Bowl

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

Accession Number

O.1966.GP.201

Mode of Acquisition

Gambier Parry, bequest, 1966

Credit

The Courtauld, London (Samuel Courtauld Trust)

Location

Not currently on display

Keywords



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.

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

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

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