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HTMLText_47268A78_5EA4_AC81_41B0_26A271AA8C66.html = When addressing a theme as complex as Islamic artistic expression, it is necessary to consider two fundamental factors: the sheer geographical size of the Muslim world at the height of its historical expansion (incorporating countries as far removed from each other as Spain and China); and its historical development within the time frame of fourteen hundred years which resulted in the formation of a multifaceted civilisation comprised of various levels of artistic expression.
This exhibition displays a number of phases which constitute Islamic art, and has been conceived and organised in two main parts. The first part presents a chronological progression from the beginning of the seventh century (the crucial date being 622, the year of the hijra, or migration, of the Prophet Muhammad from Makka to Madina, marking the birth of Islam), up to the spread of the great sixteenth-century empires: the Ottomans (incorporating vast areas of the Mediterranean basin); the Safavids in Iran (including parts of the Caucasus and Central Asia); and the Mughals in the Indian sub-continent.
The second part of the exhibition focuses on themes that run transversely throughout all the manifestations of Islamic art, and are depicted in sections devoted to the art of calligraphy; the development of geometric patterns; the arabesque or vegetal decoration; and figurative art, in an attempt to debunk the myth of Muslim iconoclasm
Al-Fann, Art of Islamic Civilisation
When addressing a theme as complex as Islamic artistic expression, it is necessary to consider two fundamental factors: the sheer geographical size of the Muslim world at the height of its historical expansion (incorporating countries as far removed from each other as Spain and China); and its historical development within the time frame of fourteen hundred years which resulted in the formation of a multifaceted civilisation comprised of various levels of artistic expression.
This exhibition displays a number of phases which constitute Islamic art, and has been conceived and organised in two main parts. The first part presents a chronological progression from the beginning of the seventh century (the crucial date being 622, the year of the hijra, or migration, of the Prophet Muhammad from Makka to Madina, marking the birth of Islam), up to the spread of the great sixteenth-century empires: the Ottomans (incorporating vast areas of the Mediterranean basin); the Safavids in Iran (including parts of the Caucasus and Central Asia); and the Mughals in the Indian sub-continent.
The second part of the exhibition focuses on themes that run transversely throughout all the manifestations of Islamic art, and are depicted in sections devoted to the art of calligraphy; the development of geometric patterns; the arabesque or vegetal decoration; and figurative art, in an attempt to debunk the myth of Muslim iconoclasm
DAR AL-ATHAR
MUSEUM -KUWAIT
info@darmuseum.org.kw
©2020 All rights reserved
DESIGN by GMCC
DAR AL-ATHAR
MUSEUM -KUWAIT
info@darmuseum.org.kw
©2020 All rights reserved
DESIGN by GMCC
Dome of the funerary complex of Sultan Qaytbay, Cairo, Egypt, 1474 © Jean Mazenod/Citadelles & Mazenod, Paris
Mosaic inscriptional panel (composite bodied ceramic set into plaster), rendering part of verse 286, Sura 2, of the Qur’an, against a continuous spiralling scroll issuing palmettes and half-palmettes Anatolia, thought to be from the Büyük Karatay Madrasa, Konya, of AH 650/AD 1251 Glazed and set: height 31.5 cm; width 168 cm
Inv. LNS 234 C
Islamic art and Arabic calligraphy could be considered one and the same. Indeed, if one were to choose one single feature to characterize the breadth of Muslim artistic sensitivities and epitomize the essence of its art, in a word it would be its script.
The most popular calligraphic styles were the rounded naskhi script, and the Kufic script (the name of which derives from Kufa, one of the principal cities of Iraq, although there is no evidence that the style was developed there), an angular script principally utilized on buildings and for transcribing the Qur’an. Varieties of both scripts developed, and are generally designated according to the manner in which the hastae (or vertical strokes) are handled: foliated, floral, interlaced, plaited and, in some cases, incorporating human and animal faces. Another widespread style of script, thuluth (deriving from the Arabic word for “one-third”), consists of letters whose vertical strokes are three times the length of the horizontal lines, is extremely elegant and was widely utilized by Muslim calligraphers throughout Islamic lands.
The uses for calligraphy were clearly considerable, and its most extensive uses are undeniably found in the Qur’an and on architecture, there is scarcely an Islamic monument which does not carry an inscription. Furthermore, viziers, caliphs and sultans were frequently well-versed in the art of calligraphy, a rigorous art which required painstaking dedication and training, and a great deal of creativity. And whereas Muslim artists were often anonymous, this did not include calligraphers and copyists who often signed and dated their work with justifiable pride.
As noted above, calligraphy is a constantly recurring theme in Islamic art, and is well-represented in this exhibition. In this section we have tried to focus, largely, on the use of epigraphy, whether for content or stylistic reasons.
Talismanic shirt with decorative roundels, escutcheons and a cartouche filled with pious inscriptions in naskhi and attenuated thuluth, square compartments with the complete text of the Qur’an, and borders with the ninety-nine ‘Beautiful Names’ (al-Asma’ al-Husna)
of God India, probably late 15th c.
Ink and colours on cotton:
height 50 cm; width 92.5 cm
Inv. LNS 114 T
Lustre painted tile mihrab, Iran, dated 1226 © bpk/Museum für Islamische Kunst, SMB/Gudrun Stenzel, I.5366
Marble architectural panel featuring a fragmentary elaborate and mannered ‘archaizing’ Kufic inscription with ‘the great, the noble (?)’, perhaps part of the foundation inscription of a religious school or a tomb Carved by mason’s means: height 45 cm; width 39.3 cm East Iranian world, Ghazni, late 11th–early 12th c.
Inv. LNS 27 S
Earthenware bowl with a highly elaborate inscription in Kufic script as its dominant decorative scheme, rendering the proverb ‘Generosity is a virtue of the dwellers of Paradise’ East Iranian world, Nishapur or Samarkand, 10th or early 11th c.
Wheel-thrown, covered with white engobe, painted with black slip with incised details, transparent colourless glaze: height 7.5 cm; diameter 22.5 cm Inv. LNS 1093 C
Composite bodied bowl painted in cobalt blue and metallic lustre, the interior with birds amidst a quadripartite half-palmette scroll, against dense spiralling scrolls.
Inscriptions in an extremely free cursive hand include good wishes to the owner; Persian verses on the pain of love; Arabic verses attributed to the Imam al-Shaf’i on the importance of learning; and the date of manufacture Central Iran, Kashan, dated in the month of Shawwal AH 614/ January AD 1218 Wheel-thrown, glazed and painted in metallic lustre and cobalt blue on an opaque white glaze: height 8.2 cm; diameter 23.5 cm
Inv. LNS 210 C
Parcel gilt bronze divining bowl (central post and rotational element missing), the interior with stellate layout; covered with inscriptions, including passages from the Qur’an, invocations to the twelve Shi‘a imams and inscriptions and numbers of talismanic character; signed and dated by the maker, Husayn Shakani; inscribed after manufacture with an owner’s name, ‘Halim Bayg’ India, probably Hyderabad, dated AH 956/AD 1549–50 Cast, with lathe-cut details, engraved and gilded: height 7.5 cm; diameter 22.8 cm
Inv. LNS 293 M
Small flat-bottomed brass dish, most notably featuring an extraordinarily artistic ‘animated’ naskhi inscription in which the letters have human- and animal-head terminals wishing blessings on the owner from God to the owner East Iranian world, early 13th c.
Cast, with lathe-cut details, soldered and engraved: height 6 cm; diameter 17.8 cm
Inv. LNS 1150 M
Composite-bodied tile which formed part of the surface of a cylindrical architectural section of large circumference, featuring a white calligraphic fragment from an inscription in thuluth script, against a ground of half-palmette scrolls Anatolia, later 14th c.
Moulded and glaze-painted in ‘cuerda seca’ technique: height 41 cm; width 17.3 cm
Inv. LNS 203 C a
Composite-bodied hexagonal ceramic tile from a geometric-pattern wall panel, decorated in freely bilateral symmetry with a design of thin-stemmed foliated plants with spiky stems and leaves Syria, Damascus, 15th c.
Moulded, painted with cobalt blue stain, transparent colourless glaze: height 19 cm; width 16.8 cm
Inv. LNS 489 C a
Composite-bodied hexagonal ceramic tile from a geometric-pattern wall panel, decorated with a radially-symmetrical design of flowering plants with compound leaves and spiralling stems around a large central rosette Syria, Damascus, 15th c.
Moulded, painted with underglaze cobalt blue, turquoise and black stains, transparent colourless glaze: height 19.3 cm; width 17.1 cm
Inv. LNS 776 C
Glass bottle moulded in relief with vertical ‘S’ shaped scrolls forming counterchanging compartments, each containing a schematic palmette and areas with triangular forms in imitation of ‘chip-carving’, lip with ‘trail’ in contrasting colour Iranian world, ca. 11th c.
Mould-blown, tooled, with applied ‘trail’: height 9.5 cm; diameter 7.2 cm
Inv. LNS 114 G
Glass bottle with conical neck and widely flaring rim (so-called ‘mallet bottle’ shape), the body moulded in relief with counterchanging deltoid compartments, each containing a large palmette Iranian world, 10th c.
Mould-blown and tooled: height 20.5 cm; diameter 10.5 cm
Inv. LNS 8 G
Glass beaker, slant-cut around the base with a festoon issuing upright palmettes Iran, 9th–early 10th c.
Blown, carved by lapidary means: height 8.5 cm; diameter 9.8 cm
Inv. LNS 431 G
Composite-bodied ceramic jug, the upper body featuring a design of enormous counterchanging and highly mannered half-palmettes, the interstices with smaller foliated stems Iran, late 12th–early 13th c.
Wheel-thrown, covered with a black stain, incised, transparent turquoise glaze: height 13.5 cm; diameter 14 cm Inv. LNS 330 C
Ivory box (lid missing), relief-carved with scrolling vines issuing from five vases spaced equidistantly around the base of the body Syria, 8th c.
Lathe-turned and carved from a single piece of elephant tusk: height 8.4 cm; diameter 9 cm
Inv. LNS 18 I
Earthenware bowl, the interior with a bi-laterally symmetrical design of palmettes and half-palmettes connected by an interlace of curving stems East Iranian world, probably Nishapur, 10th c.
Wheel-thrown, covered with a white engobe, painted with black slip, incised, transparent colourless glaze: height 4.8 cm; diameter 13.8 cm
Inv. LNS 343 C
Double-walled bronze bottle, the outer openwork shell decorated with palmettes on curving stems East Iranian world, ca. 11th c.
Cast in openwork, chased and engraved, inner container inserted and bottom plate soldered in place: height 24.5 cm; diameter 9.2 cm
Inv. LNS 922 M
Folio from a sumptuous and famous manuscript of the Qur’an, all the text of which is executed in ‘eastern Kufic’ against an elaborately decorated ground of palmettes framed by scrolling stems (Sura 4, vv. 173–5) East Iranian world, late 11th–early 12th c.
Ink, colours and gold on paper: height 46.3 cm; width 34 cm
Inv. LNS 63 MS a
Composite-bodied ceramic corner tile from an architectural dado, lustre-painted with vertically scrolling vines of large palmettes and half-palmettes, the interstices filled with smaller foliate elements Central Iran, Kashan, third quarter of the 13th c.
Moulded, opaque white glaze, overglaze painted in cobalt and turquoise blue stains and metallic lustre: height 43 cm; width 16.5 cm
Inv. LNS 219 C b
Composite-bodied ceramic star tile from a geometric-pattern wall panel, decorated with a radially-symmetrical ‘arabesque’ radiating from a central rosette and terminating in trefoils and quatrefoil devices Eastern Iranian world, Transoxiana, late 14th–early 15th c.
Moulded, glaze-painted in ‘cuerda seca’ technique: height 25.5 cm; width 27.7 cm
Inv. LNS 1172 C
Marble panel from an architectural dado carved with staggered rows of interlaced lobed arches filled with column-like palmettes issuing curvilinear stems of half-palmettes East Iranian world, Ghazni, Afghanistan, probably late 11th–early 12th c.
Sawn and carved in relief: height 77.5 cm; width 63 cm
Inv. LNS 112 S
Wool and linen fragment of a tiraz textile with a Kufic inscription rendering ‘[In the Name of] God, the Merciful, the [Compassionate]’ Probably Egypt, Bahnasa, 9th c.
Tabby and tapestry weaves: height 14.5 cm; width 28 cm
Inv. LNS 58 T
Small colourless glass jar, the body covered in concave facets, stepped shoulder; exhibiting silvery iridescence with decomposition due to burial East Iranian world, 8th–10th c.
