Carved Finialsecond half of 14th century

Not on view

Title: Carved Finial
Place Made: Northern Iran, probably Mazandaran
Date Made: second half of 14th century
Medium: Wood with traces of paint
Dimensions: Height: 14 in. (35.56 cm); Diameter: 6 in. (15.24 cm)
Credit Line: The Madina Collection of Islamic Art, gift of Camilla Chandler Frost
Accession Number: M.2002.1.15
Classification: Wood
Collecting Area: Art of the Middle East: Islamic
Curatorial Notes: Due to their inherent fragility, wood objects from the medieval Islamic world do not survive in great numbers, and those that do are primarily from interior settings, where they were protected from the elements. Most extant examples from Iran can be associated with religious institutions, in which they were safeguarded from the frequent warfare punctuating the rise and fall of dynasties and the ensuing destruction of palaces and other secular edifices. This relief-carved finial may have formed part of a cenotaph (grave marker) from a tomb or perhaps a minbar (pulpit) from a mosque.
Selected Bibliography: 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.