This painting presents an inspirational view of the Sea of Galilee. Its pattern is based on the
15th-century Mamluk stone lintel at Sultan Qaytbay Sabil in Jerusalem, derived from a
tessellation of octagons, pentagons, hexagons, and interstitial squares and rhombi.
According to Seyyed Hossein Nasr, such patterns reflect visions of the archetypal world
imparted by seers to craftsmen, rather than material analysis. The five-pointed star, or
pentagon, symbolizes the “perfect Man,” representing a being fully aware of the divine and
spiritually whole, as noted by Critchlow.