Blown, cut by lapidary means: height 5.2 cm; diameter 6.3 cm
Inv. LNS 408 G
Small colourless glass bottle with concave-faceted body, stepped shoulder and six-sided prismatic neck East Iranian world, 8th–10th c.
Blown, cut by lapidary means (the body with an oblate circular grinding head): height 7.1 cm; diameter 5 cm
Inv. LNS 409 G
Small colourless glass bottle, the body cut with concave hexagonal facets, creating an all-over infinite-repetition ‘honeycomb’ pattern, the neck cut as a flaring seven-sided prism (surface with decomposition due to burial) Iranian world (probably Eastern), 8th–10th c.
Blown, cut by lapidary means, the body with a spherical or semi-spherical grinding head: height 4.4 cm; diameter 4.3 cm
Inv. LNS 1389 G
Illuminated finispiece from a manuscript of the Qur’an. Both the frontispiece and finispiece illuminated with panels of overlapping circles forming eight-pointed star configurations Egypt, probably mid-14th c.
Ink, colours, and gold on paper (manuscript); binding, leather, stamped and tooled: height 35 cm; width of folio 25.3 cm
Inv. LNS 282 MS
Leather bookbinding, both exterior faces of which feature a design of tangent lobed cartouches and bilaterally symmetrical escutcheons leaving complexly lobed shapes of roughly rectangular form, all executed in finely voided cut foliate designs against coloured grounds Iranian world, 16th c.
Moulded, tooled, cut and and gold-leafed: height 35.2 cm; width (each cover) 23.8 cm
Inv. LNS 14 L
Bronze incense burner in the form of a stylized feline, cast in intricate openwork to release the incense, with inlaid faience and glass eye, the tail terminating in a floral and avian plaque, the hinged head and neck serving as the lid East Iranian world, 11th–12th c.
Cast in openwork, chased and
engraved, the eyes inlaid with light turquoise-glazed faience, the latter inlaid with a thin slab of turquoise-coloured glass: height 26.5 cm; length 26.6 cm Inv. LNS 1218 M
Glass beaker, with two turbaned men seemingly fowling amidst flying geese and vegetation surrounding a body of water Egypt or Syria, second half of the 13th c.
Blown, tooled, enamelled and gilded: height 11.6 cm; diameter 8 cm
Inv. LNS 101 KG
Fritware bowl of the ‘mina’i’ type, overglaze enamel painted with a horseman (glazing defect on face) and an angel hovering behind him amidst birds, quadrupeds and foliage.
Iran, late 6th-7th century AH/late 12th-13th century CE
Inv. no. LNS 308 C
Height: 10 cm Diam 21.5 cm
Composite-bodied ceramic bowl with lobed rim, the interior with underglaze-relief design of three fruit-bearing undulating stems which radiate from the centre and issue lateral stems in an elegant, non-rigid symmetry East Iranian world, Ghazni, 13th–early 14th c.
Wheel-thrown, carved, transparent turquoise glaze: height 7.3 cm; diameter 24.3 cm
Inv. LNS 787 C
Composite-bodied ceramic bowl, the interior with underglaze incised design of four leafy stems radiating from a central rosette; exterior with a large relief-moulded and incised scrolling foliate stem with branches spiralling inward to enclose a lotus blossom East Iranian world, Ghazni, 13th–early 14th c.
Moulded (foot wheel-thrown), incised, transparent colourless glaze: height 11.1 cm; diameter 18.9 cm
Inv. LNS 788 C
Covered ivory bottle with ribbed bulbous body and concave neck inscribed in Kufic script (in ‘vertically mirrored’ fashion) ‘O Fulfiller of needs, O Supporter of goals’ (an invocation to God) India, late 15th–16th c.
Lathe-turned and carved from elephant tusk, with traces of colour: height 8.3 cm; diameter 4.8 cm
Inv. LNS 21 I
The skills of the Muslim artist were greatly enhanced by the available corpus of geometric art, a mode of expression that would stimulate their creativity beyond most other arts.
Moreover, the vast repertoire and wealth of material furnished by analysis and research devoted to this aspect of Islamic ornementation could become the subject of an entire show which would undoubtedly result in a fascinating and thought-provoking exhibition.
The fields of abstract representation, in which mathematics and geometry played a significant role, became a rich and favoured source of inspiration and one open to a variety of applications. Altering a linear axis by a negligible degree allowed the process to be repeated infinitely, and “infinite” is the key word in the context of geometric ornementation. Furthermore, given the impossibility of producing a real, or better still a reasonable representation of God, the “notion” of God was “expressed” through the written word (numerous examples are displayed in the section on calligraphy), which served to reveal one of His most exclusive and inimitable attributes, that of the principle of infinity, which is the ultimate objective of Islamic geometric art. Whether serving to decorate an architectural panel, the exterior or interior of domes, and carpets, geometric patterns constantly imply that what man can conceive, describe or create, is only an infinitesimal part of Creation.
In examining the concept of geometric art, we have sought here not just to include representations on flat surfaces, which are obviously best suited to reproduce the linear elements of geometric patterns, but also three-dimensional objects which by their purity of form, and which with little or no adornment, take pride in their modular decoration.
Covered gilded brass bowl inlaid with silver, of ‘azzemina’ type, signed by the maker, ‘Master Mahmud al-Kurdi’ Probably Venice or Venetian dominions, late 15th c.
Spun from sheet, engraved and inlaid: height 8.5 cm; diameter 16 cm
Inv. LNS 318 M
Double frontispiece of a manuscript of the Mu’nis al-ahrar fi daqa’iq al-ash‘ar (The Nobleman’s Companion to the Subtleties of Poems), authored and copied by Muhammad ibn Badr al-Din al-Jajarmi; depicting hunting scenes on the right page
and a royal Mongol couple amidst retainers on the left Iran, Isfahan, finished in Ramadan AH 741 (February– March AD 1341) Ink, colours and gold on paper: height 27 cm; width of folio 18 cm
Inv. LNS 9 MS
Brass bowl inlaid with silver, the upper body decorated with four cartouches in thuluth script extolling the grandeur of an anonymous sultan, interspersed with roundels enclosing horsemen carrying maces; underside decorated with a central rosette and pendant palmettes; the interior with a sun motif surrounded by three concentric bands of fishes Western Iran, 14th c.
Hammered from sheet, engraved and inlaid with silver: height 11 cm; diameter 23 cm
Inv. LNS 108 M
Composite-bodied ceramic bottle, incised with an arabesque of half-palmettes outlined in the manner of the ‘bevelled style’ Iranian world, late 12th–early 13th c.
Wheel-thrown, incised, transparent colourless glaze: height 33 cm (including restoration at top); diameter 18 cm
Inv. LNS 1096 C
Composite-bodied ceramic bowl painted with black and cobalt blue stains, the interior bottom with a dense four-part scroll of ‘water weeds’ issuing a continuous scroll that covers the entire side walls Central Iran, Kashan, late 12th–early 13th c.
Wheel-thrown, underglaze painted in black (dark greenish grey) stain, transparent colourless glaze, cobalt blue stain applied to the glaze at the rim: height 7 cm; diameter 16.4 cm
Inv. LNS 4 C
Composite-bodied ceramic dish, the centre with a four-part composition of half-palmettes on formally arranged stems, rim with seven devices of counterchanging stems bearing half-palmettes; exterior plain; inside centre of foot-ring with a ‘tassel mark’ Iran, ca. 16th c.
Wheel-thrown, covered with a cobalt blue stain (excluding the inside of the foot-ring, where there is cobalt stain painting), carved and incised, transparent colourless glaze: height 8.4 cm; diameter 41.5 cm
Inv. LNS 1072 C
Wooden shutter or cupboard door leaf inlaid with ivory, the central panel with an infinite pattern of six-pointed stars on an equilateral triangle plan of repetition Egypt, ca. 15th c.
Mitred, rabbeted, mortised and tenoned, and inlaid: height 122 cm; width 47 cm (each)
Inv. LNS 29 W a-b
Interior of the ‘Congregational Mosque’, Gulbarga, Deccan, India, 1367 © Gérard Degeorge/AKG-Images
Earthenware dish, metallic lustre-painted in two colours with an eight-part stellated motif and foliate scrolls Iraq, 9th c.
Wheel-thrown, glazed and metallic lustre-painted: height 2.5 cm; diameter 35.5 cm Inv. LNS 100 C
Wooden frieze, probably from a palace, with a series of elaborately lobed arches containing mirrored repetitions of the word ‘happiness’ (yumn) in Kufic script forming smaller arches Spain or the Maghrib, 13th–14th c.
Carved and painted: height 53.5 cm; width 342 cm Inv. LNS 62 W
Schist cenotaph of Amir Shams al-Din Muhammad, son of Amir Nizam al-Din Wali Bayg, with inscriptions in thuluth (in Persian and Arabic), and with squinches and floral decoration East Iranian world or Central Asia, dated AH 930/AD 1523–24
Carved by mason’s means: height 27.5 cm; length 117 cm Inv. LNS 183 S
Parchment folios from a manuscript of the Qur’an: folio 2r, illuminated frontispiece; folio 87v, text in Kufic script (Sura 7, vv. 205–6, and Sura 8, v. 1) Probably eastern Iran, ca.10th c.
Ink, colours and gold: height 13.3 cm; width 19 cm
Inv. LNS 65 MS f2r
Wooden panel carved with a geometricized vegetal pattern in ‘bevelled style’ Egypt, 9th c.
Carved: height 42 cm; width 29.4 cm Inv. LNS 53 W
Earthenware bowl, metallic lustre-painted in copper red and olive green with whirling half-palmettes Iraq, 9th c.
Wheel-thrown, glazed and metallic lustre-painted: height 7.5 cm; diameter 28.7 cm Inv. LNS 9 C
Two stucco ten-pointed star tiles, one with a representation of a leogryph, the other with an elephant carrying a rabbit with its trunk, both on a ground of half-palmette arabesques (from a series of four in the collection) Western Iran (possibly Rayy), 12th c.
Moulded and carved: average height 49 cm; average width 50.5 cm
Inv. LNS 32 ST a, c
Earthenware bowl decorated with a stylized vegetal motif Iraq, 9th c.
Wheel-thrown, overglaze painted in cobalt stain: height 5 cm; diameter 20.2 cm Inv. LNS 498 C
Parchment folio from a manuscript of the Qur’an in Kufic script (Sura 4, vv. 170–3) Tunisia, Qayrawan (?), 9th c.
Ink, colours and gold: height 14.5 cm; width 21 cm Inv. LNS 203 MS
Two composite-bodied ceramic tiles from an architectural panel with an infinite geometric pattern with twelve- and eight-pointed stars on a square plan of repetition, with ‘pentagonal adjustment’ Transoxiana, first half of the 15th c.
Moulded, glaze-painted in
‘cuerda seca’ technique Each tile 16.6 5 16.6 cm
Inv. LNS 1164 C a-d
Composite-bodied ceramic bowl lustre-painted with a central six-pointed star and radiating petals with sketchy scrolls in reserve and diminutive foliate devices Egypt, second half of the 12th c.
Wheel-thrown, opaque white glaze, painted in metallic lustre: height 5.4 cm; diameter 18.9 cm
Inv. LNS 299 C
Porcelain jar, produced for the domestic or foreign Islamic market, with a wide central band filled with an Islamic infinite pattern of ten-pointed stars, pentagons, and other polygons (lozenge plan of repetition, based on decagons tangent at their apexes) China, early 15th c.
Wheel-thrown, painted in cobalt blue stain, transparent colourless glaze: height 22.7 cm; diameter 14.3 cm
Inv. LNS 768 C
Bronze incense burner, the openwork body and lid suggesting a domed building, the feet those of a quadruped; inscribed in Kufic script, ‘Blessing to Abi [I]shaq ibn ‘Isa, may God prolong his glory’ East Iranian world, 10th–11th c.
Cast, chased, pierced and engraved: height 29 cm; width 19 cm
Inv. LNS 939 M
Glass bowl, cut with hexagonal concave facets, creating an allover infinite-repetition ‘honeycomb’ pattern Iranian world (probably Eastern), 8th–10th c.
Blown, cut by lapidary means with a spherical or semi-spherical grinding head: height 4.1 cm; diameter 9.4 cm Inv. LNS 1388 G
Glass bottle with raised elliptical panels on domical body, faceted shoulders and flaring prismatic seven-sided neck; exhibiting silvery iridescence with decomposition due to burial Iranian world, 9th–10th c.
