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Inscribed Marble Panel

9th century
Not on view
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.
The Kufic calligraphy, with its intricate floral endings, on this panel from a marble cenotaph states the bismillah, "In the name of God the Merciful the Compassionate." As funerary inscriptions often begin with this phrase, followed by verses from the Qur’an and information about the deceased, that information probably would have appeared on the rest of the cenotaph. The decorative Kufic script on this panel developed from the austere angular Kufic used for earlier inscriptions.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Inscribed Marble Panel
  • Date: 9th century
  • Geography: Made in Egypt
  • Medium: Marble
  • Dimensions: 14 3/16 x 19 5/16 x 1 3/4 in. (36 x 49 x 4.5 cm)
  • Classification: Sculpture
  • Credit Line: Benaki Museum, Athens (10779)
  • Curatorial Department: Medieval Art and The Cloisters