Panelsecond half 7th century - first half 8th century

On view:

Geffen Galleries

Title: Panel
Place Made: Egypt
Date Made: second half 7th century - first half 8th century
Medium: Bone, carved
Dimensions: 4 1/4 x 2 1/2 in. (10.79 x 6.35 cm)
Credit Line: The Madina Collection of Islamic Art, gift of Camilla Chandler Frost
Accession Number: M.2002.1.521
Classification: Organic Materials
Collecting Area: Art of the Middle East: Islamic
Curatorial Notes: The Late Antique desire for luxury objects carved from ivory or bone carried on with the advent of Islam, and this small bone plaque is one example of the continuing craft. Ivory and bone were used to make containers, frames, and other portable objects, but a smaller carved piece like this one may have been used as embellishment on furniture or a box. Its subtle single-level relief carving and trefoil vine decoration are typical of the early Islamic period in Egypt (see also M.2002.1.536), where artisans continued to ply their craft but under the new faith and leadership.

2016/2024
Selected Bibliography: Contadini, Anna. "Fatimid Ivories within a Mediterranean Culture." Journal of the David Collection 2:2 (2005), 227-48.
Lo Terrenal y lo Divino: Arte Islámico siglos VII al XIX Colección del Museo de Arte del Condado de Los Ángeles. Santiago: Centro Cultural La Moneda, 2015.
Komaroff, Linda. Beauty and Identity: Islamic Art from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 2016.

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