Fragment of a Frieze with Winged Pinecones and Palmettes
Made in Possibly Eastern Mediterranean
3 3/8 x 10 5/8 in. (8.5 x 27 cm)
Benaki Museum, Athens (9813)
Not on view
The frieze of alternating palmettes and winged pinecones is related to earlier Sasanian art, which favored motifs presented in frontal view in stylized designs. Originally the wings were symbolic of the fertility goddess Anahita. In the early Islamic period these motifs were found in Umayyad palaces.