Capital, 9th century; cAbbasid
Syria
Carved alabaster
Technical Glossary
Syria
Carved alabaster
13 3/4 x 15 1/4 in. (34.9 x 38.7 cm)
Samuel D. Lee Fund, 1936 (36.68.1)
This capital exhibits the Samarran style known as "beveled," after its particular type of slant-cutting. The most characteristic feature is the total abstraction of the design to the point that the foreground and background may become indistinguishable. The decorative language of Samarra’, the cAbbasid capital from 836 to 883, would represent the basis for all future developments in the Islamic world.
