Detail of a Soldier in a Wall Painting, Iran, 20th century

Fragment of Wall Painting with a Scene of Two Horsemen Slaying a Serpent
Object Name: Wall painting fragment
Date: early 20th century
Geography: Attributed to Iran Medium: Gypsum plaster; painted
Dimensions: H. 19 1/2 in. (49.5 cm)
W. 23 1/4 in. (59.1 cm)
Wt. 41 lbs. (18.6 kg)
Classification: Stucco
Accession Number: 52.20.1
Medieval texts report that wall paintings often decorated building interiors, and some examples have been excavated. However, extant wall paintings from the Seljuq period are rare. This fragment, probably from the spandrel of an arch, contains a row of standing and kneeling figures in the upper register and a scene of two horsemen slaying a serpent in the lower register. Even more than mina'i ware pottery, it gives an impression of the little-known pre-Mongol painting style.
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York