Blown, cut by lapidary means: height 14.8 cm; diameter 8.5 cm
Inv. LNS 79 KG
Dome of the tomb of Amir Ganibek, Cairo, Egypt, 1432 © Photo Vivek Agrawal and Sonit Bafna, 1984, Courtesy of the Aga Khan Visual Archive, MIT
Small glass bottle of the so-called ‘molar’ type, standing on four attenuated tapering pointed legs, with faceted square-section body, stepped shoulders and six-sided flaring prismatic neck Iranian world, 9th–10th c.
Blown, cut by lapidary means: height 6.4 cm; width 1.8 cm
Inv. LNS 122 G
Dome of the funerary complex of Sultan Qaytbay, Cairo, Egypt, 1474 © Jean Mazenod/Citadelles & Mazenod, Paris
Selimiye Mosque Complex, Edirne, Turkey, 1568 -75 © Photo Anne & Henri Stierlin, Geneva
Illustrated folio depicting the ‘Preparations for the Flight of Iraj from his Camp’, from a manuscript of an epic narrating the exploits of Amir Hamza (the uncle of the Prophet Muhammad), known as the Dastan-e Amir Hamza or Hamzanama. The colossal manuscript was commissioned by the Mughal emperor Akbar in a series of approximately fourteen volumes India, third quarter of the 16th c.
Ink, colours and gold on cotton: height 68.2 cm; width 53 cm
Inv. LNS 298 MS
Illustrated folio depicting the capture of Marzuq’s and the Franks’ (Europeans’) fortress by the Amir Hamza, from a manuscript of an epic narrating the exploits of Amir Hamza (understood as the uncle of the Prophet Muhammad), known as the Dastan-e Amir Hamza or Hamzanama (Tales of Amir Hamza). The colossal manuscript was commissioned by the Mughal emperor Akbar in a series of approximately fourteen volumes India, third quarter of the 16th c.
Ink, colours and gold on cotton fabric: height 69.2 cm; width 57.8 cm
Inv. LNS 297 MS
Folio from a manuscript of the Shahnama (Book of Kings) by Abu ‘l-Qasim Firdawsi, depicting Bahram Gur mounted on a black horse, with a mounted retainer holding a royal parasol over his head, and the Turanian chieftains begging for mercy South-western Iran,
first half of the 14th c.
Ink, colours and gold on paper: height 32 cm; width 22 cm
Inv. LNS 33 MS
Wall painting from the Chihil Sutun, Isfahan, Iran, mid 17th century © The Art Archive/Corbis
Miniature painting on silk depicting a princely couple in the company of attendants, variously bejewelled and opulently dressed in gold-decorated and fur-lined long-sleeved cloaks Probably Central Asia, early 15th c.
Colours and gold on silk: height 20 cm; width 28.3 cm
Inv. LNS 77 MS
Brass candlestick inlaid with silver and copper featuring thuluth inscriptions indicating that it was commissioned by an officer of the Mamluk sultan al-Malik an-Nasir Muhammad ibn Qala’un (r. AH 693–741/AD 1293–1341, with interruptions), one Badr ad-Din Baktut al-Qaramani, his blazon of courtly office, a table top [khanja], is at the centre of roundels on the socket, neck and body, surrounded in the latter by flying ducks Probably Egypt, first half of the 14th c.
Bronze, fabricated from sheet, and inlaid: height 37.5 cm; diameter 33 cm Inv. LNS 99 M
Remains of the massive entrance portal of the Aq Sarai (White Palace), Shahr-i Sabz, Central Asia, 137996-© Photo Anne & Henri Stierlin, Geneva
This section concentrates particularly on art produced during the Mamluk period in Syria and Egypt (1517 – 1250), which is represented here by rare and exceptional works of art.
The Mamluks were a dynasty of Turkic descent, with an interesting social system and an original system of governance that was not necessarily hereditary, and who until they were defeated by the Ottomans in 1517 played an important role in the history of Islam and of the Mediterranean.
The invasion by the Ilkhanids, descendants of Genghis Khan, which culminated in the sack of Baghdad in 1258, resulted in confrontations with the Mamluk armies and, in spite of causing massive destruction, played a decisive role in the history of Islamic art bringing with them a wave of new art forms and motifs of Far Eastern origin such as the lotus flower and the phoenix (the Chinese dragon). This new impetus, in conjunction with the established repertory of Islamic art, led to a period of renewed vitality in the field of the arts. This, moreover, was a period of great architectural achievements in Cairo, along with one of great sobriety in the calligraphic arts (particularly the vigorous thuluth script) which assumed a dominant role thereafter. Spectacular objects of wood, glass, unparalleled in Islamic art, were produced along with metalwork, designed to celebrate the opulence of the court and society.
Composite-bodied ceramic tile covered in a half-palmette and palmette arabesque Turkey, late 16th c.
Moulded, underglaze engobe, slip- and stain-painted, transparent colourless glaze: height 11.2 cm; width 25 cm
Inv. LNS 41 C a
Limestone tombstone in the form of an architectural niche with muqarnas squinches and inscriptions in naskhi script (the inner rectangular frame with Sura 112 of the Qur’an, and the lower part identifying the tomb as that of Shaykh-zadeh Muhammad ibn Muhammad [Tarab?] and giving the date of his death). The upper part of the inner niche filled with an
infinite-repetition geometric star pattern (triangle plan of repetition, six-pointed stars and other polygons) Iranian world, dated Rabi‘ al-Awwal AH 704/October-November AD 1304 Carved by mason’s means: height 40.5 cm; width 33 cm
Inv. LNS 129 S
Basalt tombstone in the name of Rizq ibn ‘Abdallah Arabian Peninsula, ca. 10th c.
Roughly chipped boulder, inscription stippled in pecking technique: height 43 cm; width 34 cm
Inv. LNS 160 S
Interior of the Tomb of I’timad al-Dawla, Agra, Mughal India, 1622 -8 © Photo Anne & Henri Stierlin, Geneva
Earthenware bowl decorated with a stylized vegetal motif Iraq, 9th c.
Wheel-thrown, overglaze painted in cobalt stain: height 5 cm; diameter 20.2 cm Inv. LNS 498 C
The emperor Jahangir receiving his son Prince Khurram (the future emperor Shah Jahan) on his victorious return from the Deccan, painted by Murar, Mughal India, circa 1640 The Royal Collection © 2010 Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, The Windsor Castle Padshahnameh manuscript, folio 49
Marble tombstone with a Kufic inscription giving the name and patronymics of the lady Umm al-Futuh bint al-Qa’id Lu’lu’, and the month of Sha‘ban AH 547 /November–December AD 1152 as the date of her death.
The last line states that it is the tombstone of Amir Muhanna and his wife.
Egypt, dated in the month of Sha‘ban AH 547 /November– December AD 1152 Carved by mason’s means: height 52.5 cm; width 39 cm Inv. LNS 4 S
Bronze perfume sprinkler decorated with staggered rows of buds East Iranian world, 9th–10th c.
Cast: height 17.8 cm; diameter 10.7 cm Inv. LNS 608 M
Portrait of Sultan Selim II, painted by Nigari (Haydar Reis), Kütahya, Turkey, circa 1561 -2 © Topkapi Sarayi Müzesi Library, H.2134 Folio 3b
The jewelled arts in this section, of which a large part comes from the Indian sub-continent and is attributable to the Mughal dynasty (1858 – 1526), in particular to the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, a period during which the quality, variety and quantity of works produced reached its peak.It would certainly be true to say that not only is the collection, so lovingly put together by Sheikh Nasser and Sheikha Hussah, by far the most important in the world, but also that considerable knowledge has been acquired through the study of these superb objects.
Generally, the jewelled arts – and not just those originating in the east, and particularly from Islamic lands – have often been sidelined by the few existing specialists in the field of Islamic art, and confined to the niche category of “minor arts”, or objects with great visual impact but of little relevance to the history of art. This, despite ample written evidence and an abundance of material proving that, on the contrary, these works of art are an important field of artistic expression and should not be overlooked either from an historical or social perspective. In India, for example, apart from architecture, the jewelled arts are certainly as important as the more celebrated arts of textile manufacture and miniature painting, areas in which scholarship is abundant.
In terms of aesthetics, little needs to be said about these jewels, their strong appeal deriving from the precious materials and gemstones from which they are made, a reflection of eternity. Gold, emeralds, diamonds, rubies, sapphires and pearls were carefully selected and transformed by the skills of highly accomplished anonymous artists.
Dazzled by the exquisite beauty of the objects on display, it is important to remember the painstaking and detailed workmanship involved in their creation
Silk velvet textile fragment in a pattern of staggered rows of carnation flower-heads growing out of tulip buds, with serrated leaves and diminutive trees in the interstices Turkey, early 17th c.
Brocaded and voided velvet with metal thread: height 156 cm; width 123 cm Inv. LNS 119 T
Glass perfume sprinkler with applied prunts around the neck for the attachment of a lid in the same fashion as for the bronze example no. 33 East Iranian world, 9th–10th c.
Blown, tooled and with applied decoration: height 14 cm; diameter 8 cm Inv. LNS 321 G
Marble tombstone with a Kufic inscription giving the name and patronymics of the lady Sitt al-Nisa’ bint al-‘Abbas ibn al-Hasan ibn al-‘Abbas, and AH 501/AD 1107–08 as the date of her death; also inscribed in Kufic script with Sura 29, verse 57 of the Qur’an: ‘Every soul tastes death, and then to Us you return’ Egypt, dated AH 501/AD 1107–08
Carved by mason’s means: height 11 cm; length 62.5 cm
Inv. LNS 16 S
Bronze perfume sprinkler inscribed with good wishes to the owner in naskhi script around the shoulder, a corona of petals around the base, and four crescentic roundels filled with plant forms around the body East Iranian world, 12th–early 13th c.
Cast and engraved: height 14.6 cm; diameter 7.5 cm Inv. LNS 539 M
Bronze perfume sprinkler in the form of a pomegranate East Iranian world, 9th–10th c.
Cast: height 9 cm; diameter 6.6 cm Inv. LNS 342 M
Folio from a manuscript of the Qur'an, inscribed in Kufic (Chapter 64: verse 11 to verse 12) rendered in ink, colours and gold on parchment Tunisia, probably Qayrawan, 9th century AD
LNS 2 CA b
It would indeed be erroneous both from an historical and critical perspective to consider Islamic art as an isolated phenomenon. A multitude of factors contributed to its development, such as the double stimulus generated by a concomitantly sedentary and nomadic society with nomadic traditions, which should not be underestimated.
In the fifteenth century the often brutal interventions of Timur, founder of the Timurid Empire (1405-1370), who travelled with his armies far and wide, from Delhi to Moscow, and from Ankara to Isfahan and Damascus, presented the upper echelons of society, including artists and craftsmen, with the choice of either losing their heads or following the conqueror to his new capital Samarqand. This created a cultural melting pot of remarkable breadth, all at once establishing and disseminating the refined and now mature “international Islamic style” which formed the bedrock of future artistic achievements.
The sixteenth century, in turn, was characterised by the emergence and consolidation of three great empires. The longest and most well-established of these was the Turkish Ottoman Empire whose power rivalled that of western powers at the heart of Europe; a multi-centric and cosmopolitan empire embodied by its great sultan, Suleyman the Magnificent (1566 – 1520). The Safavid Empire in Iran ruled by Shah ‘Abbas (1628 – 1588) was likewise receptive to western influence, with Persia, once again, acting as a bridge between East and West. In the Indian subcontinent, the Mughal Empire, under the reign of Emperor Akbar (1605 – 1556), of great repute and accomplishments, was blessed with near limitless resources, also benefitted from contacts with other cultures, and produced works of art of extraordinary quality.
Portrait of Fath Ali Shah, artist Mirza Baba, Qajar Iran, c.1798 © The British Library Board, Foster 116
Brass basin inlaid with silver featuring thuluth inscriptions lauding an (unnamed) officer of al-Malik an-Nasir Muhammad ibn Qala’un (r. AH 693–741/AD 1293–1341, with interruptions), ogives and roundels with flying ducks, and vegetal motifs; later owner’s inscription, one ‘Abd Allah ibn Ahmad Egypt or Syria, first half
of the 14th c.
