Stucco Relief Frieze
[Konya, 13th Century - Seljuk]



This frieze originates from a pavilion built between 1156 and 1192 by Sultan Qilich Arslan II.  Once one of the most important examples of Anatolian Seljuk architecture, this pavilion is no longer in existence.  The plaster relief exhibited here is an important surviving example of those known to have adorned such pavilions during the Seljuk period.  The principal figures of the frieze are two horsemen charging towards one another against a background of rumi motifs, palmettes and scrolls. The pictured necklace was inspired from a bird like figure located towards the top left center of the panel.