Reliquary Casket of Saint Dominic of Silos, Cuenca, 1026AD |
|
Casket: Cuenca 1026 (dated A.H. 417)
Monastery of Santo Domingo de Silos (Burgos)
Ivory and wood, with gilt-copper and champlevé enamel mounts
19x 34 x 21cm
Museo de Burgos (106)
A truncated pyramidal cover surmounts this rectangular casket, which was originally composed entirely of ivory panels attached to a wooden core. However, the box has been damaged, and the areas sustaining losses have been replaced with enamel decoration.
A band with an inscription in floriated Kufic runs along the top of the left and right sides of the casket but is missing from the front and back, where it is replaced by enamel decoration. It reads;
… enduring for its owner, "May God prolong his life" From among that which was made in the city of Cu[enca] … [in the year] four hundred seventeen [A.D. 1026]. The work of Muhammad ibn Zayyan, his servant; may God grant him renown.
E. Lévi-Provençal states that the formula "May God prolong his life" was used for sovereigns. It might be assumed that a casket such as this would have been made for the most important dynasty of the eleventh century in the area, the Dhu al-Nun of Toledo. However, in 1026 this dynasty was not yet in power, nor was Cuenca within Toledo's orbit. Lévi-Provençal suggests that the casket may have been made for Abu Bakr Yaʿish ibn Muhammad ibn Yaʿish al-Asadi, who ruled in Toledo until 1031 and was the immediate predecessor of Ismaʿil al-Zafir ibn Dhu al-Nun, King of Toledo, or for the father of al-Zafir, ʿAbd al-Rahman ibn Dhu al-Nun, the lord of Santaver, of which Cuenca was a dependent. Ernst Kühnel believes that the latter is the more likely candidate.1
Treasured for its preciousness of material and workmanship, the Islamic ivory casket was adapted for use by the Benedictine monks of the monastery of Santo Domingo de Silos in the mid-twelfth century. Whereas the imagery of some Islamic ivories, such as the pyxis preserved at Braga (cat. 73) or the Madrid Cuenca coffret, was not substantially altered for Christian use, in this example both decorative strapping and Christian subjects were added. An enameled plaque set in the left end represents the patron saint of the monastery of Silos flanked by angels. A second rectangular enamel plaque set into the lid depicts the Lamb of God with the Alpha and Omega enclosed in a circular medallion and surrounded by paired fantastic dragonlike creatures.
Source: pp273-276 The Art of Medieval Spain AD 500-1200, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
