- Title
- Muqarnas decoration
- Date Made
- 15th century
- Medium
- Earthenware, cuerda seca technique
- Dimensions
- Height: 13 3/4 in. (34 cm )
- Accession Number
- M.85.237.79
- Collecting Area
- Art of the Middle East: Islamic
- Curatorial Notes
Specifically associated with Islamic architecture, the muqarnas is a three-dimensional decorative element that resembles a honeycomb or stalactite. From the twelfth-century onward, muqarnas were typically used to decorate entrance portals and especially interior spaces in and around domes. Although a modular unit now separated from its original architectural context, this glazed ceramic muqarnas tile still alludes to the stunning effect it would have had when multiplied within larger ensembles with the play of light and shadow across its projected and recessed surfaces.
- Selected Bibliography
- Collins, Kristen, and Nancy K. Turner, editors. Lumen: The Art and Science of Light, 800-1600. Los Angeles: J. Paul Getty Museum, 2024.
