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Alabaster Capital

9th century

Not on view

Raqqa, in north-central Syria, was important as a staging ground for attacks north into Byzantine lands. Harun al-Rashid (r. 786–809), in transferring his short-lived capital of the Abbasid dynasty there, enlarged the existing city extensively. Finely carved alabaster capitals from the site offer a glimpse of the luxury and taste of the ascendant Abbasid court. Their style reflects an important shift in the arts of the later Umayyad and early Abbasid periods from naturalistic to more abstract forms. Drawn from the classical and Byzantine tradition, this capital displays the new aesthetic in the stylization of its motifs.

Alabaster Capital, Alabaster — This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Title: Alabaster Capital

Date: 9th century

Geography: Made in Syria, Raqqa

Medium: Alabaster

Dimensions: 10 5/8 x 11 7/16 x 11 7/16 in. (27 x 29 x 29 cm)

Classification: Sculpture

Credit Line: Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin—Museum für Islamische Kunst, Berlin (I.2195)

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