A Gift from Father to Son: Girona Casket

Year 2022, , 1213 - 1233, 31.12.2022

Süreyya Eroğlu Bilgin

https://doi.org/10.29135/std.1099049

Abstract

Although there are many references in the sources to the objects made of precious metals used by the Andalusian Umayyad caliphs and palace residents or given as state gifts, which are qualified examples of Andalusian metal art, very few works that have the features to confirm these sources have survived to the present day. The Girona Casket, which is an example of this kind of Andalusian metal art and reveals the technical and aesthetic level of its period, is one of the rare works that have survived to the present day. This casket, made of silver plated on wood, is a historical document due to the decorations reflecting the mastery of its period, as well as the content of the inscription on its cover. The casket, which is among the silverware of the Caliph of Cordoba, contains the information that it was a gift from the Khalifa Al-Hakam II to his son Hisham II, and the names of the masters well hidden behind the lock and the uniqueness of its design make the casket remarkable and exceptional. It also contains an important political message regarding the identity of the person to whom the gift is given, with the phrase “veliaht” (heir to the throne) in the Kufic inscription on it.
This casket, in which the calligraphy accompanies the decoration program, is 38 cm. in length, 23 cm. wide and 25 cm. is in height. The casket, covered with silver plates on wood, was decorated using relief, gilding and savat techniques. The casket is decorated with an ornament program based on symmetry, in which mainly plant-based motifs are used. The use of palmette motifs reminiscent of the Samarran style as the main motif in this precious artwork prepared for the heir of the Umayyad caliphate also indicates that this motif has a symbolic meaning for the dynasty. The fact that the names of the masters working in the construction of the casket were engraved on the back of the lock of the casket in a secret manner, distinguishing the work from its counterparts and giving it a different status. In a sense, this casket is a sign of power, political representation, the complex identity of the Islamic art tradition and the cultural identity of Andalusia. The adventure of the casket, which was built by the Al-Hakam II as a gift to his son Hisham II, probably started in one of the Medinetü’z Zehra workshops in Cordoba between 974 and 976, and ended in a cathedral treasury in Girona. Within the scope of the study, the environment in which this casket was produced was briefly introduced by considering its historical, political and cultural context, and its technical and ornamental features were examined.

Keywords

Girona Casket, Andalusia Metal Art, Al-Hakam II, Subh, The Casket of Hisham II

Babadan Oğula Bir Armağan: Girona Sandığı

Abstract

Kaynaklarda Endülüs Emevi halifeleri ve saray mensupları tarafından kullanılan veya devlet armağanı olarak verilen değerli madenlerden yapılmış, Endülüs maden sanatının nitelikli örnekleri olan nesnelere çok sayıda referans olmasına karşın, günümüze, bu kaynakları doğrulayacak nitelikte çok az sayıda eser gelebilmiştir. Endülüs maden sanatının bu nev’i bir örneği olan ve döneminin teknik ve estetik düzeyini ortaya koyan Girona Sandığı, günümüze ulaşabilen nadir eserlerden biridir. Ahşap üzerine gümüş kaplama olarak yapılmış bu sandık, döneminin ustalığını yansıtan süslemelerinin yanı sıra, kapağında yer alan kitabesinin içeriği dolayısıyla tarihi bir belge niteliğindedir. Kurtuba Halifesi’nin gümüş eşyaları arasında bulunan sandıkta, onun Halife II. Hakem’in, oğlu II. Hişam’a hediyesi olduğu bilgisi yer alır, ayrıca kilidin arkasına ustalıkla gizlenmiş usta isimleri ve tasarımının benzersizliği sandığı dikkat çekici ve istisnai kılar. Keza üzerinde yer alan Kufi kitabede geçen, “veliaht” ifadesiyle de hediyenin verildiği kişinin kimliğine dair önemli bir siyasi mesaj içermektedir. Kaligrafinin süsleme programına eşlik ettiği bu sandık, 38 cm. uzunluğunda, 23 cm. genişliğinde ve 25 cm. yüksekliğindedir. Ahşap üzerine gümüş plakalarla kaplanmış sandık, kabartma, yaldız ve savat tekniği kullanılarak süslenmiştir. Sandık, ağırlıklı olarak bitkisel kökenli motiflerin kullanıldığı, simetri esasına dayanan bir süsleme programıyla bezenmiştir. Emevî halifeliğinin veliahtı için hazırlanan bu nadide eserde, ana motif olarak Samarra üslubunu anımsatan palmet motiflerinin kullanılması, bu motifin hanedan için sembolik bir anlamı olduğuna da işaret eder. Sandığın yapımında çalışan ustaların isimlerini, sandığın kilidinin arkasına gizli bir biçimde hakketmiş olmaları, eseri benzerlerinden ayırarak ona farklı bir statü kazandırmaktadır. Bu sandık bir anlamda gücün, siyasi temsilin, İslâmî sanat geleneğinin karmaşık kimliğiyle Endülüs’ün kültürel kimliğinin karışımının bir nişanesidir. Girona Sandığı’nın Kurtuba’da muhtemelen Medinetü’z Zehra atölyelerinden birinde başlayan serüveni, Girona’da bir katedral hazinesinde son bulmuştur. Çalışma kapsamında bu sandığın üretildiği ortam, tarihsel, siyasi ve kültürel bağlamıyla da ilişkileri gözetilerek kısaca tanıtılmış, teknik ve süsleme özellikleri irdelenmiştir. Ayrıca Medinet-üz Zehra atölyelerinden birinde başlayıp Girona Katedrali Hazinesi’nin kutsal emanet sandığına nasıl evrildiği tartışılmıştır.

Keywords

Girona Sandığı, Endülüs Maden Sanatı, II.Hakem, II.Hişam, II. Hişam’ın Sandığı, Girona Casket, Andalusia Metal Art, Al-Hakam II, Subh, The Casket of Hisham II

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