Week 5: Single Artwork Blog Post
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| Dado Panel, Courtyard of the Royal Palace of Mas’ud III, Marble, 28 1/8"x12 13/16"x3 1/2" |
The piece above is a Dado Panel from the palace of Mas'ud III of Ghazni. Mas'ud III was one of the rulers during the Ghaznavid dynasty. He ruled over the Indian subcontinent. This piece dates to the 22nd of March, 1112. As of 2009, the panel’s dimensions are 28 ⅛ x 12 13/16, 3 ½. A Dado Panel is a lower section of a wall, usually decorated with various things. The word Dado is borrowed from Italian meaning dice or cube, it refers to a die, an architectural term for the middle of a plinth or pedestal. This panel was not found on the site of the palace, it was connected to the palace panels by examining the carvings on this panel and carvings found at the palace and determined that they were from the same place. The panel can be broken up into three parts. The top is a Kufic inscription, a type of Arabic script. The Brooklyn Museum says that the inscription at the top of the panel is part of a poem. The central part is the design, vegetal motif and trefoil elements. The bottom section is two interlaced scrolls. This panel would have been painted blue and red, it would also be gilded (painted or plated with gold or silver). At the time that Mas’ud III was ruler, the Ghaznavid dynasty was in its waning period.
The Ghaznavid dynasty is an older dynasty compared to other pieces that have been covered in this class. For example, the palace that we covered in class, the Alhambra, began construction in 1238. The panels found in the Alhambra were made of glazed ceramic tile, whereas the panels found in Mas’ud III’s palace were marble. They were also found in completely different places. According to SmartHistory, the Ghazavids deviated from the artistic norms of the time by using Persian in the Dado Panels, which was unique at the time. They used the inscription in the Dado to honor the leaders and mark the construction of the building which was also unusual.
This piece has an interesting and slightly controversial past. This piece most likely was obtained in a legal way but if it had been found in the United States, some of the archaeological laws of obtaining/excavating artifacts would have been broken. This piece was not given to a museum right away and was placed in someone’s personal collection before being given as a gift to the Brooklyn Museum.
Hi Andrew, you picked a very interesting piece for this weeks blog! I think you organized your article very well and really touched on all the important details and facts relating to this artwork. Thats cool that there is such a controversial past behind this piece. Do you think there is a reason why the Dado Panel wasn't given to a museum right away? Talking a little more about that would really keep the reader's attention. Nice article!
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