Lot Essay
This impressive carved muqarnas element probably came from the interior arch of the entrance or an iwan arch to one of the more impressive buildings in central Asia. Similar carved elements can be seen high up inside the entrance arch of the Mausoleum of an Unknown Princess in Samarkand dating from 1361 (Beaupoertuis-Bressand, Frédérique: The Blue Gold of Samarkand, Paris, 1997, p.118).