Lid
Unknown Artist
9th–14th century
Medium
Bone; incised and inlaid with paint
Dimensions
H. 1 5/8 in. (4.2 cm) Diam. 1 5/16 in. (3.4 cm)
Classification
Ivories and Bone
Department
Islamic Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Helen Miller Gould, 1910
Accession Number
10.130.1160
Art Historical Context
This delicate bone lid, crafted by an unknown artist between the9th and 14th centuries, exemplifies the refined artistry of the Islamic world. Measuring just 1 5/8 inches high and 1 5/16 inches in diameter it likely served as a cover for a small container, such as a cosmetic box or vessel, common in medieval Islamic households. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum Art's Department of Islamic Art, it entered the collection as a gift Helen Miller Gould in 0, preserving a fragment of everyday luxury from a vibrant era spanning the Abbasid Caliphate to the Mongol invasions. The lid's medium—bone, in...