Button or Spindle Whorl
Unknown Artist
9th–10th century
Medium
Bone; incised and inlaid with paint
Dimensions
H. 3/16 in. (0.5 cm) Diam. 15/16 in. (2.4 cm)
Classification
Ivories and Bone
Department
Islamic Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1938
Accession Number
38.40.50
Art Historical Context
This delicate button or spindle whorl crafted from bone in the 9th–10th century, offers a glimpse into the everyday artistry of the Islamic world during the Abbas era. Measuring just under an inch in diameter and a mere 3/16 inch high, such diminutive objects were essential tools: a spindle whorl weighted yarn for spinning thread, while a button secured clothing. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Islamic department (acquired via the Rogers Fund in 193), it exemplifies how commonplace items were transformed into finely wrought treasures. The object's medium—bone, incised with intricat...