Material Objects Archive

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Objects, images, and a proliferation of materialities engage bodies and minds, events and ideas, in ways both profound and subtle. Material objects, especially as they are activated in religious practices broadly conceived, are situated at the heart of MAVCOR. This Material Objects Archive offers an ever-expanding online gallery of such objects. We invite you to use it as a tool for thinking and teaching, researching and writing—and we welcome your suggestions and contributions to this collaborative enterprise.

In 2017, MAVCOR initiated the MAVCOR Digital Spaces Project, documenting sacred spaces via 360º panorama (360s) and high resolution giga-pixel (Zooms) photography. You can view all Digital Spaces Project 360s and Zooms here, or you can check the appropriate box in the Material Objects Archive search to view affiliated material objects.

Material Objects

Folio from the "Blue Qur'an"

Date:
mid 9th-mid 10th century CE
Medium:
gold, silver, indigo, parchment, writing
Tradition:
Islamic
Place of Origin:
Tunisia
Repository:
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Keywords:
Qur'an, Text, Islam, Paper, Manuscript
Maqsura of Kairouan

Date:
1016-1062 CE
Medium:
wood, cutting
Tradition:
Islamic
Place of Origin:
Kairouan
Keywords:
Maqsura, Screen, Mosque, Kairouan, Islam
Bifolium from the "Nurse's Qur'an" (Mushaf al-Hadina)

Date:
1019-1020 CE
Medium:
ink, watercolor, gold, parchment, watercolor painting
Tradition:
Islamic
Place of Origin:
Kairouan
Repository:
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Keywords:
Islam, Text, Qur'an, Paper, Kairouan, Manuscript
Fragment of Ibn Abd al-Hakam's Minor Compendium, Kairouan

Date:
late 10th or early 11th centuries CE
Medium:
parchment, ink
Tradition:
Islamic
Place of Origin:
Kairouan
Repository:
National Laboratory for the Preservation and Conservation of Parchment and Manuscripts, Raqqada, Kairouan, Tunisia (NLPCPM)
Keywords:
Islam, Text, Paper, Fragments, Kairouan, Manuscript
Box of parchment fragments, Kairouan

Medium:
parchment, ink, archiving
Tradition:
Islamic
Place of Origin:
Kairouan
Repository:
National Laboratory for the Preservation and Conservation of Parchment and Manuscripts, Raqqada, Kairouan, Tunisia (NLPCPM)
Keywords:
Islam, Text, Paper, Fragments, Kairouan, Manuscript
Ayat Al Kursi Round

Date:
2010s CE
Medium:
stainless steel
Tradition:
Islamic
Place of Origin:
Skokie
Keywords:
Islam, Text, Modern Muslim, Modernity, Islamic Wall Art, Decorative Art, Qur'an, Throne Verse
Statue of Avalokitesvara

Date:
2018 CE
Tradition:
Himalayan Buddhist, Tibetan Buddhist, Sikkimese Buddhist
Place of Origin:
Sikkim
Subject:
Avalokitesvara
Keywords:
Avalokitesvara, Chenrezig, Statue, Buddha, Buddhism, Himalayas
The concrete hotel landscape of Pelling

Date:
2020 CE
Medium:
concrete, architecture
Place of Origin:
Sikkim
Keywords:
Built environment, Concrete, Architecture, Himalayas, Hotels
White sesame seeds for inclusion in the Riwo Sangchö

Date:
2020 CE
Medium:
seed, rituals
Tradition:
Himalayan Buddhist, Tibetan Buddhist, Sikkimese Buddhist
Place of Origin:
Sikkim
Keywords:
Ritual, Purification, Sang, Incense, Riwo Sangchö, Himalayas, Ritual materials
Black sesame seeds for inclusion in the Riwo Sangchö

Date:
2020 CE
Medium:
seed, rituals
Tradition:
Himalayan Buddhist, Tibetan Buddhist, Sikkimese Buddhist
Place of Origin:
Sikkim
Keywords:
Ritual, Purification, Sang, Incense, Riwo Sangchö, Himalayas, Ritual materials
Silk and other precious textiles to be included in the Riwo Sangchö

Date:
2020 CE
Medium:
silk, textile materials, rituals
Tradition:
Himalayan Buddhist, Tibetan Buddhist, Sikkimese Buddhist
Place of Origin:
Sikkim
Keywords:
Ritual, Purification, Sang, Incense, Riwo Sangchö, Himalayas, Ritual materials
Honey for inclusion in the Riwo Sangchö

Date:
2020 CE
Medium:
honey, rituals
Tradition:
Himalayan Buddhist, Tibetan Buddhist, Sikkimese Buddhist
Place of Origin:
Sikkim
Keywords:
Ritual, Purification, Sang, Incense, Riwo Sangchö, Himalayas, Ritual materials