Fragment of a Frieze with Winged Pinecones and Palmettes
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.The frieze of alternating palmettes and winged pinecones is related to earlier Sasanian art, which favored motifs presented in frontal view in stylized designs. Originally the wings were symbolic of the fertility goddess Anahita. In the early Islamic period these motifs were found in Umayyad palaces.
Artwork Details
- Title: Fragment of a Frieze with Winged Pinecones and Palmettes
- Date: 8th-9th century
- Geography: Made in Possibly Eastern Mediterranean
- Medium: Wood
- Dimensions: 3 3/8 x 10 5/8 in. (8.5 x 27 cm)
- Classification: Woodwork
- Credit Line: Benaki Museum, Athens (9813)
- Curatorial Department: Medieval Art and The Cloisters