Battle Scene
This scene depicts a battle in which the central figure appears to be the only one who has not lost a limb. Severed heads, arms, and legs and a man who has lost his hand are arranged across the composition. The legs and tail of a downed horse are visible at the lower left. The sketchy drawing and thin wash used for the figures suggest that the image was produced in thirteenth-century Egypt. The curved swords are associated with "Saracens", as found in a thirteenth-century European illustration of a Crusader battle.
Artwork Details
- Title: Battle Scene
- Date: 13th century
- Geography: Attributed to Probably Egypt
- Medium: Opaque watercolor on paper
- Dimensions: H. 5 1/2 in. (14 cm)
W. 7 3/16 in. (18.3 cm) - Classification: Codices
- Credit Line: Purchase, Mr. and Mrs. Jerome A. Straka Gift, Fletcher Fund and Margaret Mushekian Gift, 1975
- Object Number: 1975.360
- Curatorial Department: Islamic Art
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11th century
ca. 1320
13th or 14th century
ca. 1250–1300
ca. 1300
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