Fragment of Monument or Architecture Decorated in Relief
8th Century
Description
Marble block with front decorated in relief and deeply drilled. Elaborate cross within an arch. Flowers sprout and curve up from the bottom of the cross, which stands atop a two-stepped base. The voussoirs of the arch spring from the blocky, tripartite capitals of double colonnettes. Inscriptions in either Syriac or Arabic occupy the otherwise undecorated space on either side of arch. Flanking these are four vertical grooves. Beside these grooves is a ridge with incised chevrons. A deep hollow has been cut into the top face of the block and a hole has been drilled into the block's top edge on either side of the hollow. Such cuttings suggest that another piece, perhaps a stele, was meant to be inserted into or attached to this one. In addition, the back side of the block is in two planes, which might indicate that the block was meant to be fitted against another block or into a wall.
Dimensions
23 x 29.5 x 13 cm (9 1/16 x 11 5/8 x 5 1/8 in.)
Provenance
Unknown, formerly in the Kevorkian Collection.
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