Publication Date
First half of the 8th/14th century
Publication Place
-
Victoria and Albert Museum
Subject
Gilded glass inlaid with enamel.
Type
Other
Language
Undetermined
Digital
Yes
Manuscript
No
Physical Dimensions
الارتفاع: 44.5 سم؛ القطر: 21.5 سم
Library
Museum With No Frontiers
Library Asset ID
328–1900
Record ID
object;ISL;uk;Mus02;15;ar
Library Location
Victoria and Albert Museum
Date
First half of the 8th/14th century
Notes
A large, long-necked bottle with a flared base and a ring at the neck. Most of the surface is decorated with enamel and gilding. The neck of the bottle bears interlocking bands of blue enamel creating spaces between them that are filled with floral decorations. Around the base of the neck appear circular ornaments that include phoenixes facing each other and alternating with mythical animals in a walking position. The most important part of the decoration is inscriptions around the body, written in long blue script on a ground of swirling white arabesque with strokes of red, green and yellow. The text is a dedication to a ruler whose name is not mentioned: “Glory be to our Lord, the Sultan, the King, the scholar, the just, the Mujahid.” The first part of this phrase is repeated on the ring at the neck, and the elaborate decoration of this bottle recalls the heyday of glass making in Syria and Egypt in the Ayyubid and Mamluk periods. It clearly shows that this item was made for secular purposes, and may have been used to serve drinks at court.
Sample Text
Barry Wood “Bottle” inDiscover Islamic Art. Museum Without Borders, 2026. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=object;ISL;uk;Mus02;15;ar
