Caliphate Period 10th Century Hispano-Muslim Capital of Marble Pilaster Cordoba

Hispano-Muslim pilaster capital, probably Cordoba, Caliphate period, 10th century.
Material: marble.
Measurements: 35 x 26 x 25 cm.
Pilaster capital from the Caliphate period, carved in marble according to classical Roman and Visigothic models. The quality of the carving follows the classical line, although it is subordinated to a synthetic and moderate line. This is the composite Corinthian capital, in which the acanthus leaves are plain, very simple and quite far apart. In a certain sense it is an ornamental abstraction of the classical Corinthian. Capitals with similar characteristics can be found in the Palacio de Altamira in Seville, both in the Patio Chico and in the Patio Grande. These examples from the Caliphate period show how the decorative schools of capital decoration produced standard models that served as examples for carving similar capitals with minor variations. This system of work will continue in each Hispano-Muslim period, and it is sometimes possible to find sculptors’ workshops in which the master stonemason makes the model, as in the case of the example from the Córdoba Mosque, and the disciples and other members of the workshop make mere copies. There are no known examples of their use according to a preconceived order, as most of the capitals from this period are found in places other than those for which they were made. The Caliphate of Córdoba existed from 929 to 1031. Prior to this, the region was dominated by the Umayyad Emirate of Córdoba (756-929). The period was characterised by an expansion of trade and culture, and saw the construction of architectural masterpieces of al-Andalus. In January 929, Abd ar-Rahman III proclaimed himself caliph, replacing his original title of Amir of Córdoba. Abderraman III, the eighth Umayyad ruler of Muslim Spain and the first of them to take the title of caliph, not only made Córdoba the nerve centre of a new Muslim empire in the West, but also made it the leading city in Western Europe, rivalling in power, prestige, splendour and culture for a century Baghdad and Constantinople, the capitals of the Abbasid Caliphate and the Byzantine Empire, respectively. According to Arab sources, under his rule, the city reached a population of one million, with 1,600 mosques, 300,000 dwellings, 80,000 shops and countless public baths.