This small hexagonal (six-sided) plaque has two levels of carved decoration. The shallow carved inte
This small hexagonal (six-sided) plaque has two levels of carved decoration. The shallow carved intertwined leafy stems form a background for the more prominently carved animal decoration. These show a bird in flight above a pair of hares and may represent a bird of prey swooping on its quarry. The plaque probably formed part of a panel in a door, a casket or a similar item of woodwork. We think it was made in Egypt during the Fatimid period (969-1171). -- source link