Hammered from sheet, engraved and inlaid: height 22.2 cm; diameter 48.3 cm Inv. LNS 110 M
Brass candlestick with body design laid out in eight-pointed star and cross pattern filled with symmetrical foliate and floral devices; inscribed in nasta‘liq script with the name of the owner ‘Muhammad Khalil’, and with distichs of mystical odes by Khurasani poets Mulla Herati Tuni (d. 1553/4) and Katibi
Torshizi (d. 1434 or 36) Iranian world, last quarter of the 16th c.
Cast, engraved and inlaid with coloured paste: height 32.2 cm; diameter 13.3 cm Inv. LNS 1014 M
Enamelled glass stand featuring a Mamluk princely blazon of courtly office (bow and two arrows, for a bunduqdar, or Keeper of the Bow), with Chinese-style lotuses and phoenixes and bands with processions of real and mythical quadrupeds
Egypt or Syria, late 13th–early 14th c.
Blown and tooled, with fired enamels and gold: height 19 cm; diameter 18.5 cm
Inv. LNS 53 G
Group of ten luxurious spoons made, variously, of coral, mother of pearl, ivory, tortoiseshell, horn, coconut shell and wood, and with silver and copper elements Turkey, late 18th c.
Various carved, steam-moulded, mortised and tenoned, and inlaid: average length 24 cm; average width 7 cm
Inv. LNS 102 W a-j
Composite-bodied rectangular ceramic tile from a large composition of vines, leaves and bunches of grapes Turkey, Iznik, late 16th c.
Moulded, painted in underglaze slip and stains, transparent colourless glaze: height 27.8 cm; width 10.5 cm
Inv. LNS 1109 C
Glass bottle, with three moulded flowerheads surrounded by coronae of petals Iranian world, 12th–1st half 13th c.
Mould-blown, tooled, with applied ‘trail’: height 26.5 cm; diameter 13.5 cm
Inv. LNS 105 G
Courtyard of the Umayyad Mosque, Damascus, Syria, completed in 715 by the Caliph al-Walid I © Photo Anne & Henri Stierlin, Geneva
Gilt silver box with lid comprised of a jewel-framed silver- and emerald-incrusted jade plaque Jade plaque: Turkey, c. 17th c.; box: Turkey, probably late 18th c.
Body fabricated from silver, worked in repoussé and gilded; nephrite plaque of lid sawn, ground, polished and engraved
by lapidary means, inlaid with gold and set with precious stones: height 3.5 cm; width 5 cm
Inv. LNS 660 HS
Fragmentary silk textile with lions flanking a ‘tree of life’ in heraldic posture within deltoid leaf-shaped compartments (large numbers of fragments and/or variants of this textile are preserved in European collections, including one with
the coat of arms of the Nasrids, rulers of Granada) Granada, Spain, ca. 15th c.
Lampas weave: height 48 cm; width 30.5 cm
Inv. LNS 1121 T
Glass bottle decorated with spiralling scrolls, and ‘trail’ in contrasting colour at the lip Iranian world, 12th-mid 13th c.
Mould-blown, tooled, and with applied ‘trails’: height 15.3 cm; diameter 8 cm Inv. LNS 1 G
Glass pitcher of transparent pale blue glass exhibiting silvery and golden iridescence due to surface decomposition East Iranian world, 10th–11th c.
Blown and tooled, with applied handle: height 10 cm; width 15.5 cm
Inv. LNS 342 G
Opaque white glass bottle Syria or Egypt, 11th–12th c.
Blown, tooled, and with applied handles: height 13.6 cm; diameter 6.8 cm
Inv. LNS 345 G
Wall painting from the Cappella Palatina, Palermo, Sicily, mid 12th century
Wooden door with centre-post; the panels deeply carved with hexagonal compartments filled with leafy half-palmette arabesques, their surfaces further detailed with scrolls and geometric patterns; the post carved with a pattern of calyxes and half-palmettes in ‘bevelled style’ Iranian world, first half 12th c.
Carved, with forged iron fittings: height 166.5 cm; width 112 cm
Inv. LNS 3 W a-c
Interior of the Great Mosque, Cordoba, Spain, built between the late 8th and late 10th century © Photo Anne & Henri Stierlin, Geneva
Nine-domed Nuh Gumbad Mosque, Balkh, Afghanistan, 9th century © Photo by Bernard O’Kane
Pale green glass pitcher with octagonal body and foot, and green handle Iranian world, 10th–11th c.
Mould-blown, tooled, with applied handle: height 14 cm; width 12 cm
Inv. LNS 92 G
When addressing a theme as complex as Islamic artistic expression, it is necessary to consider two fundamental factors: the sheer geographical size of the Muslim world at the height of its historical expansion (incorporating countries as far removed from each other as Spain and China); and its historical development within the time frame of fourteen hundred years which resulted in the formation of a multifaceted civilisation comprised of various levels of artistic expression.
This exhibition displays a number of phases which constitute Islamic art, and has been conceived and organised in two main parts. The first part presents a chronological progression from the beginning of the seventh century (the crucial date being 622, the year of the hijra, or migration, of the Prophet Muhammad from Makka to Madina, marking the birth of Islam), up to the spread of the great sixteenth-century empires: the Ottomans (incorporating vast areas of the Mediterranean basin); the Safavids in Iran (including parts of the Caucasus and Central Asia); and the Mughals in the Indian sub-continent.
The second part of the exhibition focuses on themes that run transversely throughout all the manifestations of Islamic art, and are depicted in sections devoted to the art of calligraphy; the development of geometric patterns; the arabesque or vegetal decoration; and figurative art, in an attempt to debunk the myth of Muslim iconoclasm
Composite-bodied ceramic dish covered with whirling floral and foliate scrolls Turkey, ca. 1575 Wheel-thrown, underglaze engobe, stain-painted, transparent colourless glaze: height 7 cm; diameter 34.7 cm
Inv. LNS 827 C
Fragment of a silk textile, with heart-shaped knot interlace formed by the bodies of four ‘snake dragons’ with ‘trees of life’ and birds in the compartments (closely related to the mantle lining of Roger II of Sicily, which is dated AH 528/ AD 1133–34)
East Iranian world, ca. late 12th c. (date based on C-14 testing of the piece) Tapestry and tabby weaves: height 28 cm; width 28 cm
Inv. LNS 519 T
Composite-bodied ceramic dish, the centre with a composition of vines, leaves and grapes, bordered by eight foliated plants, rim with a design inspired by the Chinese ‘rocks and waves’ pattern; exterior with an alternation of flower heads and Chinese-style cloud scrolls Turkey, Iznik, early second half of the 16th c.
Wheel-thrown, covered with a white engobe, underglaze painted with cobalt blue, turquoise, grey and black stains, transparent colourless glaze: height 6.5 cm; diameter 38 cm
Inv. LNS 107 C
Ivory casket with gilded bronze fittings, decorated with medallions enclosing addorsed and confronted birds and tierkampf scenes of felines attacking hares. The casket is lined with silk fabric from 15th-c. Spain which is identical to cat. no. 87 (LNS 1121 T).
Sicily, 12th–early13th c.
Slabs of elephant tusk held together with ivory pins, ink, paint and gold leaf decoration, fitted with gilded bronze mounts: height 7.5 cm; width 18 cm
Inv. LNS 5 I
The Qur’an does not prohibit images. There is no iconoclasm in Islamic Art. Two important statements for which there obviously is substantial evidence.
The three previous sections were conceived to demonstrate the cornerstones of artistic thought and creativity in Islamic art. All the themes under consideraton are already well represented in the first part of this exhibition, and follow a chronological order of artistic development throughout the centuries. But given that prejudice is difficult to dispel, it is worthwhile and useful to examine figurative representations in this art. Several reasons could lead to the belief that figurative representations of the classical and mediaeval type, are not pertinent to Islamic art. It is likely that this stems from a widespread belief that Islam is a monolithic entity, where no distinction exists between religion and politics, nor, therefore, between religion and power. Rivers of ink have, in fact, been invested on the topic. If Islam were purely religion, then its art would, necessarily, be focused on the one building which embodies its precepts: the mosque. If the mosque, which is the highest religious expression in Islam and its art, contains no figurative images, then its art does not conceive of them, and from there it is only a short step to say that it actually prohibits them. This would be a logical conclusion to draw, were Islamic society exclusively limited to religion.
Islam does not forbid images, but there is a clear and inviolable separation between the public sector and the private sector, and there undoubtedly, was an aversion to images, in a religious context. This was probably influenced during the early centuries of Islam by Byzantine iconoclasm and by the strong anti-figurative views of the renowned thinker Muhammad ibn Isma’il al-Bukhari (870 – 810), the famous theologian and author of the extremely popular al-Sahih, a canonical text pertaining to the orally transmitted sayings and deeds of the Prophet.
Yet this much-debated line of thought was never exclusive or definite. Indeed certain patrons held conflicting views about the subject, and the same caliph could commission a mosque to be built according to the accepted standards, that is, decorated with calligraphy, geometric patterns and arabesques, and at the same time commission a palace, hunting lodge, and a bronze vessel decorated with the signs of the zodiac, hunting scenes or court banquets.
Porcelain dish, the centre with a composition of vines, leaves and grapes, bordered by an alternation of twelve vegetal compositions of flowering plants, and fungi at the centre of a group of thin foliated stems; the rim with a scroll featuring six-petalled flowers and leaves; the exterior with an alternation of different types of flowers with accompanying leaves.
Later owners’ inscriptions in the names of the Mughal emperor ‘Alamgir (Aurangzeb), dated AH 1071 (regnal year 3)/AD 1660–61; and the Afghan king Siraj al-Milla wa ’l-Din Habib Allah Khan, dated AH 1326/ AD 1908–09
China, early 15th c.
Wheel-thrown, painted in cobalt stain, transparent colourless glaze; inscriptions engraved with a diamond stylus: height 8.6 cm; diameter 43.6 cm
Inv. LNS 769 C
Dagger made in the imperial Ottoman workshops, with gold-inlaid jade hilt and scabbard set with rubies, diamonds and emeralds, and finely engraved gold quillons Hilt, quillons and scabbard, Turkey, ca. second half of the 16th c.; blade India, late 16th– early 17th c.
Blade forged from jawhar steel, ground, polished and lightly etched; hilt and scabbard nephrite, carved, polished, drilled and engraved by
lapidary techniques, inlaid with gold and set with precious stones; quillons fabricated from thick sheet, engraved and inlaid with a black organic substance and set with precious stones: height of dagger unsheathed 31.5 cm; height of dagger and scabbard 35 cm; width 5.7 cm
Inv. LNS 216 J a,b
Ivory box, carved in relief with representations of unicorns, birds and plant forms. The edge of the lid carved with human faces and quadrupeds, its top with an ‘inscription’ in degenerate naskhi script ‘copied’ from the style used in the Alhambra and other Nasrid monuments Spain, the lower part early 11th c.; lid and mounts later (but not modern) replacements.
Lathe-turned and carved from elephant tusk, painted, and fitted with gilded bronze mounts: height 10 cm; diameter 7.5 cm
Inv. LNS 19 I
Wall painting from the Qusayr Amra Palace, Jordan, 8th century
© Photo Anne & Henri Stierlin, Geneva
Colourless glass ewer with elongated horizontal spout, the foot moulded in the form of a rosette Iranian world, 10th–11th c.
Mould-blown, tooled, with applied handle: height 20.5 cm; width 13 cm
Inv. LNS 117 G
The rapid widespread and expansion of Islam in the seventh century brought Muslims into close contact with older civilisations having well-defined and significant artistic traditions. The dominant cultures of late antiquity in the area at the time were represented in the west by the Byzantine Empire, heir to Rome in the countries of the Mediterranean Basin; and in the east, by the Sasanians of Iran.
During this early phase, broadly coinciding with the first Islamic dynasty (the Umayyad Caliphate 750- 661), the Islamic artistic repertoire strongly reflected the numerous external influences of its evolving history. This is clearly represented in the fragments of architectural decoration and in the art of glassmaking, both of which bear the hallmarks of earlier western traditions, whereas the art of metalwork turned eastward for inspiration.
However, certain constants, whose significance should not be underestimated, promptly emerged. These can be clearly seen in the transcribed copies of the Sacred Text, the Qur’an, with the development and refinement of its calligraphic style; as well as a marked tendency towards abstract representations as seen, for example, in the art of ceramics.
Particular attention should likewise be given to the world of science in which the Muslims’ contribution went well beyond the role of mere translation and transmission of classical traditions, to produce significant new developments.
