Tomb Stele Fragment with Kufic Inscription

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.

This funerary stele is characteristic of Islamic tomb monuments on which inscriptions are used to decorate and to enlighten. Carved in Kufic script, the Qur’anic quotation "He is the Liv[ing]" outside the meander pattern is from the "Sura of the Throne," which is often used for funerary inscriptions. The longer text identifies the deceased: "In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful. This is the grave of Sulayman ibn Muhammad."

Artwork Details

Overview

Signatures, Inscriptions, and Markings

Exhibition History

Title: Tomb Stele Fragment with Kufic Inscription
Date: 9th century
Geography: Made in Antioch
Medium: Marble
Dimensions: 11 1/2 x 16 x 2 3/4 in. (29.2 x 40.6 x 7 cm)
Classification: Sculpture
Credit Line: Byzantine Collection, Dumbarton Oaks, Washington, D.C. (BZ.1938.89)
Curatorial Department: Medieval Art and The Cloisters