INCRIPTIONS OF PIETY AND COPTIC SAINTS IN OLD CAIRO (FUSTAT) by Fatima Nooruddin Esmail APPROVED BY SUPERVISORY COMMITTEE: _________________________________________ Sarah Kozlowski _________________________________________ Maximilian Schich _________________________________________ Ali Asgar H. Alibhai _________________________________________ Paul Galvez Copyright 2019 Fatima Nooruddin Esmail All Rights Reserved This paper is dedicated in memory of my father who encouraged me to be a lifelong learner INSCRIPTIONS OF PIETY AND COPTIC SAINTS IN OLD CAIRO (FUSTAT) by FATIMA NOORUDDIN ESMAIL, BA THESIS Presented to the Faculty of The University of Texas at Dallas in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of MASTERS OF ARTS IN ART HISTORY THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT DALLAS December 2019 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This work owes a debt of gratitude to a number of individuals and entities who have guided and supported me on this journey. My family was always there to provide the material and moral support, encouraging me to persevere even when the going got tough. My advising faculty were a constant presence, advising and guiding me forward on this academic and intellectual journey, and helping me see it to the end. I am thankful for the opportunity provided by the Edith O’Donnell Institute of Art History, to travel to Cairo, Egypt, to conduct site-specific research. Last, but not the least, I would like to express my appreciation to the Library at The University of Texas at Dallas, especially the interlibrary loan department, which provided valuable resource material in a timely fashion, enabling the research work to come to its fruition. November 2019 v INSCRIPTIONS OF PIETY AND COPTIC SAINTS IN OLD CAIRO (FUSTAT) Fatima Nooruddin Esmail, MA The University of Texas at Dallas, 2019 Supervising Professor: Sarah Kozlowski ABSTRACT An artifact in the Keir Collection of Islamic Art, a double-sided folio with saintly drawings of haloed figures and inscriptions in Coptic and Arabic, is the subject of this paper. The artifact has not been researched before and except for the brief catalogue entry in the Keir Collection Catalogue, the author did not find any secondary scholarship on this artifact. It has been grouped within the label of “Fustat Fragments,” and has not been studied closely in relation to the drawings and the inscriptions, nor have the identities of the figures of the drawings been accurately determined. The informal quality of the line drawings and rough, hastily penned inscriptions raise interesting questions on the nature and purpose of this object. Through a close analysis of the visual, textual and the physical characteristics of the fragment, this paper attempts to answer some questions raised. The questions pertain to the identification of the figures, the stylistic and iconographical elements of the illustrations, the content of the inscriptions, the literary corpus they originate from and, whether the fragment belonged within a manuscript, as well as the time period and historical context of its production. The study identifies the figures as the equestrian martyr Saint George and the Archangel Michael, who are widely venerated in vi Coptic Christianity as protectors and intercessors. The inscriptions have been identified as consisting of biblical passages and extracts from psalms contained within the Agpeya, the book of hours of Coptic (Egyptian) Christians. For the Coptic Christians, the religiosity and reverence that the figures of Saint George and Archangel Michael inspire, the roles that define them, and the narratives that they are associated with, make them objects of devotion and power. The narratives emerging in the illustrations relate to the ideas of the triumph of goodness over evil, intercession between God and mankind and protection from adversities of life and safe passage into eternity. The discussion throws light on the Coptic painting traditions and iconographical programs that promoted the saintly narratives, and the styles that were in use in the Premodern period, such as the Akhmim Style from Upper Egypt, as well as the artists that propagated the art. The translation and analysis of the biblical content of the inscriptions, which contain invocations to Christ and Virgin Mary, brings into play the literary tradition pertaining to religious texts, the historical context of Copto-Arabic literature, the preservation of religious texts through manuscripts production, and the role of the monasteries in this area of activity. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .............................................................................................................. v LIST OF FIGURES ...................................................................................................................... x CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................... 1 Keir Folio – Description ............................................................................................................. 2 Keir Folio and its Problematics................................................................................................... 2 Keir Folio – Thesis...................................................................................................................... 4 Keir Folio – Argument ................................................................................................................ 5 Coptic Christians – Historical Context ....................................................................................... 6 Keir Folio – Findings .................................................................................................................. 8 CHAPTER 2 KEIR FOLIO – PHYSICAL ASPECTS ............................................................... 11 The Condition of the Fragment ................................................................................................. 11 CHAPTER 3 KEIR FOLIO – DRAWINGS ............................................................................... 16 St. George - The Depiction of the Equestrian Saint.................................................................. 16 St. George – Martyrdom Narratives .......................................................................................... 17 Roles of St. George – Protector and Intercessor ....................................................................... 18 St. George – Iconographical Aspects ........................................................................................ 19 St. George - Martyr Saint to Military Saint .............................................................................. 23 Archangel Michael – Depiction of the archangel ..................................................................... 24 Archangel Michael – Iconographical Aspects .......................................................................... 26 The Radiate Crown ................................................................................................................... 28 Keir Folio Drawings - Style ...................................................................................................... 30 Visual Connections – Akhmim Icons and Keir Drawings ........................................................ 35 Development of the Akhmim Style .......................................................................................... 37 Akhmim Style – Inspirations and Influences ............................................................................ 39 CHAPTER 4 KEIR FOLIO – INSCRIPTIONS .......................................................................... 42 Nature and Content ................................................................................................................... 42 Coptic Piety and the Agpeya..................................................................................................... 43 Inscription (Archangel Michael) - Visual Analysis .................................................................. 44 Inscription (Archangel Michael) - Translation ......................................................................... 46 viii Inscription (Archangel Michael) - Coptic-Arabic ..................................................................... 47 Inscription (Saint George) - Visual Analysis ............................................................................ 49 Inscription (Saint George) - Translation ................................................................................... 49 Inscriptions (Keir Folio) - Monastic Connections .................................................................... 52 CHAPTER 5 CONCLUSION...................................................................................................... 56 Areas of Further Study .............................................................................................................. 57 APPENDIX FIGURES ................................................................................................................ 60 BIBLIOGRAPHY ......................................................................................................................... 86 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH ........................................................................................................ 92 CURRICULUM VITAE ............................................................................................................... 93 ix LIST OF FIGURES Fig.1 Fostat, Fragment with a drawing of Archangel