The Abbasid dynasty (1258 – 750) and the shift eastward of the political axis, from Damascus to Baghdad, favoured a synthesis between the two principal artistic currents (the western Mediterranean and eastern Mesopotamian), thus creating a unique and original artistic repertory.
Glass pitcher decorated with spiralling ‘trails’ and prunts around the body, the elaborate handle comprised of six superimposed thick glass ‘trails’ in the form of compound loops, and a high, pointed ‘thumb-rest’ Iranian world, 10th or early 11th c.
Blown and tooled, with applied handle and ‘trails’: height 18.5 cm; width 12.7 cm
Inv. LNS 43 G
Bronze incense burner (lid missing) decorated in openwork with scrolling vines, and with handle finial in the form of a poppy fruit East Iranian world, 9th–10th c.
Cast in openwork and engraved: height 7.6 cm; length 28.5 cm
Inv. LNS 409 M
This section concentrates particularly on art produced during the Mamluk period in Syria and Egypt (1517 – 1250), which is represented here by rare and exceptional works of art.
The Mamluks were a dynasty of Turkic descent, with an interesting social system and an original system of governance that was not necessarily hereditary, and who until they were defeated by the Ottomans in 1517 played an important role in the history of Islam and of the Mediterranean.
The invasion by the Ilkhanids, descendants of Genghis Khan, which culminated in the sack of Baghdad in 1258, resulted in confrontations with the Mamluk armies and, in spite of causing massive destruction, played a decisive role in the history of Islamic art bringing with them a wave of new art forms and motifs of Far Eastern origin such as the lotus flower and the phoenix (the Chinese dragon). This new impetus, in conjunction with the established repertory of Islamic art, led to a period of renewed vitality in the field of the arts. This, moreover, was a period of great architectural achievements in Cairo, along with one of great sobriety in the calligraphic arts (particularly the vigorous thuluth script) which assumed a dominant role thereafter. Spectacular objects of wood, glass, unparalleled in Islamic art, were produced along with metalwork, designed to celebrate the opulence of the court and society.
Early historic accounts indicate that such “coins” were presented to ambassadors, notables and even meriting artists as an expression of appreciation by rulers. They served to demonstrate the grandeur and generosity of the ruler and proclaim his patronage, and were treasured by the receivers as much as evidence of royal favour, as for their value.
Though Arab historians refer to coins as large as 1,000 mithqals (about 4.25 kg), there is little evidence of any extant examples as large as this one. It is quite likely that large examples ended up being melted in times of need or seized through confiscation of war
Unique and rare gold presentation coin of one thousand Muhur, struck in the name of Emperor Jahangir during his 8th regnal year at Agra in the year 1022 AH/1613-14 CE
Weight 12 kg.
Inv. no. LNS 12377 N
Diam 21.3 cm, thickness 2 cm
This is certainly not only the largest gold coin in the world today, but likely to be as large as any gold coin ever made. It is also one of the most beautiful in design.
Fragmentary silk textile featuring a series of horizontal bands, alternating between naskhi inscriptions in cartouches (‘Everlasting happiness and steadfast glory [to the owner]’), quadrupeds, angular guilloches, and medallions with geometric star roundels on a ground of half-palmettes Spain, 14th–15th c.
Lampas weave with metal threads: height 45.5 cm; width 27 cm
Inv. LNS 34 T
Glass oil lamp fitted with small lugs for suspension by chains, and with vertical inner tube to hold the wick East Iranian world, 8th–9th c.
Blown and tooled, with applied lugs: height 6.3 cm; diameter 8 cm
Inv. LNS 43 KG
Masterfully carved wooden box for a thirty-volume manuscript of the Qur’an, featuring thuluth and naskhi inscriptions providing an extraordinary wealth of information, in addition to two passages from the Qur’an: the name and titles of the man (‘Izz al-Din Malik son of Nasir-Allah Muhammad) who endowed it for the tomb of the deceased, Fakhr al-Din Chupan, and the date of his death; the signature of the artist, al-Hasan, son of Qutlu Beg, and his patronymics, indicating that he was the grandson of the deceased East Iranian world, probably Transoxiana, soon after mid-Rajab AH 745/late November AD 1344 Mitred, mortised, tenoned, carved and painted (very possibly in imitation of jade): height 26 cm; width 43.5 cm
Inv. LNS 35 W
Reticulated bronze lamp, with: mounted riders hunting with felines and falcons; representations of the twelve signs of the zodiac and the seven planets (identified by their names); and good wishes to the owner in Kufic script East Iranian world, ca. 11th c.
Cast in openwork and engraved: height 31.2 cm; diameter 21 cm
Inv. LNS 1052 M a,b
Lidded ivory box with guilloche borders, a band of infinite-repetition geometric pattern (square plan of repetition) and an inscription in naskhi script, invoking ‘Glory to our lord the Sultan’ and ‘And there is none victorious other than God’ Spain, 14th c.
Lathe-turned and carved from
elephant tusk, with gilded silver fittings: height 8.3 cm; diameter 8.5 cm
Inv. LNS 7 I
Composite-bodied ceramic crenellation element (perhaps from a cenotaph enclosure) featuring a design of half-palmettes in ‘bevelled style’ Iran, 12th c.
Moulded, opaque turquoise glaze: height 25 cm; width 24 cm
Inv. LNS 189 C
Glass bottle, the body surface cut with concave facets in a honeycomb pattern Iranian world, 8th–10th c.
Blown and cut by lapidary means: height 15.8 cm; diameter 8.2 cm
Inv. LNS 4 KG
Brass bowl inlaid with silver and gold, with inscriptions in thuluth lauding an (unnamed) sultan in cartouches alternating with roundels of princely horsemen on a ground of infinite-repetition ‘small-figure’ pattern (based on the grouping of the equilateral triangles of a 60° grid); and in the gold-inlaid inscription below the rim interspersed with silver sphinxes.
The interior decoration is based on multiples of “three”. At the centre of the twelve-rayed sun symbol is a triskele, and surrounding it is a composition of harpy musicians
surrounded by cranes and aquatic life, which repeats itself six times around the sun. It is noteworthy that the decoration is bordered by fifty-two auspicious carp.
Iran, probably Fars, first quarter of the 14th c.
Hammered from sheet, engraved and inlaid: height 12.5 cm; diameter 28.5 cm Inv. LNS 116 M
Small glass cup, moulded in the ‘millefiori’ technique Probably Iranian world, 8th–9th c.
Made up of coloured glass segments, kiln-fused against a mould: height 2.3 cm; diameter 6.5 cm
nv. LNS 1062 G
Glass beaker, colourless body, cameo-cut transparent green glass in a repeating vegetal pattern Iranian world, second half of the 9th c.
Blown, hot-dipped and cut by lapidary means: height 11 cm; diameter 9.6 cm Inv. LNS 1407 G
Unglazed earthenware master-mould for the production of ceramic vessels, decorated with haloed figures wearing elaborate head-dresses, seated in arched ‘pavilions’; around the base, good wishes to the owner in naskhi script East Iranian world, 12th–13th c.
Moulded and carved: height 12 cm; diameter 16.5 cm
Inv. LNS 1060 C
Ivory mortar with guilloche borders, the body with four twelve-petalled compasswork roundels against a ground of frilly half-palmette designs Spain, late 15th c.
Turned from elephant tusk,
carved: height 13.5 cm; diameter 11.2 cm
Inv. LNS 22 I
Reticulated double-walled bronze bottle with bands of undulating half-palmette scrolls, and a prominent band invoking good wishes on the owner in Kufic script East Iranian world, ca. 11th c.
Cast in openwork and engraved: height 22 cm; diameter 13.7 cm
Inv. LNS 992 M
Bronze oil lamp with domical lid featuring an openwork plait design, a leaf-shaped spout, and a Kufic inscription wishing ‘Blessing and happiness’ to its owner East Iranian world, ca. 10th c.
Cast in sections, chased, soldered, pierced and engraved: height 14.2 cm; width 26 cm
Inv. LNS 804 M
Decorative steel roundel inlaid with gold, the central circle with an elaborate calligraphic device rendering the profession ‘My reliance is on God in all matters’ Iranian world, 17th–18th c.
Jawhar (‘watered’) steel, pierced, engraved and inlaid: diameter 14 cm; thickness 0.8 cm
Inv. LNS 137 M
Large and sumptuous manuscript of the Qur’an, calligraphed by the famous master ‘Abd al-Qadir al-Hasani al-Husayni, from Shiraz. The gold-leafed leather binding decorated with an elaborate arabesque with central medallion, and the doublure with cut openwork against coloured backing Iran (Shiraz), or India (Hyderabad), ca. 1560 Ink, colours, and gold on paper
(manuscript); binding, leather, dyed, stamped, tooled and gilded with découpé doublure: height 54.5 cm; width of folio 36.7 cm
Inv. LNS 277 MS
Enamelled glass ‘vase’ featuring two Chinese-style phoenixes and a large thuluth inscription exclaiming ‘Glory to our Lord the Sultan, the King, the Learned’ Syria or Egypt, first half of the 14th c.
Blown, tooled, with applied decorative handles, enamelled and gilded: height 27.5 cm; diameter 15.8 cm
Inv. LNS 69 G
Linen textile panel embroidered with tulips and serrated lotuses, on a square plan of repetition; serrated buds fill the interstices and the border Turkey, late 17th c.
Plain linen embroidered with silk: height 190 cm; width 132 cm
Inv. LNS 98 T
Wooden screen, the central panel featuring a parallel-set square ‘pinwheel’ motif, all against a ground of mortised and tenoned small-unit openwork (‘mashrabiya work’) Probably Morocco, second half of the 14th c.
Lathe-turned, mortised and tenoned, rabbeted, mitred: height 81 cm; width 80.5 cm Inv. LNS 51 W a
Large bronze ewer with spout opening covered by a strainer in the form of an openwork arabesque; inscribed in Kufic script with the name of the maker, Ahmad ibn al-Hasan; good wishes to the owner; and advice to follow reason as a guide in life on foliated ground; six interlaced roundels filled with geometrically arranged arabesques of deltoid leaves occupy the main register of the body East Iranian world, late 11th– early 12th c.
Hammered from sheet, pierced and engraved, handle cast: height 52.5 cm; width 29 cm
Inv. LNS 989 M
Pair of armbands (bazuband) set with emeralds and diamonds in a floral arrangement, the emeralds set ajour, the diamonds in gold compartments, their backs enamelled with floral motifs India, probably Deccan, late 18th–early 19th c.
Gold, set with gemstones in kundan technique, and champlevé-enamelled: average height 4.8 cm; average width 11.8 cm
Inv. LNS 3901 J a,b
Silver coin (tanqa) of the Timurid Sultan Shah Rukh ibn Timur (r. AD 1405–47), struck at Astarabad, Iran, dated AH 830 Iran, Astarabad, AD 1426–27 Struck between two dies: diameter 2.4 cm; weight 5.13 g
Inv. LNS 241 N
Folio from an album portraying the Mughal emperor ‘Alamgir (Aurangzeb), son of Shah Jahan holding a hexagonal emerald and wearing a rectangular one, as well as fine pearls; the reverse with a calligraphic composition of Persian verses, signed by the calligrapher ‘Abd Allah al-Husayni India, ca. 1658–70 Ink, colours and gold on paper: height 18.3 cm; width 10.4 cm
Inv. LNS 112 MS
Brass bath bucket with elegantly swelling body, decorated with half-palmette compositions inside palmette-shaped escutcheons and lobed medallions; and bands with inscriptions in nasta‘liq script, the upper indicating that it was made for Sultanem Bibi (identified by A.S. Melikian-
Chirvani as the widow of Shah Tahmasp, ruler of the Safavid dynasty, d. 1576), and the lower with good wishes for the owner in rhyme Iranian world, end of the 16th c.
Cast and engraved (probably formerly inlaid with coloured paste): height 18.5 cm;
diameter 24.2 cm
Inv. LNS 776 M
Minaret and entrance portal of the Madrasa of Sultan al-Nasir Muhammad, Cairo, Egypt, 12951304-© Photo by Bernard O’Kane
Gold pendant in the form of a bird of prey, all-over decorated with encrusted and painted enamels and set with rock crystal over coloured foils and a single turquoise; pendent pearls (that of the beak missing) Iran, late 18th–early 19th c.
