A MOSUL SILVER AND GOLD INLAID BRASS CANDLESTICK

MESOPOTAMIA, 13TH CENTURY

Details

A MOSUL SILVER AND GOLD INLAID BRASS CANDLESTICK
MESOPOTAMIA, 13TH CENTURY
The waisted sides resting on a stepped vertical base, the flat shoulder with an inner depression from which rises the cylindrical neck, the mouth of identical form to the body, the sides inlaid with silver diaper pattern around a band of roundels depicting mounted huntsmen, one spearing a lion, one attacking a dragon with his sword, the other two holding falcons, the roundels linked by cartouches containing thuluth calligraphy flanked above and below by bird roundels, a band of meandering leafy vine interlace with key-pattern roundels above and below, a similar band of imitation kufic below the shoulder, the base with a broad band of very elegant thuluth alternating with leafy vine interlace and divided by gold inlaid key-pattern roundels, the shoulder decoration now rubbed away, the neck with leafy vine interlace around four large diaper roundels, the centre of each originally inlaid with gold, a band of leafy vine interlace below, the mouth with figural roundels on a diaper ground, mouth and particularly shoulder extremely abraded, rim dented and slightly split, slight split at top of base, some inlay remaining, especially in main band of diaper design
9¾in. (24.8cm.) high

Lot Essay

The middle register on the main field contains Arabic du'a within cartouches. These read: al-'izz w'al-nasr w'al-iqbal (...) w'al-majd w'al-afdal w'al-karam w'al-hilm (a)l-'ilm w'(a)l-hilm (...) wa fadl w'al-'izz w'al-ajam (sic!) li-sahibihi "Glory, victory, prosperity, (...), glory, thanks, nobility, mercy, knowledge, mercy, thanks, glory and .... to its owner".

The inscription within cartouches in the lower register is also in cursive script and repeats many of the words in the middle register.

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