Publication Date
In the period between 704 and 709 / 1306 and 1310
Publication Place
-
Victoria and Albert Museum
Subject
Enamelled glass.
Type
Other
Language
Undetermined
Digital
Yes
Manuscript
No
Physical Dimensions
الارتفاع: 29 سم؛ القطر: 25.4 سم
Library
Museum With No Frontiers
Library Asset ID
322–1900
Record ID
object;ISL;uk;Mus02;14;ar
Library Location
Victoria and Albert Museum
Date
In the period between 704 and 709 / 1306 and 1310
Notes
A glass mosque lamp inlaid with enamel, with a wide opening and a low body on a low base. The color of the glass is brownish with blue and white enamel decoration, and strokes of red, green, yellow and gold. The decoration consists almost exclusively of luxurious thuluth calligraphy with additional bands of abundant floral decoration around the neck and above the base. The inscription includes verses 22, 24, and 25 of Surah Al-Muttaffifin from the Qur’an, and the phrase “Glory be to our Lord, Sultan King Muzaffar, the learned and just, the pillar of the world and religion, the glory of his victory,” which dates back to the Mamluk Sultan Rukn al-Din Baybars II, who ruled for only a short period between 704 and 709/1306 and 1310 before he was overthrown and killed. This sultan ruled with another officer in favor of Al-Nasir Muhammad ibn Qalawun, who had been captive since 698/1299, and built a beautiful complex in Cairo containing a tomb for himself and a residence for the Sufis in the period 704-8/1306-9. Although his successor removed it directly, the writings on the building mention him as the Sultan. Since the Qur’anic verses on the lamp refer to the afterlife, it is likely that it was made to be hung within the tomb chamber. The decorations of the lamp also resemble the writings found in the Qur’an that Baybars ordered for the complex itself, which allows it to be assumed that there was a team of designers who worked on developing a unified design for the decorative system there.
Sample Text
Barry Wood “Mosque Lamp” in Discover Islamic Art. Museum Without Borders, 2026. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=object;ISL;uk;Mus02;14;ar
