Hitching Post
Unknown Artist
1200s
Medium
limestone
Dimensions
62.9 × 65.8 cm
Classification
Sculpture
Department
Islamic Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund
Accession Number
1944.481
About this artwork
Two powerful lions appear to guard the central hitching ledge to which travelers and merchants could secure their horses and other animals, possibly at a caravanserai, predecessor of the modern motel, located along trade routes such as the Silk Road. Animals and human figures are often represented in art made in Islamic countries, but they are not portrayed on items associated with the Muslim faith—the Qur'an, mosques, and prayer rugs.