Octagonal Box

late 12th or early 13th century

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 306

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.

Artwork Details

Object Information

Overview

Provenance

Exhibition History

References

Title: Octagonal Box
Date: late 12th or early 13th century
Culture: Spanish
Medium: Elephant ivory or bone, various woods, polychromy, gilded copper alloy mounts
Dimensions: Overall: 6 1/8 x 5 9/16 x 5 1/2 in. (15.6 x 14.1 x 13.9 cm)
Classifications: Ivories-Elephant, Ivories-Bone, Woodwork-Miscellany
Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1950
Object Number: 50.86
Curatorial Department: Medieval Art and The Cloisters

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