Medieval Islamic Culture: Gifts and Their Significance
Double-Headed Eagle Silk Fragment
In medieval Islamic culture, gift-giving art was often centralized around various diplomatic practices, holidays, and official correspondences. These ideas can be tied to the idea of community by sharing ideas, practices, cultures, and objects. Gifts were often used in communities to display political power, form alliances, and resolve social conflict. The ingenious water clock gifted to Charlemagne by Abbasid caliph Harun Al Rashid is a prime example of gift-giving to strengthen alliances. Not only were the extravagant gifts the start of a friendship between the two kings, but also an exchange of culture, enriching the Romans with the technology they had yet to discover. Ivory caskets were used to carry various gifts, often including precious jewels and perfumes, and given for various purposes. Specifically, the Pyxis of Zamora was a gift from Al-Hakam II to his favorite concubine, thanking her childbearing abilities, which brought him his son, Abd Al-Rahman, and the Pyxis of al-Mughira may have been gifted to al-Mughira during ‘Eid al-Fatir to commemorate his ascension to the throne. The Innsbruck Dish was given to Rukn al-Dawla Dawud b. Sōkmen, one of the Artuqid rulers of Hisn Kayfa. The production site of this object is unknown; however, based on the object’s artistic elements, the Innsbruck Dish is thought to have originated in Byzantium or Georgia. The Innsbruck Dish displays the ascension of Alexander the Great, a common image displayed among medieval Islamic art and architecture, and conveys a message of leadership, justice, and wisdom. The silk fragment found in the tomb of Bernat Calbo depicts a double-headed eagle. The status associated with the double-headed eagle symbol is highly sought after for its strong connections with power and luxury. Despite differences in art forms, these gifts were used as modes of fostering community and held various purposes.