Publication Date
Ninth/fifteenth century
Publication Place
-
Royal Museum, National Museum of Scotland NMS
Subject
Grooved brass inlaid with silver.
Type
Other
Language
Undetermined
Digital
Yes
Manuscript
No
Physical Dimensions
الارتفاع مع الغطاء: 7.62 سم؛ القطر: 13.97 سم
Library
Museum With No Frontiers
Library Asset ID
A. 1870.27.3
Record ID
object;ISL;uk;Mus03;23;ar
Library Location
Royal Museum, National Museum of Scotland NMS
Date
Ninth/fifteenth century
Notes
A round spice box made of fluted brass and inlaid with silver. The box is original, but the lid has been replaced, as confirmed by the decorations on it, as they appear different from the decorations shown on the box. The lid is decorated with concentric bands surrounding a central roundel, the latter containing a quatrefoil arabesque with secondary foliate decoration surrounded by a band of scrolled leaflets. The design is interrupted by three roundels with decorations composed of eight-pointed stars emerging from a trefoil and leaf-shaped patterns, emerging from a rhombus. The main part of the cover is occupied by a border band, which consists of twelve intersecting knots separated by twisted cord shapes. The composition emerges from semi-script elements in Kufic script at the top and bottom. The decorative designs shown on the frame surrounding the central ornament are repeated on the outer frame, but are interrupted by six ornaments instead of three. The box itself shows a braid running around the upper part of the body, and below it, there is a ring separating it from the main part of the body, which is covered by four large ornaments with wavy borders, filled with scrolls of arabesque alternating with the coat of arms. The space between the ornaments is filled with a three-node design emerging from quasi-script elements in kufic script at the top and bottom, or from a geometric design that rises from a quasi-script base in kufic script and ends with a trefoil pattern. The lower part of the body is decorated with a band of leaf-shaped scrolls interrupted by four four-lobed ornaments.
Sample Text
Ulrike Al-Khamis "Spice box" in Discover Islamic Art. Museum Without Borders, 2026. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=object;ISL;uk;Mus03;23;ar