Fabricated from sheet and wire,
enamelled and set with semiprecious stones: height 6 cm; width 3.5 cm
Inv. LNS 181 J
Composite-bodied ceramic tile from the Mausoleum of Khwaja Rabi‘ at Mashhad (north-eastern Iran), the field with a centralized half-palmette arabesque that seamlessly weds the hexagonal centre with the octagonal outer perimeter; inscribed inside the central polygon, ‘O Protector’ (an invocation to God) Eastern Iran, Mashhad, ca. 1620 Moulded, underglaze engobe, stain-painted, transparent colourless glaze: height 20.5 cm; width 20.5 cm
Inv. LNS 290 C
Bronze candlestick inlaid with copper and silver, featuring the ancient tierkampf motif of lions attacking antelopes, wider borders of lions flanking birds with outspread wings, narrower borders with inscriptional bands in both Kufic and naskhi scripts which invoke good wishes on the owner East Iranian world, late 12th– early 13th c.
Hammered from sheet, worked in repoussé, engraved and inlaid: height 31 cm; width 35 cm
Inv. LNS 81 M
Bronze candlestick inlaid with copper and silver, decorated on each of its eight faces with a crescentic medallion of vegetal arabesques, and bordered by epigraphic bands in naskhi script invoking good wishes on the owner East Iranian world, late 12th c.
Hammered from sheet, worked in repoussé, engraved and inlaid: height 21.5 cm; width 24 cm Inv. LNS 114 MBronze candlestick inlaid with copper and silver, decorated on each of its eight faces with a crescentic medallion of vegetal arabesques, and bordered by epigraphic bands in naskhi script invoking good wishes on the owner East Iranian world, late 12th c.
Hammered from sheet, worked in repoussé, engraved and inlaid: height 21.5 cm; width 24 cm
Inv. LNS 114 M
Composite-bodied ceramic dish, the well with a fanciful plant with serrated leaves and a central lotus leaf North-west Iran, ca. 1600 Wheel-thrown, underglaze engobe, stain-painted in black under a transparent turquoise glaze: height 5.5 cm; diameter 34 cm
Inv. LNS 1084 C
Wooden screen, the central panel featuring a diagonally-set square ‘pinwheel’ motif, all against a ground of mortised and tenoned small-unit openwork (‘mashrabiya work’) Probably Morocco, second half of the 14th c.
Lathe-turned, mortised and tenoned, rabbeted, mitred: height 79 cm; width 81 cm
Inv. LNS 41 W
Muqarnas decoration, Abbasid Palace, Baghdad, Iraq, early 13th century © Giovanni Curatola
Muqarnas decoration, Abbasid Palace, Baghdad, Iraq, early 13th century © Giovanni Curatola
Fragmentary multiple-niche pile prayer carpet (saff), the lower fields of the niches with a dense composition of two systems of foliated scrolls, the spandrels of the niches with a composition of half-palmettes and flowers on spiralling stems; preserved main border with an alternation of cartouches and four-lobed compartments filled with floral and half-palmette arabesques Iran, second half of the 16th c.
Warp of cotton, weft and pile of
wool: length 153 cm; width 260 cm
Inv. LNS 27 R
Bronze mortar with ring handle suspended from a lion-mask lug, the body with bud-shaped and hexagonal bosses, the field with medallions variously filled with vegetal and bird motifs; panels of good wishes to the owner in Kufic script border the rim East Iranian world, 12th–13th c.
Cast and engraved: height 11.5 cm; width 14.5 cm
Inv. LNS 177 M
Large high-tin bronze cup, with handle and thumb-rest in the form of a stylized bird, engraved with pendant palmettes and an invocation of good wishes to the owner in Kufic script East Iranian world, 9th–10th c.
Hammered and engraved, handle cast: height 10.3 cm; width 20 cm
Inv. LNS 799 M
Composite-bodied ceramic ewer, the body covered with upright foliate scrolls bearing lotus blossoms, and the neck with a continuous scroll of leaves and lotus blossoms Turkey, 1560-70 Wheel-thrown and modelled, underglaze engobe, slip- and stain-painted, transparent colourless glaze: height 27.8 cm; width 20 cm
Inv. LNS 99 C
Large bronze cup, decorated with griffins, leogryphs, birds, hares and lions, and with good wishes to the owner in naskhi script East Iranian world, 12th c.
Hammered and fabricated from sheet and worked in repoussé: height 25.5 cm; diameter 16.6 cm
Inv. LNS 154 M
Wooden screen, the central panel featuring an eight-pointed star with radiating ‘lines’, all against a ground of mortised and tenoned small-unit openwork (‘mashrabiya work’) Probably Morocco, second half of the 14th c.
Lathe-turned, mortised and tenoned, rabbeted, mitred: height 79 cm; width 81 cm
Inv. LNS 40 W
Folio from The Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices by Isma‘il ibn al-Razzaz al-Jazari, illustrating the water-powered mechanism for a ‘perpetual flute’, the text in elegant naskhi script; signed by the calligrapher Farrukh ibn ‘Abd al-Latif al-Yaquti al-Mawlawi Probably Baghdad, dated Ramadan AH 715/December AD 1315
Ink, colours and gold on paper: height 31.2 cm; width 21.5 cm
Inv. LNS 17 MS f 123v
Glass pitcher decorated with two rows of concentric circles with central bosses Iranian world, 12th c.
Mould-blown, tooled, with applied handle: height 13.7 cm; width 11 cm
Inv. LNS 100 G
Bronze inkwell (lid missing) with silver-inlaid medallions of interlacing strapwork which enclose representations of the signs of the zodiac and their planetary lords, as well as enthroned rulers and revellers.
Around the opening is a band of ‘animated’ naskhi script invoking good wishes on the owner, in which the upright letters
terminate with human and animal heads Iranian world, early 13th c.
Cast, engraved and inlaid with silver: height 6.6 cm; diameter 10 cm
Inv. LNS 139 M
Thin bronze tray, the central depression with mounted horsemen hunting with cheetah and falcon, bordered on the rim with good wishes to the owner in naskhi script (the form suggests a type designed to be stably stacked for ease of storage or transport) East Iranian world, 12th c.
Hammered from sheet and worked in repoussé: height 2.5 cm; width 20.3 cm Inv. LNS 802 M
Glass cup, mould-blown with faint spiralling scrolls Iranian world, 11th–12th c.
Mould-blown, with applied handle: height 4.3 cm; width 9 cm
Inv. LNS 95 G
Combined silver folding spoon and fork inlaid with niello, with pious inscriptions in Kufic invoking God, and with vegetal arabesques and representations of simurghs and birds Iranian world, 12th c.
Cast, engraved and inlaid with niello: length 14.8 cm; width 3.2 cm
Inv. LNS 104 M
Marble column capital based on the Corinthian order, featuring a ‘lacey’ design of acanthus leaves with frilly edges, ‘bead and reel’, ‘egg and dart’ and other classical art-derived motifs Southern Spain, probably Cordoba or Madinat al-Zahra, 10th c.
Carved by mason’s means: height 26 cm; width (corner to corner) 36.5 cm Inv. LNS 6 S
Limestone half-rosette featuring acanthus leaves and quatrefoils, from the summer palace of the Umayyad Caliph al-Walid II ibn Yazid (r. AH 125-26/AD 743-74), at Mshatta, near Amman Jordan, mid-8th c.
Carved by mason’s means: height 43 cm; width 96 cm Inv. LNS 63 S a
Frontispiece of a section from a manuscript of the Qur’an; the field beautifully illuminated with three rows of slender curvilinear half-palmettes forming arches on a ground of interlaced palmette arabesques; the border with an interlacing 90° system strapwork East Iranian world, late 11th c.
Ink, colours and gold on paper:
height 26.2 cm; width (of folio) 20 cm
Inv. LNS 6 MS
Reticulated double-walled composite-bodied ceramic ewer, the openwork shell decorated with seated princely figures enclosed in curvilinear dodecagonal compartments Iranian world, early 13th c.
Wheel-thrown and moulded, pierced, underglaze-painted in black, transparent turquoise glaze detailed with cobalt blue: height 29.6 cm; diameter 15.5 cm
Inv. LNS 185 C
Leather bookbinding with a central medallion, pendants and spandrels in a carpet layout design Turkey, mid 16th c.
Stamped, tooled and gilded: height 50 cm; width 39.5 cm
Inv. LNS 17 L
Section 30 from a manuscript of the Qur’an, text in muhaqqaq script, lines alternating between black ink and gold. The leather binding extensively gold-leafed, decorated with an elaborate arabesque with central medallion, and the doublure partially cut in openwork against colour backing
Anatolia, 16th c.
Ink, colours and gold on paper (manuscript); binding, leather, dyed, stamped, tooled and gilded with découpé doublure: height 36.2 cm; width of folio 23.7 cm
Inv. LNS 5 MS
Marble capital carved in a form derived from the Corinthian order, with an inscription in Kufic script giving the name of the stone carver, Shukr the young fata (or one of elevated rank in the Spanish palace hierarchy), its date of manufacture, and invoking blessings on the patron, the Spanish Umayyad
Caliph ‘Abd Allah al-Hakam al-Mustansir bi-’llah (r. AH 350–66/ AD 961–76)
Spain, probably Cordoba or Madinat al-Zahra, dated AH364/AD 974–75
Carved by mason’s means: height 38.5 cm; width 26 cm Inv. LNS 1 S
Sword and hilt, the pommel in the form of a stylized parrot’s head set with rubies and emeralds in an imbrication pattern, the ‘eyes’ set with faceted-conical diamonds surrounded by ruby petals, the ruby ‘beak’ set in a wider expanse of gold detailed with half-palmettes; pommel set off from the grip by a channel-set emerald collar, the grip in an elaborate chevron pattern of emeralds and rubies; quillons ending in bud forms; the blade hatched and gold-overlaid with inept ‘inscriptions’ probably of the 20th c.
India, hilt probably late 16th– early 17th c.; blade 17th or early 18th c.
Blade forged from pattern-welded steel, ground and polished, stamped with a ‘workshop mark’; hilt gold over an iron core, worked in kundan technique, partially engraved and set with gemstones: length 90 cm; width at quillon 7.5 cm
Inv. LNS 2195 J
Katar dagger and scabbard (probably not original to the dagger), the jade hilt decorated with quatrefoils of rubies and diamonds, and with small ruby circles along the edges; the upper blade covered on both sides by gold-inlaid jade plaques (of a piece with the knuckle-guard); scabbard fitted with enamelled gold locket and chape, with a pattern of ruby-red quatrefoils on an opaque white ground India, probably early 18th c.
Nephrite hilt carved, polished and engraved by lapidary means, fitted with iron reinforcements, inlaid with gold in kundan technique and set with gemstones; blade forged from jawhar steel, ground, polished and lightly etched; scabbard wood overlaid with velvet, fitted with champlevé-enamelled gold locket and chape: length 44 cm; width 9.3 cm
Inv. LNS 3909 J a,b
Dagger and scabbard, the jade hilt and the scabbard’s locket and chape decorated with floral motifs inlaid with gold and set with rubies, diamonds and emeralds; upper part of the blade decorated with a flowering plant motif in two colours of gold India, probably Deccan, ca. 1650–75 Nephrite hilt, locket and chape carved and polished by lapidary means, engraved and inlaid with gold and set with gemstones in kundan technique; blade forged from jawhar steel, ground, polished and lightly etched, hatched and overlaid with gold; scabbard wood overlaid with velvet and fitted with jade locket and chape: height of dagger 38.8 cm; width of dagger 7.3 cm; height of scabbard 28.7 cm; width of scabbard 7 cm
Inv. LNS 728 HS
Champlevé-enamelled gold scent bottle in the form of a mango with stem, bud and two leaves on screw-held cap; each side of the body with an elaborate flowering plant, and the cap with poppy blossoms India, probably Hyderabad, early 18th c.
Fabricated from gold, engraved and champlevé-enamelled: height 6 cm; width 3.5 cm
Inv. LNS 2869 J
Wooden marquetry kit-box for a calligrapher inlaid with wood, ivory and dyed bone, with gold-painted ivory panels India, late 16th–early 17th c.
Mitred, mortised and tenoned, covered in micro-mosaic (khatamkari work), ivory panels
carved in openwork, and with gold-painted areas (other painted areas probably later): height 9.2 cm; length 36.6 cm
Inv. LNS 191 W
Large glass ewer, transparent, colourless and undecorated save for ‘trails’ around the neck and the tip of the pouring spout Iran or India, 17th–early 18th c.
Blown and tooled, with applied ‘trails’: height 35.2 cm; width 23.5 cm
Inv. LNS 1409 G
Gold ‘choker’ necklace, comprised of hinged elements set with large flat diamonds, strung with pearls, and with pendant emerald beads and pearls; backs of hinged elements champlevé-enamelled with floral motifs India, Deccan, Hyderabad, late 18th–19th c.
