PROBABLY KONYA DISTRICT, CENTRAL ANATOLIA, 12TH CENTURY

The double-bodied sphinx is found in various places in the 12th and 13th centuries. A carved stone example from the Hamadan region has a very different style from that of the present piece (Baer, Eva: Sphinxes and Harpies in Medieval islamic Art, Jerusalem, 1965, fig 30, pl.XVIII). Slightly closer is an example in the David Collection, notably in the "hatching" along the legs and bellies of the animals (Folsach, Kjeld v.: Art from the World of Islam in the David Collection, Copenhagen, 2001, no.399). The style here is much closer to carvings from Konya. Conceived on two planes, very clearly delineated, the detail resembles details of drawing (Aslanapa, Oktay: Turkish Art and Architecture, London, 1971, pl.208 for example).