Epigraphic Wooden Panel

This epigraphic relief-carved wooden panel was made of cedar or pine, probably in Toledo, during the Second Taifa (567–609 AH/1172–1212 CE). The panel represents the cultural confluence among Christians, Jews, and Muslims in Toledo, as the city was captured and later ruled by King Alfonso VI of León and Castile in 478 AH/1085 CE, and Muslim woodworkers continued to ply their trade. The epigraphy consists of a deeply carved Kufic inscription, with certain letters floriated, in three layers, creating a three-dimensional effect—the first is the inscription, the second is a layer of floriated vines, and the third is the background. This technique reflects the artistry of a master workshop. The panel, which was once polychromed, had been hastily removed from its original location, and therefore, splintered, leaving the benedictory inscription incomplete. It reads: "al-ʿizza al-muftakhira al-ghibta al-muttasila, al-ʿizza al-…" ("proud glory, continual bliss, proud…"). This precise formula in the text "al-ghibta al-muttasila", "continual bliss", is exclusive to al-Andalus. A panel with this type of benedictive inscription would have been placed above an external egress or under courtyard eaves, where the owner and guests would have passed below, conveying "well wishes" and "good fortune".