Fabricated from gold and set with gemstones in kundan
technique; backs champlevé-enamelled; pendant emeralds carved, polished and drilled by lapidary means; pearls drilled: height 7.5 cm; width 26 cm
Inv. LNS 173 J
Archery ring carved from greyish-green jade decorated with a gold-inlaid floral composition set with rubies and emeralds India, Deccan or Mughal dominions, late 17th–early 18th c.
Nephrite, carved, polished and engraved by lapidary means, inlaid with gold in kundan technique and set with gemstones: length 4.6 cm; width 3.2 cm Inv. LNS 40 HS
Interior of the ‘Congregational Mosque’, Gulbarga, Deccan, India, 1367 © Gérard Degeorge/AKG-Images
Hookah (huqqa) reservoir of off-white jade, inlaid with rubies and emeralds in floral motifs; neck carved from one piece, compartments of body separately carved and assembled over a tinned copper internal reservoir India, probably Deccan, late 17th–early 18th c.
Nephrite, carved, polished and engraved by lapidary means, jade plaques and precious stones set in kundan technique: height 19.6 cm; diameter 18 cm
Inv. LNS 635 HS
Gold scent (or opium?) bottle in the form of a mango, the body covered in buds forming an imbrication pattern in relief; fitted with a screw-held stopper and set with rubies, emeralds and a diamond; loops on side of body and lid for a now-missing security chain India, late 17th–18th c.
Fabricated from gold and set with precious stones in kundan technique, including different varieties of channel-set areas: height 6.7 cm; width 4.6 cm Inv. LNS 2261 J
One of a pair of opulent scent (or opium?) bottles, the rock crystal body carved as an oblate ribbed melon-like form, the emerald bead cap of inverted drop-shape, with attached tiny gold spoon at the end of a shaft for dipping out the contents, and topped by a finial in the form of a small gold-set pointed-domical ruby (gold mounts of recent manufacture) Rock crystal bottle and emerald bead, India, 17th c. or earlier Stones carved, polished and drilled by lapidary techniques; gold fabricated from thick sheet and wire: height 5.3 cm; diameter 4.8 cm
Inv. LNS 900 HS a
Pair of gold earplugs with decorative rosettes projecting from the front, and pendant elements, all augmented with pearls; champlevé-enamelled with poppy flower motifs on formally-arranged stems; backs undecorated except for wire and granulation on the screw-held caps of the ear-hole posts India, Mughal dominions, probably second quarter of the 17th c.
Fabricated from gold, champlevé-enamelled and strung with pearls; pearls strung on and suspended via gold wire: average height 7.5 cm; average width 5.2 cm
Inv. LNS 2868 J a,b
Glass pitcher decorated with two rows of concentric circles with central bosses Iranian world, 12th c.
Mould-blown, tooled, with applied handle: height 13.7 cm; width 11 cm
Inv. LNS 100 G
Colourless glass ewer with elongated horizontal spout, the foot moulded in the form of a rosette Iranian world, 10th–11th c.
Mould-blown, tooled, with applied handle: height 20.5 cm; width 13 cm
Inv. LNS 117 G
Fragment of a silk ‘lattice and flower’ carpet, composed of two superimposed lattices with compartments enclosing flowering plants, the border of continuous angular floral scrolls India, probably Hyderabad, Deccan, late 17th c.
Warp and pile of silk, weft
of goat hair (pashmina): height 192 cm; width 130 cm
Inv. LNS 20 R
Rock crystal chess pieces from two different sets, relief-carved with palmettes and half-palmettes (a, h, and i from one set; and d, e, and g from another), the pieces consist of:
a. Shah (the king), the ultimate origin of the shape is thought to be a royal howdah on the back of an elephant
d. Faras or horse (knight), representing a horse with a diminutive head projecting from the top
e. Fil or elephant (bishop), representing an elephant with two abbreviated tusks projecting from the top
g. Rukh or chariot (rook, tower or castle), the shape being based on the sides of certain war chariots with notches to accommodate archers, some of which are represented as early as the middle of the 3rd millennium BC
h. and i. Baidaq (pawns) LNS 1 HS a, h, and i, East Iranian world, ca. 9th c.
LNS 1 HS d, e, and g, Iraq, probably Basra, ca. 9th c.
Cut, ground and polished by lapidary means
(a) height 6.8 cm; diameter 6 cm
(d) height 5.4 cm; diameter 4.6 cm
(e) height 5.3 cm; diameter 4.5 cm
(g) height 4.2 cm; width 4.8 cm
(h) height 3.4 cm; width 2.6 cm
(i) height 2.6 cm; width 2.6 cm
Remains of the massive entrance portal of the Aq Sarai (White Palace), Shahr-i Sabz, Central Asia, 137996-© Photo Anne & Henri Stierlin, Geneva
Glass spittoon with bell-shaped base and reservoir, decorated with iris blossoms inside the compartments of an ogive pattern India, late 17th–early 18th c.
Blown, tooled, enamelled and gilded: height 9.7 cm; diameter 9 cm
Inv. LNS 138 G
Light greyish green jade bowl carved as a poppy blossom, the foot in the form of an elaborate eight-petalled flower; handles in the form of bifurcating leaves from which project multi-petalled flowers; the rubies (one missing) set in the centre of each flower were added later India, probably Deccan, first half of the 17th c.
Nephrite, carved and polished by lapidary means; with rubies cemented into ground depressions in centres of handle flowers: height 4.8 cm; width 17 cm
Inv. LNS 619 HS a
Glass hookah reservoir, transparent middle green, the body decorated with a row of poppy plants reserved on a field of gold India, first quarter of the 18th c.
Blown, tooled and gilded: height 18.6 cm; diameter 17.5 cm
Inv. LNS 73 G
Rock crystal, a mineral from the quartz family, has long been admired for its extraordinary limpidity, luminescence, and durability, and was accorded a prominent place in the world of art well before the advent of Islam.
The six chess pieces displayed here, which issue from two different sets, were carved during the classical period in which relatively naturalistic representations were replaced by stylized art forms.
Chess has very ancient origins in India (it was already recorded in the Indian epics, the Mahabharata and the Ramayana). Its name in Sanskrit is chaturanga (meaning “four arms” or divisions of the military) whence the Persian and Arabic term shatranj and was introduced by the Arabs to Europe through Italy and Spain. The game is played on a square board (although circular ones are also known to have existed) with a grid of sixty-four squares. Legend has it that when the inventor of the game was asked by the sovereign to name his price for inventing the game, he asked for the equivalent of one grain in the first square, two in the second and so forth doubling the amount in each subsequent square, which when added up resulted in a number in 20 digits (or in the order of 10 quintillion!). The story was quite well known and even Dante referred to it: “Their coruscation all the sparks repeated, And they so many were, their number makes, More millions than the doubling of the chess” (Paradise, XXVIII).
The game simulates a battlefield upon which two hostile armies led by the king (or Persian “shah”), and by the firzan or vizier (originally the mashk-i aparzen or “command tent”, replaced by the “queen” in Europe) face each other in battle. The vizier is the one who commands the operations at great range (the king does so as well, with the same directional mobility, but is restricted within the walls of his court). The foot soldiers (or pawns), are placed at the forefront, and infantrymen who achieve the heroic act of making it all the way across enemy lines generally expect a reward, or promotion to special corps.
Then come the special corps: al-fil (or the elephant) which moves along diagonal lines, it was designated “alfiere” in Italian, and later was transformed into a “bishop” in England where the two protuberances which represent elephant tusks on the top edge of the piece were mistaken for a bishop’s miter; al-faras (or the horse was replaced by the knight in Europe), and takes alternate sidesteps or jumps; and the war chariot (rook or tower in the west) which moves in predetermined tracks, spaced to match the distance between the chariot wheels. The word for war chariot is ratha in Sanskrit, and rukh in Persian (which latter often led to confusion with the mythical bird roc), whence the Italian term rocca (tower or fortress), from which derived the western “tower”, both on the basis of linguistic consonance and visual similarity, in fact the sides of ancient war chariots were shaped much like the battlements of a castle. The game ends when the shah is either prevented from making any further moves or considered dead: in Arabic Shah mat or “the Shah is dead”, whence checkmate!
On another note, midway between history and legend, Tamerlane (1404–1336) supposedly named his fourth son Shah Rukh because his birth was announced during a chess game while Tamerlane was making a famous fork attack on the king and the rook.
Shah Rukh succeeded his father to the throne and is reputed to have introduced the castling move.
The six chess pieces presented here are truly worthy of a king’s chess board.
Three treatises and a letter covering the manufacture, theory and uses of the astrolabe, including a treatise by the renowned Persian polymath al-Biruni (973–1048) First treatise: kitab fi a‘mal al-asturlab (Treatise on the Uses of the Astrolabe) by Abu ’l-Hasan Kay Khusrau ibn al-‘Ula’ ash-Shirazi, the copy by Mahmud ibn Muhammad al-Mushi in the town of Sivas, dated Wednesday...Ramadan AH 628 (July–August,
AD 1231)
Second treatise: kitab fi isti‘ab al-wujuh al-mumkina fi sin‘at al-asturlab (Treatise on Understanding the Particulars of the Manufacture and Uses of the Astrolabe) by Abu Rayhan Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Biruni, signed by the same scribe as the above and dated Dhu ’l-Hijja, AH 628 (September–October, AD 1231)
Third treatise: kitab fi kayfiyat tastih al-kura ‘ala sath al-asturlab (Treatise on the
Principles of Projection of the Celestial Sphere on the Astrolabe) by Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn al-Husayn al-Saghani, signed by the scribe ‘Abd al-‘Aziz ibn ‘Abd al-Jabbar al-Mutatayib in Kayseri on Saturday, 11 Dhu ’l-Qa‘da 635 (26 June 1238 AD) Letter: from Kamal al-Din ibn Yunis to Muhammad ibn al-Husayn al-Saghani, claiming he has proved one of the premises on the division of circles that was not developed by Archimedes. Though not
dated, it continues where the third treatise ends and is in the same hand.
Turkey, Sivas and Kayseri, dated AH 628/AD 1231 and AH 635/AD 1238 Ink and colours on paper (modern binding): height 24 cm; width 16 cm (folio size) Inv. LNS 67 MS
Paper folios from the astrological birth chart of a newborn, giving the coordinates of the planets and lunar nodes at the time of birth. The single folio contains predictions for the future of the newborn.
East Iranian world, probably Khurasan, 12th c.
Ink, colour and gold: (a) height 15.5 cm; width 22 cm (b) height 13.7 cm; width 11.3 cm
Inv. LNS 275 MS a,b
Fine spinel (‘balas ruby’) bead inscribed with the names of the Mughal emperors: Akbar, undated but very rare among such inscriptions; Akbar’s son Jahangir, dated AH 1016; and Akbar’s great-grandson ‘Alamgir (Aurangzeb), dated AH 1070.
India, late 16th–early 17th c.; and dated inscriptions of AH 1016/AD 1607–08 and AH 1070/AD 1659–60
Ground, polished and drilled by lapidary means, inscriptions manually engraved with a diamond-pointed stylus: height 3.9 cm; width 2.3 cm; weight 86.9 carats
Inv. LNS 2787 J
Katar or thrust-dagger, the hilt overlaid with gold set with diamonds, emeralds and rubies, the exterior of the side-bars in a geometricized floral design, and the interior in a pattern of hexagons; the upper part of the blade with a flowering plant motif in gold India, ca. mid-17th c.
The hilt of gold over an iron core, worked in kundan technique and set with gemstones; the blade forged from jawhar steel, ground, polished and lightly etched, hatched and overlaid with gold (the ‘watered’ surface destroyed by a recent ‘repolishing’): length 42.2 cm; width 9.2 cm
Inv. LNS 116 J
Pierced sandstone screen (jali) featuring a pattern of six-pointed stars (equilateral triangle plan of repetition) and other polygonal shapes, generated by dodecagons overlapping at the mid-points of each of their sides Northern India, late 16th–early 17th c.
Carved by mason’s means: height 120 cm; width 100 cm
Inv. LNS 105 S
Sandstone architectural crenellation element of foliate form, relief-carved with a foliate composition issuing from a half-rosette at the base, and two roundels with the word ‘Allah’ (God)
North India, late 16th c.
