Ricerc@Sapienza

This paper re-examines a mural painting discovered during the fourth excavation season in the Qasr al-Imara of Kufa (Iraq) in 1957 and published in 1971. A re-assessment of the archaeological context and the iconographical analysis of the painting allow us to confirm its dating to the early decades from the foundation of Kufa (638-661 CE) and therefore

This paper proposes an iconographical and stylistic analysis of a carved ivory plaque kept at the Walters Art Gallery in Baltimore (acc. no. 71.62). It will show that it is not a Coptic artefact featuring a Sasanian king, as assumed until now, but an Umayyad artefact which must be contextualised within a specific tradition of imagery related to the expression of the Umayyad concept of Caliphal authority.