sort of copper, judging from various spots of green (a result of copper oxidation).

What drew me to this particular piece was its relation to my life and experiences. Raised a Catholic, I was able to quickly relate to the images I noticed on the lamp. From Christ's baptism to the Nativity, I was able to identify with each and every event. I was reminded of statues and paintings from my local church and other childhood churches in memory. In addition to the strong connection I felt with the piece, I sensed an opportunity to expand my historical/religious knowledge. I would like to compare this specific depiction of the life of Christ to other depictions (from ancient and modern times), so as to identify differences/similarities of the Christian religion between these times. I plan to first more closely inspect the lamp. Then, I will compare its scenes to similar scenes that I am able to find. Next, I will research the sculpture/art of the Byzantine world, as to attempt to pinpoint a more exact origin of the lamp. Finally, I will research Byzantine Christianity in the Middle Ages to inform myself of which aspects of the religion were of the most importance to the people at the time. I want to discover if there was any ulterior motive for producing the lamp in question, aside from iconography or reverence of Christ. I hope to uncover something new and exciting, perhaps a hidden meaning behind this piece (such is the joy of history after all).

Albrecht Durer's Entry into Jerusalem

Undoubtedly the HAM startled me a great deal. I never imaged that a University Museum could have not only collected so many invaluable items, but also have done so well in its digitalization. What a distance other universities, both American and Chinese, lamented about between them and Harvard.

The object I chose as my blog content based upon many things. Firstly I put into the key word, Crusade, disappointingly the following shown objects were all intrigued me not so much. Then I changed my selected credential word into Jerusalem, then I had being overwhelmingly impressed by the enormousness of the collections presented here. No other collections grasped my eyes and my heart more strongly than the one I picked up to write about. This is a woodcut titled Entry into Jerusalem by Albrecht Durer. 

Three foremost reasons made me decisively to stop here. The most important one is the woodcut itself. Though what I saw is only the print of the original woodcut, I could still feel the imposing power of it. The image of Jesus of Nazareth sitting upon donkey located at the center of the woodcut. It seemed that a halo shining around his head, and his right hands stretched forward. Was this style the God’s Hand? I was no so ascertained . The two guys to whom Jesus’s right hand pointed were standing at the gate of Jerusalem, one holding a piece of palm branches, and the other closed his two hands. What’s that mean I was very curious about? Just before the head of the donkey, there’s a old man who hold something in his hand. Was it a carpet upon which Jesus will touch the ground, I don’t know. At the left triple of the image, there stood two men, looked like his apostles, but their real identities were still waiting to figure out. There are many other details which also aroused my curiosity, but I would not describe them here. What I could say is that the halo which radiated around the head of Jesus struck me most, it not only enlivened this cold black and white woodcut, but also and more important gave meaning to this image. It represented the divinity of Jesus, and also the centrality of his story. God is Light through the redemption of his only son, our Lord Jesus Christ.

The second reason was that I had put many thoughts upon this event during his Passion. Actually this woodcut I saw came from a serial by Durer named Passion. It’s general accepted that there’s adjective put before this title, that word was always the Triumphantly. But this woodcut lacked it. Why? The Triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem indeed had tremendous influences in his own life and profound lessens toward many lives after his. The beginning of the end led not to the end but to the beginning, a new beginning, through his crucifixion, his blood, his suffering, and ultimately his death. The unbearable agonies were waiting for Jesus after his entry. But we should always keep into our minds that the halo which was shining around his head, that’s the hope, a sweet and bitter hope for us all, that’s the light, warming and guiding light during the long night of despair and desperation.

Sometimes I just reflected upon what were the real circumstances and true attitudes when Godfred of Bouillon, Baldwin of Boulogne and Raymond of Toulouse attacked the wall of Jerusalem in 1099, What’s a big difference between their entries and Jesus’s. Jesus peacefully entered the Holy city upon a donkey, they violently laid their swords upon many innocents peoples, Muslims, Jews and even Christians alike. Was that reason the decisive and crucial one that made their fates eventually failed, and made the fate of the Kingdom of Jerusalem irrecoverably fallen after such a triumphantly beginning? I just don’t know and even don’t understand!

The third one, but not less important than the two told reasons, is that I am big fan to Mr. Durer. I bought his other two serials books, one was about Crusade, the other Inferno of Dante. Either of them were completely tantalizing and really amazing. Fortunately I visited Nuremberg his native town last December. But to disappointed me, our team boss had no such appetite to call upon Mr. Durer’s house. That stupid boss actually knew nothing about Mr. Durer and his famous woodcut serials, and maybe even the immortal name, Albrecht Durer.

Though the other woodcuts of Passion are not exhibited on the website, or they are there, but I had not discovered out them yet, this wonderful image had already aroused my huge interesting. So I wish that I should request to see the original woodcut which had been made on the early 16^th century. 

The Man of Sorrows

The object I have chosen for my object biography is The Man of Sorrows, a mid-fourteenth century painting by the Italian artist Roberto Oderisi. I began my search for an object by browsing the medieval exhibits at the Harvard Art Museums, seeing if anything there sufficiently intrigued me before I looked online at the museum’s entire collection. I was almost finished walking around when I spotted an unusually detailed and “busy” painting, at least in comparison to many of the other works I had seen at the museum. The primary subject is that of many other medieval paintings: Jesus on the crucifix, with his wounds prominently displayed. However, he is surrounded by a very large number of religious symbols, the so-called “Arma Christi.” I think it would be fascinating to research what each of these symbols mean, if each of their positions on the painting has any significance, and more (e.g. are the numbers on the dice arbitrary or is there a deeper meaning behind them?). Moreover, there are several figures and scenes in the painting that pose interesting questions. For instance, who is the man in the bottom-left corner of the painting, and why is he relegated to that area? Finally, I chose this object because it appears to have a story behind it. There seems to have been gold leaf removed from the top-right portion of the painting, which raises several questions as to why a valuable painting would be disfigured in such a way.

I intend to learn more about the painting by first browsing the references listed on the Harvard Art Museums’ website and searching online for information about the artist, the Arma Christi, and the Passion. I will additionally take a close look at the painting and attempt to decipher each of the symbols’ meanings as well as identify the figures and scenes. I may wish to look at similar Arma Christi depictions for more information.