Two panels, carved wood
Jazira; 1st half of 13th century
H: 11.2; B: 9.8 cm (40/2008)
H: 14.7; B: 10.5 cm (41/2008)
H: 14.7; B: 10.5 cm (41/2008)
Inventory number 40/2008 & 41/2008
The two panels contain masterfully designed arabesques. In the larger, pentagonal panel, the tendrils entwine effortlessly and harmoniously into all the differently shaped corners, repeating the shape of the palmettes but turning them in various directions.
The smaller, heptagonal panel seemingly holds a symmetrical composition, but a closer look reveals little variations between the right and left sides. The palmettes are staggered and the tendrils wind in different ways over and under one another. This form of decoration, in which symmetrically organized vegetal patterns are brought to life through little shifts, is characteristic of Islamic ornamentation right from the Umayyad period in the 8th century.
The smaller, heptagonal panel seemingly holds a symmetrical composition, but a closer look reveals little variations between the right and left sides. The palmettes are staggered and the tendrils wind in different ways over and under one another. This form of decoration, in which symmetrically organized vegetal patterns are brought to life through little shifts, is characteristic of Islamic ornamentation right from the Umayyad period in the 8th century.
