Artistic Localisation of Islamic Art Motifs on Batu Nisan Aceh
Abstract
This study examines visual culture of early Islamic funerary art in Penang by integrating art historical analysis with a visual semiotic framework. Analysing selected Batu Nisan Aceh specimens from the Masjid Melayu Lebuh Aceh site, the research deconstructs three core motifs: the Blooming Flower or Bud motif, the Four-Petaled Flower, and the Hexagonal Frame. Denotatively, these elements appear as stylised botanical shapes and geometric borders guided by strict symmetry. Connotatively, they operate as an interconnected sign system articulating Islamic theology: the blooming bud evokes mosque lamps (qanādil) to chart the soul’s ascent, the four-petaled rosette expresses cosmic harmony, and the hexagonal frame imposes structural containment. Rather than a passive replication of transregional templates, findings demonstrate a sophisticated process of localisation. By filtering external Khatā’ī and Kitʿa traditions directly into indigenous artistic grammar such as pola pemidang layout, regional artisans achieved a complete structural integration, forging a unified, distinctly regional Malay-Islamic visual language on stone.
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References
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