Description
This image of a grazing camel probably came from a larger composition with other animals that decorated the floor of a semipublic space within a private home, such as a reception or dining room. This animal is represented against a white ground decorated with florets. A bell hangs from the camel’s neck as it reaches toward an object, perhaps a vessel filled with water, at the lower right. The knobby contours of the camel’s body are accentuated by areas of shading in subtly modulated colors, including black, brown, brick red, and olive green.
Provenance
Asfar Bros., Beirut, Lebanon, by 1968; sold to Mr. and Mrs. Robert B. Mayer, Winnetka, IL, 1968 [according to correspondence in curatorial file]; given to the Art Institute of Chicago, December 29, 1970.
Accession Number
35355
Medium
Stone in mortar
Dimensions
143 × 166.5 × 6.5 cm (56 1/4 × 61 1/2 × 2 1/2 in.)
Classification
architectural fragment
Credit Line
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Robert B. Mayer