Carved panels

These panels orginally decorated the Western Fatimid Palace in Cairo. After the palace was destroyed, the Mamluk Sultan Qala'un constructed a hospital (muristan) at the site, reusing the panels in its decoration. The decorative patterns, produced in both high and low relief, depict pairs of animals and birds against a background of scrolls and palmettes.

Credit: Anonymous gift in memory of Sally Mayer, President of the Jewish Community of Milan