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Not currently on display at the V&A

Panel

1300-1400 (made)
Place of origin

These panels represent the work of skilled Mamluk woodcarvers, and were most likely made sometime during the fourteenth century. This set of fourteen panels demonstrates considerable technical mastery and detail in design, however, they lack the density and depth of ornamentation of the Lajin panels (V&A: 1051-1869), which are dated to 1296. Whilst the set of fourteen panels under discussion is dated slightly later, they nonetheless reflect a strong and continuous tradition of Mamluk woodcarving as practiced throughout the fourteenth century. As wood was regarded as a costly and therefore luxury material during the Mamluk period (1250-1517), these panels no doubt formed a part of an important structure undoubtedly commissioned by a wealthy patron.

The arrangement of these panels upon a wooden board reflects a nineteenth century trend of European collecting, and does not reflect the initial context in which these panels would have been used. These panels also could have come from different structures, despite the similarity of their technique and decorative style. The rectangular shaped panels would have been used at the top or bottom of a door, while the hexagonal elements probably used within a larger geometric composition set within a minbar (Islamic pulpit) panel or door of a mosque, madrasa, or residential property; their decoration is equally suitable for a religious or secular space.



Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Wood carved and inlaid with ivory elements
Brief description
Fourteen carved wooden panels inlaid with ivory, mounted on a board, Egypt, Mamluk period, 1300-1400
Physical description
The panels comprise of two rectangles, two squares, and ten hexagonal shaped wooden panels of varying sizes, each carved with a pattern of interlacing foliate scrolls. The boarders of each panel are inlaid with carved ivory, decorated with a running scroll motif. The fourteen panels have been later mounted onto a wooden board.
Dimensions
  • From register length: 18.625in
  • From register height: .125in
Style
Object history
Before entering the V&A collection this object was owned by Dr Meymar, a Turkish Bureaucrat who worked in Cairo between 1850 and 1869 A.D. His collection was bought by the South Kensington Museum (later the Victoria and Albert Museum) in 1869. This collection formed the foundational collection of Mamluk art at the V&A.
Associations
Summary
These panels represent the work of skilled Mamluk woodcarvers, and were most likely made sometime during the fourteenth century. This set of fourteen panels demonstrates considerable technical mastery and detail in design, however, they lack the density and depth of ornamentation of the Lajin panels (V&A: 1051-1869), which are dated to 1296. Whilst the set of fourteen panels under discussion is dated slightly later, they nonetheless reflect a strong and continuous tradition of Mamluk woodcarving as practiced throughout the fourteenth century. As wood was regarded as a costly and therefore luxury material during the Mamluk period (1250-1517), these panels no doubt formed a part of an important structure undoubtedly commissioned by a wealthy patron.

The arrangement of these panels upon a wooden board reflects a nineteenth century trend of European collecting, and does not reflect the initial context in which these panels would have been used. These panels also could have come from different structures, despite the similarity of their technique and decorative style. The rectangular shaped panels would have been used at the top or bottom of a door, while the hexagonal elements probably used within a larger geometric composition set within a minbar (Islamic pulpit) panel or door of a mosque, madrasa, or residential property; their decoration is equally suitable for a religious or secular space.

Collection
Accession number
1082-1869

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Record createdJune 24, 2009
Record URL
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