From 6th Century To 12nd Century

The art history from the 6th century to the 12th century was marked by great advances in the field of art. During this time period, many new art forms were developed, and the skills of artists were greatly improved. This period saw the rise of the great Gothic style of art, as well as the development of Romanesque art. These two styles would go on to dominate the art world for centuries to come.

Panel from a Rectangular Box

    This panel, carved from a single piece of ivory in a twice-repeating pattern, once adorned the side of a rectangular casket.
    The complexity of its decoration as well as the attention to details, such as the eyes of humans and animals, which were drilled and filled with minute quartz stones, demonstrate the refinement and the accomplishment of the caliphal ivory-carving workshop.
    The panel is carved from a single piece of ivory in a twice-repeating pattern.

Panel

    The most complete surviving example of its kind, this panel most likely comes from a side of a cenotaph.
    It shows clear similarities to the carved decoration of a group of panels found at the 'Ain al Sira cemetery in Egypt.
    It incorporates decorative elements from both the Late Antique and Sasanian traditions.
   The geometric motifs derive directly from Roman mosaics, whereas the winglike designs in the arch spandrels are of Sasanian derivation

Martyrdom of Saint Lawrence

    Contrary to iconographic convention, Saint Lawrence here appears in supplication, amid bands of fire, rather than stretched out on the grill.
    This representation reflects the writings of both saints Augustine and Ambrose, which relate that Lawrence conquered the fire without - shown here licking at his feet - with the three fires within:those inflamed by the ardor of faith, the love of Christ, and the true knowledge of God, which are represented here by the bands of fire at waist and shoulder level and by the column of fire above his head.
    The attribution of the panel to Canterbury is based largely on style; its precise location in the cathedral choir has not been determined.

Head of a Youth

    Saint-Sernin in Toulouse was an important church along the famed pilgrimage road leading to Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
    This elegant head of a youth wearing a seafarer's hat was originally part of the decoration of the west facade of the church the sculpture of which was removed during the French Revolution.
    Stylistically similar reliefs can also be found at centers in northern Spain.

Panel with Warrior Resting

    A male warrior is depicted on the convex side of a bone panel.
    He is leaning to his left side, resting on his shield and spear.
    His face is seen in three-quarter view and is angled downward.

Imported Luster Bowl

    This luster ware bowl represents just one of the ceramic types from Iraq that was found in Nishapur.
    Its true metallic sheen - derived from a technique not known to Nishapuri potters - confirms that it was made in Iraq, and its single color dates it to the tenth century.
    Together with other examples, this bowl is evidence of the active trade between the two regions once Nishapur was incorporated into the Abbasid empire in the eighth century.

Seal with Hebrew Inscription

    The Hebrew text on this seal gives the name of the seal's owner, his father's name, and the word "prepared" or "fashioned," followed by the letters y-h-.
    One proposal is that this is the Arabic name Yahya, but there are other known Hebrew seals that end with the phrase "May Yahweh have mercy" or "The work of Yahweh," which may be the phrase included here.
    We do not know whether the find of this seal testifies to the existence of a Jewish community in eleventh-century Nishapur, or if the seal had been preserved because its foreign letters were believed to ward off evil.

Animal flask