Object Description
Of deep rounded form with an everted rim, this impressive Mamluk brass basin is richly engraved throughout. The exterior is decorated with four inscription-filled cartouches alternating with circular roundels containing heraldic blazons, all set against a finely executed ground of split-palmette interlace. A continuous band of trefoil motifs encircles the foot. The interior is similarly ornamented with roundels and partial cartouches filled with intricate vegetal and geometric interlace.
Diameter: 55.3 cm
Provenance: Private UK Collection
Inscriptions
The inscriptions include a verse from an Arabic poem and the name of the original owner: mimma ‘umila bi-rasm al-mu‘allim Muhammad ibn al-Hajj Muhyi al-Din yarju al-maghfara min… (“What was made for the teacher Muhammad ibn al-Hajj Muhyi al-Din, who seeks forgiveness from…”).