Publication Date
Late ninth/late fifteenth century
Publication Place
-
Royal Museum, National Museum of Scotland NMS
Subject
Fluted red brass with bituminous inlay.
Type
Other
Language
Undetermined
Digital
Yes
Manuscript
No
Physical Dimensions
القطر عند القاعدة: 20 سم
Library
Museum With No Frontiers
Library Asset ID
A. 231.14
Record ID
object;ISL;uk;Mus03;21;ar
Library Location
Royal Museum, National Museum of Scotland NMS
Date
Late ninth/late fifteenth century
Notes
A round red copper basin with deep sides that expand towards a slightly rounded base. The opening is surrounded by a narrow, flat lip that projects outward, and has a prominent frame underneath. The body is decorated with a horizontal band ending in a frieze of pointed leaflets facing downward above the base. The upper part of the band includes eight pointed circular ornaments alternating with six decorated rectangles. The ornaments include geometric shapes that alternate with a low logo with a model of a pen box in the center. The spaces between the emblems occupy rectangular spaces, two of which contain dense interwoven patterns of split palm fronds, four contain a simple quasi-writing decoration in a thuluth script on a broken ground, and two contain a braid with a central loop, bordered at the top and bottom by a band of scrolling decoration. At the base appears a band of geometric decorations interrupted by eight interconnected rosettes. The entire composition is contained within a simple frame that also forms roundels and loops. The economic crisis during the late Mamluk period affected the manufacture of metal pieces, as the craftsmen had to use metals and less expensive techniques in production. Red copper was sometimes used, covered with tin and decorated with incised decorations, which were colored with black bituminous compounds instead of the usual gold and silver inlays that were used during the periods. Prosperity.
Sample Text
Ulrike Al-Khamis "Basin" in Discover Islamic Art. Museum Without Borders, 2026. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=object;ISL;uk;Mus03;21;ar
