Publication Date
1200
Publication Place
Egypt (made) Cairo (made) -
Subject
Woodwork Africa Architecture
Type
Other
Language
Undetermined
Digital
Yes
Manuscript
No
Physical Dimensions
Length: 54.3 cm, Height: 15 cm, Depth: 3.7 cm
Library
Victoria and Albert Museum
Library Asset ID
W.88-1911
Record ID
W.88-1911
Library Location
Middle East Section
Date
1200
Notes
This panel was carved in Egypt during the period of Ayyubid rule (1171- 1250), when Egypt was ruled by the dynasty of Salah al-Din Yusuf ibn Ayyub (more commonly known as Saladin the conqueror). It would have belonged to a set of other carved panels intended to decorate a door, or larger piece of furniture. The perforated edges indicate that this panel fit into another structure, and would have been surrounded by other panels of varying shape and size. At the time, Medieval Egypt witnessed a great flourishing of wood carving, with surviving pieces associated with architecture, being friezes, door panels and surface panels and beams, many of which are currently preserved in situ within Coptic churches, mosques and secular buildings in Cairo. While surviving pieces of Islamic woodwork date back to the seventh century, Medieval examples demonstrate a complex and wide iconographic repertoire of designs, motifs, and figures, building upon previous Abbasid, Coptic and Tulunid styles while exploiting foliated intersections, overlapping fields, and interlace patterns. The rich and layered carvings created by wood carvers warranted considerable appreciation, and for this reason, were often re purposed in later architectural or decorative furnishings. Despite wood having existing in abundance in Egypt, much wood during the Medieval period was believed to have been imported. Indeed, examples of Medieval woodwork from Egypt exists in a variety of woods including pine, acacia, cypress, ebony and teak, these reflecting both indigenous as well as imported species. The cost of both importing the wood along with the fine craftsmanship employed, suggests that this particular panel was part of a luxury market.
Malzemeler ve teknikler
Carved wood
Fiziksel açıklama
Rectangular wooden panel carved with a horizontal composition comprising an elongated hexagon with an antelope depicted in standing profile â decorated with small carved circles - flanked by an eight-pointed star. The entire composition is densely decorated with foliated scrollwork patterning.
