A plaster fragment excavated in Samarra dating to mid-800 AD and featuring a figural depiction of a human face is on display at the British Museum. This and similar fragments were found in the palace and private houses in Samarra. The museum curators did not mention an almost unanimous opinion of scholars that it was precisely in Samarra that Islamic art came of age before spreading throughout the entire Muslim world. This essay argues that distinctly Abbasid art emerges after a decisive political move of the capital from Baghdad to Samarra.