VIENNA, AUSTRIA, CIRCA 1880

This bottle shows how skilfully the Austrian maker managed to articulate and interpret Ayyubid and Mamluk Syrian or Egyptian iconography on a Persian form to a great effect. Our bottle shows the flattened squat drop-shaped body and flaring mouth found on Kirman blue and white bottles and huqqa bases. However, the iconography is directly inspired from Mamluk style. The intricate nexus of foliated tendrils swaying to form a an elaborate and profuse palmette finds a direct parallel in the large palmettes found on the squat body of the pilgrim’s canteen kept at the British Museum (OA69.1-20.3), (Carboni and Whitehouse, Glass of the Sultans, New York, 2001, cat. 124, p. 249). The repetitive stellar field draws on the geometric lattice such as can be seen on a glass bottle attributed to 14th century Syria or Egypt now in Vienna (op. cit. cat. 125, p.252). The armorial device enamelled on the flaring mouth is a foliated interpretation of the French royal fleur-de-lys while the intricate scrolling red enamel background attempts to replicate the thin scrolling vegetal round found on a brown tinged glass mosque lamp dated circa 1329-35 and attributed to Egypt now at the Metropolitan Museum, New York (17.190.991)