- Title
- Panel with abstract decoration
- Date Made
- 9th century
- Medium
- Wood, carved
- Dimensions
- 25 1/4 x 8 in. (64.2 x 20.3 cm)
- Accession Number
- M.73.5.405
- Collecting Area
- Art of the Middle East: Islamic
- Curatorial Notes
This beautifully carved wood panel comes from Egypt, where wood, on account of its rarity and cost, was decorated with care and used in contexts generally reserved for luxury materials. Although it is impossible to determine how this panel was used originally—perhaps it once formed part of a door—it is possible to assign it to the late ninth century on the basis of its distinctive decoration, with its characteristic beveled style of carving, here depicting stylized leaves that have been transformed into abstract motifs. First developed in Iraq, this beveled style was quickly adopted by artists in many parts of the Islamic empire, including Egypt.
