Panneau Almohade ou Mérinide en bois sculpté, Afrique du Nord...
PROPERTY FROM A ROYAL COLLECTION
Panneau Almohade ou Mérinide en bois sculpté, Afrique du Nord ou Espagne XII-XIVe siècle
An Almohad or Merinid carved wood panel, North Africa or Spain, 12th/14th Century
carved in relief with a design composed of polylobed arches enclosing kufic lettering, with central palmette, all on a ground of arabesque interlace, traces of paint
39.5 x 18.5 cm.
Provenance
Property from a Royal Collection.
Inscriptions: undeciphered.
Carved wooden friezes, of which the present lot is probably a section, were placed near the ceiling as important features of interior decoration. Such friezes are exemplified by two madrasas in Fez, Bu 'Inaniyya and al-'Attarin, which feature such panels within their interior courtyards. They were also known to sometimes feature colour, as demonstrated within the present lot. A larger comparative polychrome panel can be found in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Acc. No. 1985.241. This panel also features a similar decorative programme to that featured within our example, comprising cusped arches and palmettes surrounded by intricate vegetal decoration. For a further large, non-polychrome, example featuring a comparative decorative scheme sold at Sotheby's, see Arts of the Islamic World, 6 April 2011, Lot 300.
Sale price
Estimate
Time, Location
Auction House
PROPERTY FROM A ROYAL COLLECTION
Panneau Almohade ou Mérinide en bois sculpté, Afrique du Nord ou Espagne XII-XIVe siècle
An Almohad or Merinid carved wood panel, North Africa or Spain, 12th/14th Century
carved in relief with a design composed of polylobed arches enclosing kufic lettering, with central palmette, all on a ground of arabesque interlace, traces of paint
39.5 x 18.5 cm.
Provenance
Property from a Royal Collection.
Inscriptions: undeciphered.
Carved wooden friezes, of which the present lot is probably a section, were placed near the ceiling as important features of interior decoration. Such friezes are exemplified by two madrasas in Fez, Bu 'Inaniyya and al-'Attarin, which feature such panels within their interior courtyards. They were also known to sometimes feature colour, as demonstrated within the present lot. A larger comparative polychrome panel can be found in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Acc. No. 1985.241. This panel also features a similar decorative programme to that featured within our example, comprising cusped arches and palmettes surrounded by intricate vegetal decoration. For a further large, non-polychrome, example featuring a comparative decorative scheme sold at Sotheby's, see Arts of the Islamic World, 6 April 2011, Lot 300.
