Warrior Relief of Anatolian Seljuqs

Warrior Relief of Anatolian Seljuqs

Warrior Relief of Anatolian Seljuqs

Warrior Relief of Anatolian Seljuqs (or Seljuks) from the 13th century, is exhibited in the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts, just like the Plaster Relief of Seljuqs. It is a dim carved marble which has a rectangular shape almost square. On the relief, there exist two figures of warriors which were carved highly. These figures have been depicted interiorly with an edge laid out by a significant frame line. Their heads were depicted from side views while their bodies have frontal appearance.

Elemental Analysis

Palmette in the 
Warrior Relief

Both warriors wear defensive pointy caps, reinforcements and short boots. They are showed up with one foot forward, and this position refers to the fact that they were represented while attacking. The figure in the left side, has a sword in his right hand and a shield in the other. The figure on the left is also holding his sword with his right hand while getting a handle on the sword's sheath by the other one. Both figures are seen in their military dresses which have several pieces of cloths respect to the period. In addition, the body lines of the warriors to be brought to the fore are provided by carefully carving the background depth of the relief. The tree with split-palmette takes off on the right side of the area, and this expansion of the vegetal structures were utilized as fillers in the blank parts of the relief, specially corners. This kind of illustrations, points up the affect of Sasanians on the Islamic decorative depictions.