The Chertsey Tiles: Fragmentary Bowl with Pseudo-Arabic inscription by Abigail Koczko '24
12023-01-17T09:57:17-08:00Brooke Hendershottb0a907cd0f989ee79e94592378a1545647719cfb394471For more information about the Chertsey tiles and associated medieval objects, visit https://chertseytiles.holycross.edu.plain2023-01-17T09:57:18-08:00YouTube2023-01-12T20:36:37Zd3mjUu0VnjQThe Chertsey TilesBrooke Hendershottb0a907cd0f989ee79e94592378a1545647719cfb
The most prominent features of this bowl are its cobalt and gold luster and its pseudo-Arabic inscription. Pseudo-Arabic means that these inscriptions are not legible Arabic; they are imitations of Arabic letters without any meaning. The pseudo-Arabic inscription on the inner section of the bowl suggests it is a Byzantine, crusader, or Frankish imitation of Islamic art. However, some Islamic objects also make use of pseudo-Arabic inscriptions. Arabic inscriptions in Islamic art were common, for the language was very important to Muslims. Many non-Muslims also appreciated Arabic and pseudo-Arabic inscriptions.
