Capital

Title: Capital

Date: late 8th century

Geography: Made in Syria, probably Raqqa

Medium: Alabaster, gypsum; carved

Dimensions: H. 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)

Classification: Sculpture

Credit Line: Samuel D. Lee Fund, 1936

Accession Number: 36.68.1

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.

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