Carved by mason’s means: height 100.8 cm; width 65.8 cm
Inv. LNS 231 S
The artistic repertoire of Islamic Art was, at this stage, firmly established. And, it is important to realize how the dynamic spirit so characteristic of Islam, moreover stimulated by the pilgrimage (al-hajj) ordained by the Holy Qur’an, brought together people from different lands and drew on various and abundant artistic currents from Central Asia (through the Silk Road), China, the Indian subcontinent, the Caucasus, North Africa and the Iberian peninsula, as well as from the enduring influences from the previously mentioned cultures of Byzantium and Sasanian Iran.
In this regard, craftsmen and artists proved, once again, to be receptive to a broad array of new influences which they assimilated with outstanding results. These influences increasingly led to the formation of regional schools of, for example, metalwork such as the ones from Khurasan in eastern Iran which produced the spectacular bronze candlesticks. However, whether in the meticulous decoration of metalwork or in the more simple glass and ceramic works or art which exhibit a predilection for pure form, styles and artistic expressions remained, in essence, strictly “Islamic”.
In addition, the sheer liveliness and originality of Islamic artistic expression is clearly detectable in the carved wood and ivory, along with the precious tiraz (the textiles with elegant calligraphy rich in historical detail), and the blown and moulded glass. Ceramic production, was likewise highly refined and was motivated by fierce competition from China, thus stimulating the development of new methods and techniques (such as the introduction of an “artificial” body, or “fritware”, which included quartz and silica along with clay) in response to fine imported ceramic wares characterised by exacting mastery of colour.
Wooden frieze, once part of the Fatimid ‘Western Palace’, built by the Caliph al-‘Aziz bi-’llah towards the end of the 10th c. for his daughter Sitt al-Mulk; the panel from the renovations of the Caliph al-Mustansir in 1058 Egypt, mid 11th c.
Carved, probably originally with paint and gold leaf: height 33 cm; width 152.5 cm
Inv. LNS 55 W
rass planispheric astrolabe (the earliest known Islamic example), signed by Muhammad ibn ‘Abdallah (known as ‘Nastulus’) and dated in Arabic alphabet numerals (abjad numeration) to AH 315 Iraq, probably Baghdad, dated AH 315/AD 927–28
Cast and engraved: height 22.3 cm; diameter 17.7 cm
Inv. LNS 36 M
Gold necklace and pendant set with diamonds, with pendant emerald bead, champlevé-enamelled in green on the back of the hinged ‘chain’ elements, and with red, green and blue floral motifs on the back of the pendant India, Deccan, Hyderabad, late 18th c.
Fabricated from gold and set with gemstones in kundan technique; backs champlevé-enamelled; pendant bead carved, polished and drilled by lapidary means: height 39 cm; width of pendant 4 cm
Inv. LNS 16 J
Silver coin (dirham) of the Rum Saljuq Sultan Kaykhusraw II ibn Kayqubad (r. AD 1237–46), struck at Konya (Qunya), Turkey, dated AH 639 Turkey, Konya, AD 1241–42 Struck between two dies: diameter 2.1 cm; weight 2.674 g Inv. LNS 6388 N
Bronze ewer with spirally ribbed body, one rib with a single diminutive scroll. The handle’s ‘thumb-rest’ in the form of a palmette, its base terminated by a stylized antelope head East Iranian world, 8th–9th c.
Body and handle separately cast, chased and engraved: height 38 cm; width 17 cm Inv. LNS 1338 M
When addressing a theme as complex as Islamic artistic expression, it is necessary to consider two fundamental factors: the sheer geographical size of the Muslim world at the height of its historical expansion (incorporating countries as far removed from each other as Spain and China); and its historical development within the time frame of fourteen hundred years which resulted in the formation of a multifaceted civilisation comprised of various levels of artistic expression.
This exhibition displays a number of phases which constitute Islamic art, and has been conceived and organised in two main parts. The first part presents a chronological progression from the beginning of the seventh century (the crucial date being 622, the year of the hijra, or migration, of the Prophet Muhammad from Makka to Madina, marking the birth of Islam), up to the spread of the great sixteenth-century empires: the Ottomans (incorporating vast areas of the Mediterranean basin); the Safavids in Iran (including parts of the Caucasus and Central Asia); and the Mughals in the Indian sub-continent.
The second part of the exhibition focuses on themes that run transversely throughout all the manifestations of Islamic art, and are depicted in sections devoted to the art of calligraphy; the development of geometric patterns; the arabesque or vegetal decoration; and figurative art, in an attempt to debunk the myth of Muslim iconoclasm
Bronze ewer with fluted body, and ‘thumb-rest’ in the form of a pomegranate Iranian world, 8th c.
Body and handle separately cast, chased and engraved: height 34.5 cm; width 13 cm Inv. LNS 85 M
Gold coin (double dinar) of the Mamluk Sultan Baybars I (r. AD 1260–77), struck at Cairo (al-Qahira), Egypt, dated AH 661 Egypt, Cairo, AD 1262–63 Struck between two dies: diameter 2.35 cm; weight 7.15 g Inv. LNS 89 N
Gold dinar of the Nasrid ruler of Spain, Yusuf I, bin Isma‘il (r. 1333-1354 CE), no mint place, but probably struck in Granada, 8th century AH/14th century CE
LNS 226 N
Gold coin (quarter-dinar) of the Fatimid Caliph al-Mu‘izz li-Din ‘llah ibn al-Mansur (r. AH 341–65/AD 953–75), struck at Palermo (Siqilliya), Sicily, dated AH 345 Sicily, Palermo, AD 956–57 Struck between two dies: diameter 1.45 cm; weight 1.01 g
Inv. LNS 4316 N
Gold coin (dinar) of the Fatimid Caliph al-Mu‘izz li-Din ‘llah ibn al-Mansur (r. AH 341–65/ AD 953–75), struck in Palestine (Filastin), dated AH 359 Palestine, AD 969–70 Struck between two dies:
diameter 2.05 cm; weight 3.89 g
Inv. LNS 513 N
Bronze ewer, the entire surface covered by a large ‘tree’ issuing scrolling vines bearing blossoms, foliage and fruit.
The handle’s ‘thumb-rest’ in the form of a pomegranate, its base terminated by a stylized antelope head Iranian world, 8th c.
Body and handle separately cast, chased and engraved: height 26 cm; width 12 cm Inv. LNS 84 M
Gold coin (dinar) of the ‘Abbasid Caliph Harun al-Rashid ibn al-Mahdi (r. AH 170–93/AD 786–809), struck in northern Iraq, dated AH 170 Iraq, AD 786–87 Struck between two dies: diameter 1.9 cm; weight 4.19 g
Inv. LNS 21 N
Silver coin (dirham) of the Muwahhid (Almohad) rulers of North Africa and Spain, struck at Fez (Fas), Morocco, undated (AH 6th c.) Morocco, Fez, AD 12th c.
Struck between two dies: each side 1.35 cm; weight 1.55 g
Inv. LNS 229 N
Gold coin (dinar) of the Umayyad Caliph ‘Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan (r. AH 65–86/AD 685–705), struck at Damascus (Dimashq), Syria, dated AH 80 Inv. LNS 150 N
Gold coin (tanqa) of the Ottoman Emperor Mustafa III ibn Ahmad III (r. AD 1757–74), struck at Istanbul (Islambul), Turkey, dated AH 1171 Turkey, Istanbul, AD 1757–58 Struck between two dies: diameter 2.1 cm; weight 2.62 g
Inv. LNS 278 N
Gold coin (dinar) of the Ghaznavid ruler of Afghanistan and Khurasan, Mahmud ibn Sabuktigin (r. AH 388–421/AD 998–1030), struck at Ghazna, Afghanistan, dated Muharram AH 421
Afghanistan, Ghazna, AD 1030 Struck between two dies: diameter 2.5 cm; weight 4.11 g
Inv. LNS 1328 N
Gold coin (dinar) of the Saljuq Sultan Malikshah ibn Muhammad (r. AD 1072–92), struck at Amul (Mazandaran), Iran, dated AH 479 Iran, Amul, AD 1086–87 Struck between two dies: diameter 2.3 cm; weight 3.63 g
Inv. LNS 6614 N
Gold coin (ten-dinar piece) of the Ghurid Sultans Ghiyath al-Din Muhammad ibn Sam (r. AD 1163–1203) and Mu‘izz al-Din Muhammad ibn Sam (r. AD 1173–1203), struck at Ghazna, Afghanistan, dated AH 598 Afghanistan, Ghazna, AD 1201–02
Struck between two dies: diameter 4.8 cm; weight 40.97 g
Inv. LNS 8715 N
Gold coin (dinar) of the Samanid ruler Nasr II ibn Ahmad II (r. AH 301–31/AD 914–43), struck at Nishapur (Naysabur), Iran, dated AH 324 Iran, Nishapur, AD 935–36 Struck between two dies: diameter 2.3 cm; weight 4.39 g
Inv. LNS 2179 N
Gold coin (double dinar) of the Ilkhanid (Mongol) ruler Uljaytu ibn Arghun (r. AD 1304–16), struck at Baghdad, Iraq, dated AH 715
Iraq, Baghdad, AD 1315–16 Struck between two dies: diameter 2.8 cm; weight 8.75 g
Inv. LNS 1316 N
Gold coin (ashrafi) of the Safavid Sultan Shah Isma‘il ibn Haydar (r. AD 1501–24), struck at Tabriz, Iran, dated AH 916 Iran, Tabriz, AD 1510–11 Struck between two dies: diameter 1.75 cm; weight 3.52 g
Inv. LNS 6797 N
Undated copper/copper alloy coin (fals) of so-called ‘Standing Caliph’ type, in the name of the Umayyad Caliph ‘Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan (r. AH 65–86/ AD 685–705), struck at Homs (Hims), Syria, (undated) Syria, Homs, AD 693–97 Struck between two dies: diameter 2.22 cm; weight 3.79 g.
Inv. LNS 8704 N
Glass pitcher with trilobed mouth, handle and decorative ‘trails’ in contrasting colour Syria, 6th–7th c.
Blown and tooled, with applied handle and trailed decoration: height 10.5 cm; diameter 5.2 cm
3
Small glass bowl, cut with concave pentagonal and hexagonal facets, reflecting Sasanian lapidary traditions East Iranian world, 7th–9th c.
Blown and cut by lapidary means: height 2 cm; diameter 6.6 cm Inv. LNS 156 G Art market, 1992; reportedly from Afghanistan Published: Carboni 2001, p. 31
Inv. LNS 258 G
Gold coin (portrait muhur) of the Mughal Emperor Jahangir ibn Akbar (r. AD 1605–27), no mint mentioned (Agra?), dated AH 1020 and regnal year 6, with a lion conjuncted with the sun (the sun in Leo), standing for the Persian month of Amurdad North India, AD 1611 Struck between two dies: diameter 2.0 cm; weight 11.05 g
Inv. LNS 244 N
Glass beaker, transparent blue body with opaque white trailed and marvered pattern Egypt or Greater Syria, 8th–9th c.
Glass, blown, trailed, tooled and marvered: height 6.5 cm; diameter 7 cm
Inv. LNS 52 KG
Rock crystal bottle, relief-carved with good wishes to the owner in Kufic script. The bottle probably served as a reliquary and was fitted in the 16th c. with Spanish gilded silver mounts inscribed: ‘In hoc signo vinces’, and engraved with the coats of arms of Barba de Campos de Castrofuerte of Castille, Santillan of Castille, Tello Barba Sandoval Santillan, and Tello of Castille Bottle, east Iranian world, ca. 10th c.
Cut, ground and polished by lapidary means; silver mounts cast, fabricated, engraved and gilded: height 17.8 cm; diameter 4.4 cm Inv. LNS 43 HS
Rock crystal bottle, relief-carved on both faces with a stylised ‘tree of life’ bearing half palmettes Iraq, Basra (?), 9th–10th c.
Cut, ground and polished by lapidary means: height 10.5 cm; width 8.3 cm Inv. LNS 3 HS
Glass bottle, transparent purple body with trailed and marvered pattern in opaque red and yellow and translucent blue and turquoise (the green colour resulting from the overlapping of turquoise onto yellow) Egypt or Greater Syria, 8th–9th c.
Blown, trailed, tooled and
marvered: height 12.7 cm; diameter 5.7 cm Inv. LNS 71 KG
Small glass bottle with faceted neck, the body decorated with a motif of counterchanging triangles Iranian world, 9th–10th c.
Blown and cut by lapidary means: height 5.7 cm; diameter 3.6 cm Inv. LNS 7 KG