Wooden beam, carved on three sides. From the house of Samuel Ha-Levi in Toledo
Spain, Toledo; c. 1360
H: 19; D: 19; L: 238 cm
Inventory number D 14/1986
Despite the strife in Spain between Muslims and Christians, there was also extensive religious tolerance in both camps right to the 16th century.
This beam comes from the house in Toledo of Samuel Ha-Levi, the Jewish treasurer of the Christian King Pedro the Cruel. It was placed above a door opening, where its carvings on three sides came into their own.
Toledo was conquered by the Christians in 1085, and in the ensuing period the city’s Muslim craftsmen were known for their fine woodcarving and other skills. Their work was much in demand throughout southern Spain among the wealthy non-Muslim clientele of the day.
This beam comes from the house in Toledo of Samuel Ha-Levi, the Jewish treasurer of the Christian King Pedro the Cruel. It was placed above a door opening, where its carvings on three sides came into their own.
Toledo was conquered by the Christians in 1085, and in the ensuing period the city’s Muslim craftsmen were known for their fine woodcarving and other skills. Their work was much in demand throughout southern Spain among the wealthy non-Muslim clientele of the day.
Published in
Published in
Emil Hannover: Det danske Kunstindustrimuseums Virksomhed 1920-21, København 1921, pp. 45-46, fig. 25;
Andreas Nachama, Gereon Sievernich (eds.): Jüdische Lebenswelten: Katalog, 12. Januar - 26. April 1992, Martin-Gropius-Bau, Berlin 1991 cat.no. 12/14, pp. 268-269;
Art from the World of Islam. 8th-18th century, Louisiana, Humlebæk 1987, cat.no. 172;
Kjeld von Folsach: Islamic art. The David Collection, Copenhagen 1990, cat.no. 294;
Kjeld von Folsach, Torben Lundbæk and Peder Mortensen (eds.): Sultan, Shah and Great Mughal: the history and culture of the Islamic world, The National Museum, Copenhagen 1996, cat.no 197;
Kjeld von Folsach: Art from the World of Islam in The David Collection, Copenhagen 2001, cat.no. 434;
Andreas Nachama, Gereon Sievernich (eds.): Jüdische Lebenswelten: Katalog, 12. Januar - 26. April 1992, Martin-Gropius-Bau, Berlin 1991 cat.no. 12/14, pp. 268-269;
Art from the World of Islam. 8th-18th century, Louisiana, Humlebæk 1987, cat.no. 172;
Kjeld von Folsach: Islamic art. The David Collection, Copenhagen 1990, cat.no. 294;
Kjeld von Folsach, Torben Lundbæk and Peder Mortensen (eds.): Sultan, Shah and Great Mughal: the history and culture of the Islamic world, The National Museum, Copenhagen 1996, cat.no 197;
Kjeld von Folsach: Art from the World of Islam in The David Collection, Copenhagen 2001, cat.no. 434;
Ivory, Wood, and Papier-mâché
