Carved Stucco Standing Figure in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, February 2008

The Tradition of Carved Stucco

In the ancient Near East, stucco was used to decorate architectural facades. Although this form of decoration came into favor in the Hellenistic era, it harmonized well with ancient Near Eastern traditions of embellishing mud-brick structures. Stucco was fully exploited in the Parthian period, when carvings achieved a tapestry-like effect. Fragments of stucco from Seleucia on the Tigris, exhibited nearby, illustrate the tendency during the Parthian period toward stylized naturalistic and geometric motifs. In the early Sasanian period, stucco decoration was restrained in appearance, but by mid- and late Sasanian times a rich repertoire of figural and geometric motifs was employed. Several examples from the capital city of Ctesiphon are on display.

The objects in this case drawn from the Museum's Islamic Art collection demonstrate that the tradition of carved stucco continued and was of particular importance in Iranian and Central Asian architecture. At Nishapur, one of the great centers of the Islamic world from the ninth to the twelfth centuries, carved and painted stucco panels bear stylized vegetal forms and are highly accomplished. In addition, figures carved from stucco– either in the round or with a flattened back– decorated palace facades. Although few have survived, this standing figure is attributed to the Seljuq or Ghaznavid period, when the arts wove together Islamic, Central Asian, and Iranian elements. In particular, the frontal posture and jeweled embroidery of the costume recall ancient Near Eastern traditions rooted in Parthian and Sasanian art.

Standing Figure
Stucco
Iran or Afghanistan
Late 12- early 13th century AD

Accession # 57.51.18

Text from the Metropolitan Museum of Art label.