Publication Date
Circa 963/1557
Publication Place
-
Victoria and Albert Museum
Subject
Colored and glazed ceramics.
Type
Other
Language
Undetermined
Digital
Yes
Manuscript
No
Physical Dimensions
الارتفاع: 48 سم؛ القطر: 31 سم
Library
Museum With No Frontiers
Library Asset ID
131–1885
Record ID
object;ISL;uk;Mus02;25;ar
Library Location
Victoria and Albert Museum
Date
Circa 963/1557
Notes
A large ceramic mosque lamp with a high, outward-facing neck and a bulbous, pear-shaped body on a low base. The lamp is divided into three sections, separated by thin white strips. In the upper section around the neck, there is a Qur’anic inscription of part of the Verse of Light (Sura 24, Verse 35), which is the verse that was often used on mosque lamps because of its resemblance of the divine light to a lamp. The lower two sections are decorated with floral patterns on the body colored in turquoise, dark blue and red under a layer of glaze. It is interesting that the floral patterns, especially the large red-colored forked quatrefoil pattern, do not align with the lower two sections, and the craftsman may have copied it from a model that was not originally intended for a piece of this shape. Large ornaments, alternating with loops, protrude from the central part of the lamp, one of which is missing. The reason for their loss may be that the suspension chains were attached directly to the body of the lamp. This lamp, which did not emit any kind of light because it was made of ceramic, which clearly indicates that its role was symbolic, is famous for having been made for the benefit of the religious complex in Istanbul, which was built by Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent. This complex was an important architectural work that strongly encouraged the Ottoman ceramic industry, whose center was Iznik, and one of its results was the addition of the bright red color to the Ottoman ceramic collection. The experimental quality of the red color on this lamp, and the thin, uneven application of the color, indicate that it dates back to the early stages of Ottoman potters’ experiments with this color.
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;25;ar
