Voussoir Fragment with Floral Motif and Swastika
Unknown Artist
6th–7th century
Medium
Sandstone; carved in relief
Dimensions
H. 6 1/4 in. (15.9 cm) W. 22 1/2 in. (57.2 cm) D. 11 1/2 in. (29.2 cm)
Classification
Sculpture
Department
Islamic Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1910
Accession Number
10.175.8
Tags
Art Historical Context
This exquisite sandstone voussoir fragment carved in low relief, dates to the 6–7th century and from an architectural arch, likely in an early Islamic structure. Voussoirs were essential wedge-shaped stones that locked arches together, providing both structural support and decorative flair in gateways, mosques, or palaces. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Islamic department (acquired via the Rogers Fund in 1910), it measures a modest 6¼ × 22½ × 11½ inches, yet reveals sophisticated craftsmanship from a pivotal era bridging late antiquity and the dawn of Islam. The fragment's surface...