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Lot Essay
This is one of a number of related panels all with one end raised as if for a stair-riser. There are three in Paris, two in Haifa, two in Berlin and two in New York. These are extensively discussed by Eva Baer (Baer, E.: 'A Group of Seljuk Figural bas-relief' Oriens XX 1967, pp. 107-124). To these can be added four further, one in the David Collection (Folsach, K.V.: Islamic Art, The David Collection, Copenhagen 1990, no. 274), one sold in these rooms lot 321, 26 April 1994, one sold in our South Kensington salerooms, 18 January 2000, lot 924, and the present example.
It has been suggested, not entirely convincingly, that they were designed as balustrades on a stairway due to the slightly raised section at one end. On almost all examples the carved decoration exists on both sides; it consists variously of lions portrayed in pairs, some with combined heads, lions in combat with bulls, scenes of the chase including small human figures, or exclusively geometric designs of interlaced stars and rosettes. All are carved, as here essentially on two planes, with slight alteration to the upper plane giving the carved contours. Our piece, with a lion passant with full face, relates very closely with lot 321 that sold in these rooms.
Many of the stones have been found in the region of Hamadan in North West Persia. The city was the capital of the Seljuk empire from about 1150 to 1224 when it was overcome by the Mongols. The only dated example is that in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It is inscribed with the name of the donor and that of the mason, together with the date of AH 703/1304-4 AD (Dimand, M.S.: A Handbook of Muhammadan Art, 2nd. ed. New York 1947, fig. 589).
It has been suggested, not entirely convincingly, that they were designed as balustrades on a stairway due to the slightly raised section at one end. On almost all examples the carved decoration exists on both sides; it consists variously of lions portrayed in pairs, some with combined heads, lions in combat with bulls, scenes of the chase including small human figures, or exclusively geometric designs of interlaced stars and rosettes. All are carved, as here essentially on two planes, with slight alteration to the upper plane giving the carved contours. Our piece, with a lion passant with full face, relates very closely with lot 321 that sold in these rooms.
Many of the stones have been found in the region of Hamadan in North West Persia. The city was the capital of the Seljuk empire from about 1150 to 1224 when it was overcome by the Mongols. The only dated example is that in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It is inscribed with the name of the donor and that of the mason, together with the date of AH 703/1304-4 AD (Dimand, M.S.: A Handbook of Muhammadan Art, 2nd. ed. New York 1947, fig. 589).