Panel with abstract decoration9th century

On view:

Geffen Galleries

Carved wood panel with symmetrical relief decoration of scrolls and volutes flanking a central tapering V-shape, honey-tan wood with visible grain and age cracks

Carved wooden panel with symmetrical interlacing scrollwork and foliate motifs in relief, weathered pale oak with visible wood grain and aged surface.

Carved wooden panel with weathered, light-gray surface featuring a symmetrical interlaced design of curvilinear scrolls and tapered forms arranged vertically within a recessed rectangular border.

Tall rectangular wooden panel with deeply carved symmetrical curvilinear designs, featuring spiral scrolls and interlocking forms arranged vertically; weathered pale brown wood with visible grain and surface cracks.

Title: Panel with abstract decoration
Place Made: Egypt
Date Made: 9th century
Medium: Wood, carved
Dimensions: 25 1/4 x 8 in. (64.2 x 20.3 cm)
Credit Line: The Nasli M. Heeramaneck Collection, gift of Joan Palevsky
Accession Number: M.73.5.405
Classification: Wood
Collecting Area: Art of the Middle East: Islamic
Curatorial Notes: This beautifully carved panel comes from Egypt, where wood, on account of its relative rarity and cost, was decorated with care and used in contexts generally reserved for luxury goods. Although it is impossible to determine this panel’s original use—perhaps it once formed part of a door—it can be assigned to the late ninth century on the basis of its beveled-style carving, characterized by slant-cut relief, organic designs, and an absence of negative space. Here, the carver transformed leaves into abstract motifs. First developed in Iraq, the beveled style was quickly adopted by artists working in a variety of mediums and in many parts of the Islamic world, including Egypt.

2024
Selected Bibliography: Pal, Pratapaditya, ed. Islamic Art: The Nasli M. Heeramaneck Collection. Los Angeles: Museum Associates, 1973.
Komaroff, Linda. Islamic Art at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Los Angeles: Museum Associates, 2005.
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.

Panel with abstract decoration9th century

On view:

Geffen Galleries

Title: Panel with abstract decoration
Place Made: Egypt
Date Made: 9th century
Medium: Wood, carved
Dimensions: 25 1/4 x 8 in. (64.2 x 20.3 cm)
Credit Line: The Nasli M. Heeramaneck Collection, gift of Joan Palevsky
Accession Number: M.73.5.405
Classification: Wood
Collecting Area: Art of the Middle East: Islamic
Curatorial Notes: This beautifully carved panel comes from Egypt, where wood, on account of its relative rarity and cost, was decorated with care and used in contexts generally reserved for luxury goods. Although it is impossible to determine this panel’s original use—perhaps it once formed part of a door—it can be assigned to the late ninth century on the basis of its beveled-style carving, characterized by slant-cut relief, organic designs, and an absence of negative space. Here, the carver transformed leaves into abstract motifs. First developed in Iraq, the beveled style was quickly adopted by artists working in a variety of mediums and in many parts of the Islamic world, including Egypt.

2024
Selected Bibliography: Pal, Pratapaditya, ed. Islamic Art: The Nasli M. Heeramaneck Collection. Los Angeles: Museum Associates, 1973.
Komaroff, Linda. Islamic Art at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Los Angeles: Museum Associates, 2005.
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.