Octagonal Box
One of the many techniques mastered by woodworkers in al-Andalus was marquetry – fitting small pieces of different materials together, jigsaw-like, to create a pattern. This box incorporates thin slices of different species of wood, some stained green, together with ivory or bone. Its octagonal shape, complemented by 8-pointed stars on the lid and base, is echoed in the central pattern on each of the sides. The band of linked, rotated squares on the sides of the lid strongly resembles a marquetry pattern found on the late-12th or early-13th century minbar of the Qasba Mosque in Marrakech, perhaps made by Andalusi craftsmen, suggesting a similar date for this box.
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