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© Museum Associates 2026
Collections

Bosse or Finial9th century

On view:
Geffen Galleries
Carved stone dome-shaped sculpture with three arched recesses, rows of small perforations, and interlocking oval link bands at the base
Stone architectural fragment, dome-shaped form with carved scrolling foliage, pierced roundels, and horizontal banded molding at the base; pitted, cream-colored surface with weathered texture.

Unknown, Bosse or Finial, 9th century, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, The Madina Collection of Islamic Art, gift of Camilla Chandler Frost, photo © Museum Associates/LACMA

Title
Bosse or Finial
Place Made
Egypt
Date Made
9th century
Medium
Stucco, carved and drilled
Dimensions
Height: 5 3/4 in. (14.6 cm); Diameter: 5 1/2 in. (13.97 cm)
Credit Line
The Madina Collection of Islamic Art, gift of Camilla Chandler Frost
Accession Number
M.2002.1.671
Classification
Stucco
Collecting Area
Art of the Middle East: Islamic
Curatorial Notes

Stucco has a long history in the Mediterranean world. Beginning in the Islamic era, it generally consisted of gypsum mixed with sand and water and was used extensively as architectural decoration as it was easily molded or carved into a variety of forms. This stucco element relates on stylistic grounds to architectural decoration from the mosque of Ibn Tulun, in Cairo. Extensively decorated with stucco, the mosque was commissioned by Ahmad ibn Tulun, the largely independent ‘Abbasid governor of Egypt, and built between 876 and 879. On the bosse or finial, stylized leaf forms alternate with reversed split leaves decorated with circular drill marks resting on a band of horizontal lozenges. Closely related designs occur on the spandrels of the arches and engaged capitals facing the courtyard of the mosque, as well as on some of the interior decoration.

2024