Stucco Fragment
Unknown Artist
probably 8th–12th century
Medium
Gypsum; carved
Dimensions
H. 4 3/4 in. (12 cm) W. 2 3/8 in. (6 cm) D. 1 3/16 in. (3 cm)
Classification
Stucco
Department
Islamic Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1948
Accession Number
48.101.1420
Art Historical Context
This delicate stucco fragment, carved from gypsum, hails from the Islamic world of the 8th to 12th centuries—a golden era of architectural splendor under caliphates like the Abbasids and Fatimids. Measuring just 4 3/4 inches high, it likely once adorned a mosque, palace, or madrasa, where stucco served as an affordable yet versatile medium for lavish decoration. Gypsum's softness allowed artisans to carve intricate low-relief patterns, evoking the rhythmic beauty of Islamic ornamentation without relying on forbidden figurative imagery. In Islamic art, stucco fragments like this exemplify mast...