late 8th century
Town probably Raqqa,
Syria
Syria
Object qualities
-
Objectmansion / palace decoration: Capital
-
Type of arts & crafts
-
MediumAlabaster, gypsum; carved
-
SizeH. 13 3/4 in. (34.9 cm) W. 15 1/4 in. (38.7 cm) D. 8 in. (20.3 cm) Wt. 104 lbs (47.2 kg)
-
Geography detailsMade in
Town probably Raqqa,
Syria -
Country today
-
Datelate 8th century
Source of information
-
Type of sourceDatabase “Metropolitan Museum of Art”
-
Fund that the source refers toMetropolitan Museum of Art
Description
-
This object exhibits the decorative language of Samarra, the second and temporary Abbasid capital. Among the various styles of surface ornament created at Samarra, the beveled style is the most well known. This style refers to a form of ornamentation based on a vegetal design that was slant cut so that the foreground and background become almost indistinguishable.