Author
Unknown (makers)
Publication Date
836
Publication Place
Samarra (made) -
Subject
Architectural Fittings Archaeology
Type
Other
Language
Undetermined
Digital
Yes
Manuscript
No
Physical Dimensions
Height: 24.5cm, Width: 21cm, Thickness: 9.2cm
Library
Victoria and Albert Museum
Library Asset ID
A.80:1-1922
Record ID
A.80:1-1922
Library Location
Middle East Section
Date
836
Notes
Fragment from a frieze (one of two elements), plaster, carved and incised with a Samarra bevelled-style foliate motif; Iraq (Samarra), 9th century.
Sample Text
Transliteration,
Tarihsel bağlam
Samarra was founded by the Abbasid Caliph al-Mu'tasim (r. 833-842) in 836 AD to serve as his imperial capital. The sight chosen was about 125km upstream from Baghdad on the left bank of the Tigris. The founding of new cities was an important way of displaying values of kingship. Al-Mu'tasim ordered the construction of a planned city including a network of canals, streets, monumental mosques, palaces, gardens and racecourses. He also allocated land to military and court officials, who built richly decorated palace complexes and greatly increased the size of the city. His son and successor, Caliph al-Mutawakkil (r. 847-861) ordered the construction of the famous spiral minaret at the great mosque. Construction halted at Samarra in about 880 AD and later was abandoned by the Caliph and his court in 892. At 57 km2, Samarra is today the largest Islamic archaeological site in the world. The construction of the many mosques and palaces at Samarra fostered an early flowering of architectural decoration. What mainly survives today are wall revetments in carved stucco and wall paintings on fine gypsum surfaces. Earlier Iranian (Sassanian) decorative styles influenced much of the carved stucco panels found at Samarra. The decoration was primarily based on vegetal forms but later developed into more abstract motifs. The wall paintings illustrate a wide range of subjects such as geometric patterns and courtly scenes with figurative representations of listening and playing music, banqueting and dancing. Depictions of animals, especially camels and birds also feature on fragments recovered from the site.
Malzemeler ve teknikler
Plaster, carved and incised Plaster
Parçalar
Fragment, Fragment
Fiziksel açıklama
Two fragments from an ornamental architectural wall element, plaster, carved with a repeating pattern undulating stylized foliate designs of conjoined spirals with pierced bosses in the Samarra Bevelled Style. The back has of a coarser gypsum layer, very grey in colour and full of small airholes.The carved decorative layer is thick (3.5cm) and the rough supporting back is 6.7cm. There are wooden pegs in the larger piece.
Üslup
Abbasid
