Tray
- DATE:
- c. 1875
- MATERIAL AND TECHNIQUE:
- Brass, copper, and silver
- CLASSIFICATION:
- Containers
- DIMENSIONS:
- 1 × 19 3/8 × 19 3/8 in. (2.54 × 49.21 × 49.21 cm)
- DEPARTMENT:
- Arts of Asia
- LOCATION:
- 304 SNAIL GALLERY
- CREDIT LINE:
- Dallas Museum of Art, gift of Caltex Petroleum Corporation
- COPYRIGHT:
- This work is in the public domain. Image courtesy Dallas Museum of Art.
- OBJECT NUMBER:
- 1998.138
General Description
This 19th-century tray from Syria shows how Islamic artists used essentially abstract ornamental patterns combined with calligraphy. Stars and flowers become part of a geometric design that also incorporates the name of Allah, the one true God. Islamic art generally avoided figurative imagery, but, as you see in the tray, capitalized on a brilliant tradition of linear decorative designs, often called arabesques.
Excerpt from
- Anne Bromberg, Label text.