Outer Cover of a Binding, Turkey or Syria, 14th or 15th century Leather, pasteboard, grey paint, AKM976

Outer Cover of a Binding, Turkey or Syria, 14th or 15th century Leather, pasteboard, grey paint, AKM976

These book covers, made in the fourteenth or fifteenth century, exemplify a style of Islamic cover decoration and manuscript illumination that dates to the ninth century, featuring a central medallion with interlocking squares and pendants terminating in a palmette motif. Tooling -- impressions made on leather using metal tools or intricately designed stamps -- is central to the art of the Islamic book. This ornate decoration employs two different tooling techniques (with and without gold leaf), finished with finely painted and tooled lines along the border.

Aga Khan Museum

14th or 15th century

Photographer Credit: Courtesy of the Aga Khan Museum

Aga Khan Museum

Dimensions: 13.3x 20.3cm

Materials: Leather, pasteboard, grey paint

AKM976

Turkey or Syria