Panel with Harpies, Fish, and Trees

11th–12th century

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 453

This rectangular panel of carved stucco, which would have originally been painted, is ornamented with an image of a central fruit-bearing tree emerging from a mound of earth. The tree is flanked on either side by addorsed harpies with interlaced fleur-de-lys-ending tails and by pairs of fish. The composition is contained within a border filled of scrolling vines. Dated to either the 11th or 12th century, when Nishapur was under Ghaznavid or Seljuq rule, its iconography of the addorsed harpies evokes the astrological sign of the Gemini, although the pair of fish may allude to Pisces. The panel may have been an element from an overall decorative program of a building interior. It was excavated at Nishapur, Iran in 1939 and was acquired by the Museum through a division of finds with the Iranian government.

Artwork Details

Overview

Provenance

Exhibition History

Title: Panel with Harpies, Fish, and Trees
Date: 11th–12th century
Geography: Excavated in Iran, Nishapur
Medium: Terracotta; molded (?), painted
Dimensions: H. 10 5/8 (27 cm)
W. 34 7/8 in. (88.6 cm)
D. 2 1/2 in. (6.4 cm)
Wt. 43 lbs. (19.5 kg)
Classification: Sculpture
Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1940
Object Number: 40.170.166
Curatorial Department: Islamic Art

More Artwork

In the same gallery

In the same medium

From the same time and place

A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.

Panel from a Mosque Frieze Bearing the Name of a Sultan, Terracotta; carved, painted — Panel from a Mosque Frieze Bearing the Name of a Sultan
11th century

Fragment of a Frieze, Terracotta; carved, painted — Fragment of a Frieze
11th century

Fragment of a Frieze with Repeating Phrase, "Sovereignty is God's", Terracotta; carved, painted — Fragment of a Frieze with Repeating Phrase, "Sovereignty is God's"
11th century

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.