Browsing by Subject "Inscriptions"
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Item Aj-Ts’ib, Aj-Uxul, Itz’aat, & Aj-K’uhu’n : classic Maya schools of carvers and calligraphers in Palenque after the reign of Kan-Bahlam(2005-12) Van Stone, Mark; Stross, BrianAncient Maya inscription carvers at the city of Palenque in what is now Chiapas, Mexico worked in teams to complete large and complex stone tablets. Like artists everywhere, they each had developed idiosyncratic habits which the modern connoisseur can learn to discern, in order to identify which parts of a particular monument were sculpted by one or another artist. The author scrutinized several eighth-century CE inscriptions, panels in stucco and limestone, analyzing how many artists worked on each, to wit: the Temple XVIII Stuccos, the Temple XIX Platform, the Temple XIX Stuccos, the Temple XIX Panel, the Panel of the 96 Glyphs, the Lápida de la Creación and associated fragments, the Palace Tablet and its associated fragmentary panels, and the Tablet of the Slaves. The ensemble whose main components are the Panel of the 96 Glyphs and the Lápida de la Creación are all by one hand, and the Tablet of the Slaves was the work of four carvers, but the Temple XIX Platform surprisingly employed fourteen carvers, and the Palace Tablet over a score. Their territories were not divided textually, and display idiosyncratic spellings of glyph compounds as well as carving habits. The conclusion discusses possible reasons for these findings, relating them to the unusual Maya practice of never correcting mistakes in monumental inscriptions. A likely reason seems to be that the ancient Maya considered these texts not merely as a permanent record, but as ongoing, living repetitions of the ritual in question, and had to be completed in a very short time.Item A study of inscribed reliefs within the context of donative inscriptions at Sanchi(2010-08) Milligan, Matthew David; Freiberger, Oliver; Leoshko, JaniceInscribed relief art at the early Buddhist archaeological site of Sanchi in India exhibits at least one interesting quality not found elsewhere at the site. Sanchi is well known for its narrative reliefs and reliquaries enshrined in stūpas. However, two inscribed images of stūpas found on the southern gateway record the gifts of two prominent individuals. The first is a junior monk whose teacher holds a high position in the local order. The second is the son of the foreman of the artisans of a king. Both inscribed stūpa images represent a departure from a previous donative epigraphical habit. Instead of inscribing their names on image-less architectural pieces, these two particular individuals inscribed their names on representations of stūpas, a symbol with a multiplicity of meanings. In this thesis, I use two perspectives to analyze the visual and verbal texts of these inscribed reliefs. In the end, I suggest that these donations were recorded as part of the visual field intentionally, showing the importance of not only inscribing a name on an auspicious symbol but also the importance of inscribing a name for the purpose of being seen.Item A Sultan as splendid as the sun: the radiating inscription under Mamluk Sultan al-Nasir Muhammad ibn Qalawun (r. 1293-1294, 1299-1309, 1309-1341)(2015-12) Merkle, Ann Marie; Mulder, Stephennie F.; Moin, AzfarOrnately inscribed metals are typical of Mamluk-era artistic output, with highly intricate, honorific inscriptions dominating the richly decorated surfaces. The radial inscription reveals a new approach towards displaying a ruler’s sovereignty – presenting a king as unique and powerful as the sun. The Mamluks were a Turkic people ruling over a largely Arab population. As outsiders stuck with upholding an enervated caliphate and Muslim converts posing as defenders of Islam, they faced problems of legitimacy that were of less relevance for the Mongols. And yet, the Mamluks were participating in this shared Turko-Mongol culture though in a somewhat diluted form. Thus, while carving out a new space for themselves as the rulers of a major sultanate and attempting to present themselves as suitable heirs of the Caliphal genealogy, they were also formulating a new visual language that could simultaneously communicate claims of sovereignty to their rivals, the Mongols, and at home to the highly competitive mamlūk ranks as well as the dominantly Arab populace of Cairo. Metal objects were often used in gift giving between the empires, and while they served as diplomatic tools, al-Nasir’s new visual strategy meant they would also have invoked themes of mystical kingship that surpassed, in the words of Oleg Grabar, their role as mere calliphoric objects, or carriers of beauty. Lovely though they were, they also delivered a message of cosmic sovereignty and control. This message challenges modern scholarly interpretations of Mamluk inscriptions as mere writing, permitting a more polyvalent reading of the active interaction between words and their design as carriers of meaning that go beyond the literal. Geographically, the Mamluks were located at the center of an increasingly cosmopolitan region. In addition to his shifting relations with the Mongols, al-Nasir Muhammad also received the first papal envoy to Cairo since the time of Sultan al-Salih Ayyub (1205-1249). With an expanding, privileged audience and increasing global political position, Sultan al-Nasir Muhammad used fine metals with rich inscriptions that resonated with astronomical and mystical beliefs to convey a monumental and cosmological vision of his role as an prototypical Islamic ruler to his subjects, allies, and rivals alike, securing the inner stability of his empire, while communicating his sovereignty globally.