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Lot Essay
The main band of inscription reads:
'izz li-mawlana al-sultan al-malik al-nasir nasir al-dunya w'al-din hasan ibn al-sultan [a]l-shahid al-malik al-nasir muhammad ibn al-mansur Qala'un 'azza nasrahu (glory to our lord the Sultan al-Malik al-Nasir protector of the world and the faith, Hasan son of the sultan, the martyr al-Malik al-Nasir Muhammad son of al-Mansur Qala'un may his victory be glorious).
There are a number of interesting and unusual aspects of the inscriptions on this candlestick base. Within the kaf of the second word al-malik is engraved the inscription al-qasim ibn al-husayn ibn amir al-mu'minin. This would have been covered by the main sheet of silver. While the title qasim al-amir al-mu'minin appears on a few other bronzes noted by Wiet, the sequence of words as it appears here is not noted by him, although it is this precise feature on the present candlestick which is commented on by Max van Berchem in his discussion of inscriptions in the Munich catalogue noted above. As a name it must either be that of the maker of the candlestick, or possibly an indication of his adherence to the Shiite faith, 'Ali being the original bearer of the title amir al-mu'minin.
The inscriptions on the inside are also very relevant and appear to be contemporaneous. On one side is written al-khass al-sharif (literally "the most private noble [quarters]") while facing it is the word 'anbar, a name given to a black court eunuch. The first of these indicates that this candlestick was intended for the personal quarters of the sultan as opposed to one of his ritual or formal foundations; the second that it was the responsibility of a particular eunuch, and therefore that the candlestick was to be used in the ladies' quarters of the palace.
On the underside of the rim is another faint inscription which is difficult to read. It appears to be the name of a later owner and could be al-baha ....... ibn al-sheikh.
Another particuarly impressive feature is that as well as the underscoring at the edge of each letter to hold the silver sheet there is pouncing in the centre of each. To find both techniques being used is unusual. Even more so is the decoration of the pouncing which consciously forms a meandering leafy design which again would not have been seen on the finished candlestick.
Metalwork made for Sultan Hasan is relatively rare, certainly when compared to that made for his father. Wiet (op. cit) only notes seven items in total, of which on other is a candlestick.
'izz li-mawlana al-sultan al-malik al-nasir nasir al-dunya w'al-din hasan ibn al-sultan [a]l-shahid al-malik al-nasir muhammad ibn al-mansur Qala'un 'azza nasrahu (glory to our lord the Sultan al-Malik al-Nasir protector of the world and the faith, Hasan son of the sultan, the martyr al-Malik al-Nasir Muhammad son of al-Mansur Qala'un may his victory be glorious).
There are a number of interesting and unusual aspects of the inscriptions on this candlestick base. Within the kaf of the second word al-malik is engraved the inscription al-qasim ibn al-husayn ibn amir al-mu'minin. This would have been covered by the main sheet of silver. While the title qasim al-amir al-mu'minin appears on a few other bronzes noted by Wiet, the sequence of words as it appears here is not noted by him, although it is this precise feature on the present candlestick which is commented on by Max van Berchem in his discussion of inscriptions in the Munich catalogue noted above. As a name it must either be that of the maker of the candlestick, or possibly an indication of his adherence to the Shiite faith, 'Ali being the original bearer of the title amir al-mu'minin.
The inscriptions on the inside are also very relevant and appear to be contemporaneous. On one side is written al-khass al-sharif (literally "the most private noble [quarters]") while facing it is the word 'anbar, a name given to a black court eunuch. The first of these indicates that this candlestick was intended for the personal quarters of the sultan as opposed to one of his ritual or formal foundations; the second that it was the responsibility of a particular eunuch, and therefore that the candlestick was to be used in the ladies' quarters of the palace.
On the underside of the rim is another faint inscription which is difficult to read. It appears to be the name of a later owner and could be al-baha ....... ibn al-sheikh.
Another particuarly impressive feature is that as well as the underscoring at the edge of each letter to hold the silver sheet there is pouncing in the centre of each. To find both techniques being used is unusual. Even more so is the decoration of the pouncing which consciously forms a meandering leafy design which again would not have been seen on the finished candlestick.
Metalwork made for Sultan Hasan is relatively rare, certainly when compared to that made for his father. Wiet (op. cit) only notes seven items in total, of which on other is a candlestick.