Capital in the "Beveled Style"
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.
Artwork Details
- Title: Capital in the "Beveled Style"
- 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
- Object Number: 36.68.1
- Curatorial Department: Islamic Art
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late 8th century
late 8th century
late 7th–first half 8th century
9th–10th century
10th century
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