Bowl

by-nc

Maker

Mamluk, late 14th or early 15th century (metalworker)
1375-1425

Title

Bowl

Date of Production

late 14th - early 15th century

Medium

brass with silver inlay (inlay now gone)

Dimensions

Height: 7.6 cm
Diameter: 14 cm

Object Number

O.1966.GP.201

Mode of Acquisition

Gambier-Parry, bequest, 1966

Credit

Courtauld Gallery, London (Samuel Courtauld Trust)

Label Text

This bowl’s decoration invites the viewer to marvel at its form and wonder at its making. Its inscription speaks to the link between beauty and divine virtue: ‘He who contemplates my beauty will find me a delight to the eye; I have a form which includes all the essence of good.’

يناري نيعلا ةهزن يلامج يف انعمت نم يناعملا لك ىوح دق ريخلا نم زارط يل

The absence of a dedication to a patron suggests it was made for the open market.

The objects in The Courtauld’s collection of Islamic metalwork were made in the Middle East and North Africa between around 1250 and 1500. Such pieces were prized for their superb craftsmanship.

Metalworkers from present-day Iraq, Iran, Egypt, Syria and Turkey perfected the technique of inlaying silver into sheets of hammered and chased (indented) brass. Calligraphic inscriptions, geometric patterns and images of hunters and musicians were popular decorations for these luxury objects.

Inscriptions

Inscription: He who contemplates my beauty will find me a delight to the eye/I have a form which includes all the essence of good

Provenance

Information not yet known or updated

Exhibition History

Islamic Metalwork Touring Highlights Exhibition, Royal Cornwall Museum, Truro, 27/09/2019-12/01/2020; Cartwright Hall Art Gallery, Bradford, 18/01/2020-20/09/2020; Museum of the History of Science, University of Oxford, 10/09/2020-10/01/2021; Holburne Museum, Bath, 17/05/2021-01/08/2021
The Gambier-Parry Collection, Courtauld Institute Galleries, London, 1967

Information on this object may be incomplete and will be updated as research progresses. We are particularly committed to addressing any discriminatory or offensive language and ideas that may be present in our records.
We are also continuously working to digitise the collection and improve the quality of our digital resources; images will be added/updated as new photography becomes available.
To help improve this record and to enquire about images of the Courtauld Gallery Collection, please email gallery.collectionsonline@courtauld.ac.uk. 

Find out more about using and licensing our images.

____________________________

Buy a print from our collection