Panel of Tiles from a Public Fountain (cheshme)

Inscriptions

At the top, partially in "mirror-image" writing (Arabic): ya hayy, ya qayyum, wa-lillah al-izza jami'an. O ever-living one, O self-sustaining one, O God, and to God is all power. (pious invocation, first two words from the Ayet-i Kursi in the Koran). Two panels below (Turkish): Zeyn etti bu makami Abulhalim Efendi Omr-i tavile irsun fersend-i ercumendi. Abdulhalim Efendi decorated this place May his descendants live long.

Label

A profusion of blue, green, red, and white ornamentation spreads across the surface of this arched tile panel. In the upper portion of the panel, inscriptions loop and curl among the symmetrical floral and geometric patterns. The band of green Turkish script against a white background gives the name of the panel’s donor, Abdülhalim Efendi, along with wishes for the prosperity of his family; the cartouche of white intertwining Arabic calligraphy against a blue background reads, in part, “O ever-living one, O self-sustaining one, O God . . .”

The arched form of these panels and the pious inscriptions caused early researchers to assume that this object was a mihrab, the niche that indicates the direction of Mecca in an Islamic mosque. However, we now believe that the tiles were part of a cheshme, or public fountain, and were made in Diyarbekir in southeast Turkey following the style of the popular Iznik ceramic workshops. While the prominent inscriptions, vegetal decorations, and large scale of the cheshme pair nicely with the Assyrian reliefs also in this gallery, these Islamic tiles are anything but ancient. Why do you think they might have been included here?

From the 2024 exhibition Ancient Narratives: A New Look at Old Art, curated by Ashley B. Offill, Curator of Collections

Before you leave, immerse yourself in the intricately painted tiles of the Ottoman-era public fountain on view in the adjacent gallery. Notice the Islamic scripture at the top of the arch: “O Ever-Living one, O Self-Sustaining one, O God, and to God is all power.” These words continue the tradition of invoking God’s names in Arabic. Notice the use of blue; this color combines with the Quranic script to ward off evil and invoke protection under God. As you think about your daily life, consider how this symbolism invites a moment of reflection on the connections between tradition, spirituality, and your own identity.

From the 2024 exhibition A Space for Dialogue 120, Faces of Faith: Unveiling the Beauty of Islamic Art, curated by Noor Najeeb '25, Conroy Intern 

Course History

CLST 12.03, ANTH 13.01, Who Owns the Past?, Julie Hruby and Jesse Casana, Winter 2020

ITAL 3.01, Introductory Italian 3, Damiano Benvegnu, Winter 2020

SART 17.08, Digital Drawing, Karol Kawiaka, Fall 2020

COCO 26.01, What's in Your Toolbox?, Heidi Denzel and Mokhtar Bouba, Fall 2022

COCO 26.01, What's in Your Toolbox?, Heidi Denzel and Mokhtar Bouba, Fall 2022

Anthropology 3.01, Introduction to Anthropology, Charis Ford Morrison Boke, Summer 2023

Art History 31.01, Arts of South Asia, Seher Agarwala, Fall 2023

Italian 3.01, Introductory Italian III, Floriana Ciniglia, Winter 2024

Religion 16.05, Middle Eastern Studies 17.20, The Qur'an and the Prophet, Emily Silkaitis, Winter 2024

Religion 4.01, Jewish Studies 4.01, Religion of Israel: Hebrew Bible, Susan Ackerman, Winter 2024

Studio Art 16.01, Sculpture I, Matt Siegle, Winter 2024

Anthropology 55.01, Anthropology of Global Health, Anne Sosin, Spring 2024

Geography 21.01, International Studies 18.01, Global Health and Society, Anne Sosin, Spring 2024

Religion 16.01, Middle Eastern Studies 6.02, An Introduction to Islam, Emily Silkaitis, Spring 2024

Exhibition History

Ancient and Premodern Global Cultures, Gene Y. Kim Gallery, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, January 26, 2019.

Asian Art from the College Collection, Barrows Print Room and Strauss Gallery, Hopkins Center Art Galleries, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, March 5-31, 1973/74?

Gene Y. Kim, Class of 1985, Gallery, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, April 3, 1992-June 22, 1997.

Gene Y. Kim, Class of 1985, Gallery, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, September 16, 1997.

Global Cultures at the Hood: Ancient to Premodern, Gene Y. Kim Gallery, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, January 26. 2019.

Referenced within the exhibition A Space for Dialogue 120, Faces of Faith: Unveiling the Beauty of Islamic Art, Noor Najeeb '25, Conroy Intern, Alvin P. Gutman Gallery, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, September 7 - October 27, 2024.

The Here and the Hereafter: Images of Paradise in Islamic Art, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, March 26-May 19, 1991.

Publication History

Upper Valley Magazine Preview of the Arts, January/February 1995,Van Etten, Inc., 1995, ill. p. 57

Facing Islam, Dartmouth Alumni Magazine, Hanover, N.H.: Dartmouth College, 1992.

Blair, Sheila and Bloom, Jonathan. "Images of Paradise in Islamic Art." Hanover, New Hampshire: Hood Museum of Art, page 71, cat. no. 5, color plate, frontispiece.

John R. Stomberg, The Hood Now: Art and Inquiry at Dartmouth, Hanover, New Hampshire: Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, 2019, p. 90, ill. plate no. 21.

Provenance

Collected by Bonnie Dora Jones Smith (1899-1990) and Ray Winfield Smith (1897-1982), Houston, Texas, date unknown; given to present collection, 1971.

This record is part of an active database that includes information from historic documentation that may not have been recently reviewed. Information may be inaccurate or incomplete. We also acknowledge some language and imagery may be offensive, violent, or discriminatory. These records reflect the institution’s history or the views of artists or scholars, past and present. Our collections research is ongoing.

We welcome questions, feedback, and suggestions for improvement. Please contact us at: Hood.Collections@dartmouth.edu

Subjects