A QAJAR ENGRAVED AND DAMASCENED STEEL KASHKUL

BY HAJJI 'ABBAS, PERSIA, 19TH CENTURY

Details

A QAJAR ENGRAVED AND DAMASCENED STEEL KASHKUL
BY HAJJI 'ABBAS, PERSIA, 19TH CENTURY
Of typical coco-de-mer form, the upper surface finely engraved with scrolling flowering vone around figures of dervishes flanking a stellar medallion, a band of alternating cartouches and quatrefoil panels below containing elegant nasta'liq inscriptions on scrolling vine grounds, a narrow band of floral meander below, the lower half plain save for a raised ogival cartouche in the centre, a pierced loop for the suspension chain at each end, traces of gold damascening, areas of corrosion
9in. (23cm.) long

Lot Essay

One of the smaller inscription cartouches at one end is inscribed: 'amal-e 'Abbas (the work of [hajji] 'Abbas).
Dr. James Allan, when discussing a carved and damascened steel kashkul made by a man of the same name but dated to 1606-7 AD, notes a group of later kashkuls by the present maker, one of which, in the Museum of Oriental Art, Moscow, is dated AH 1296 (1879-80 AD) (Allan, J.W.: Islamic Metalwork, the Nuhad es-Said Collection, London, 1982, p.117).

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