Panel of wood (probably pine) painted in tempera, with a hare amongst scrolls and flowers; Spain, ca. 1400

Rectangular wooden (probably pine) panel of running hare amid scrolls and flowers, painted in red, yellow and white tempera against a black ground.

Bought with nine other panels (Museum Nos: 207 to 216 - 1894) from M. Stanislas Baron, Rue Grange-Batelière 28 (Paris) for £0. 8s.
"Panel from a wooden ceiling, painted in red, yellow and white tempera colours on a black ground with a hare amid scrolling stems ending in leaves. Painted by Moorish artists for the Spaniards. Hispano-Moresque; 15th century"

This panel originally formed part of a painted ceiling in Spain, most likely in a domestic setting. Its original setting is not yet known, but after being dismantled, this panel and nine others (Museum Nos: 207 to 216 - 1894) were bought in Paris by M. Stanislas Baron, a dealer-cum-collector, who was based in Rue Grange-Batelière 28 (Paris), and specialised in Medieval Arabic, Spanish and Sicilian textiles. Baron subsequently sold these panels to the South Kensington in May 1894 for 100 francs. This item was entered in the Registered descriptions as costing eight shillings.

Historical significance: Ceilings with painted beams and panels are more often associated with Christian Spain, and this included Catalonia, whose coats of arms are emblazoned on No. 216-1894 of this set. Nevertheless, this panel is an interesting example of Middle Eastern influences, noticeable in the scrolls and the stylized treatment of the hare. Although somewhat crudely executed, it is a good example of the Islamic style of decoration found in interiors of houses even in the predominantly Christian parts of Spain.

Ceilings in Christian Spain, during the Middle ages, were often supported by large, decoratively painted beams with painted panels like this example recessed between them. Examples include the ceiling over the cloister walk of the Monastery of Santo Domingo de Silos, south of Burgos, and the one over the Chapel of Santa Agüeda in Barcelona. Just as complex geometrical ceilings, supported by box-core pendants and inscribed with Arabic calligraphy, were an example of buildings belonging to Moors, those with painted beams and panels were more often owned by Christians, and found in to larger rooms, such as banqueting halls.

This panel formed part of a ceiling of a house in Catalonia, Spain, and would originally have been placed in one of the recesses between large supporting beams which spanned the room. Ceilings with painted beams and flat recesses made up of painted panels were more characteristic of Christian than Moorish buildings in the period 1300-1500, but the decoration of this particular panel nevertheless shows signs of Islamic influence, which survived in Spain until well after 1500.

207-1894