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Geometric composition on vaulting, Abbasid Palace in Citadel, Baghdad

K.A.C. Creswell

1925

photographic

From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum

Early Modern

Dominant colour

Geometric composition on vaulting, Abbasid Palace in Citadel, Baghdad is a 1925 photographic by K.A.C. Creswell, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.

Who painted this?: K.A.C. Creswell
When & what style?: 1925
Where can I see it?: Victoria and Albert Museum

About this work

This is a black-and-white photo of patterned brickwork on a curved ceiling inside an old palace. It was taken by K.A.C. Creswell between 1920 and 1930. The photo comes from a big set he sold to the Victoria and Albert Museum. Creswell focused on medieval Islamic buildings. He wrote two big books that architects and historians still use today. Check out K.A.C. Creswell.

The story of this work

Overview

A mounted photograph documents a geometric composition on vaulting within the Abbasid Palace in Baghdad’s Citadel, taken by K.A.C. Creswell in 1925. The image is part of a larger collection of architectural views acquired by the Victoria and Albert Museum Art Library between 1921 and 1939, spanning multiple regions including Iraq. Creswell’s photographs, taken and printed by himself, served as essential records of medieval Islamic architecture, many of which no longer exist in their original form. The collection provides a historical reference for scholars studying the architectural heritage…

Read the full account in the museum source.