A mamluk gold and silver inlaid brass dish emblazoned with the name of sultan nasir muhammad ibn Qalaun, Egypt or Syria, 1294-1340

a shallow dish with flat base and slightly convex walls and a narrow bevelled rim, the exterior sides decorated with inscriptions in naskhi on a ground of scrolling foliage and flowerheads interspersed with six calligraphic blazons bearing the titles of the Sultan, the rim with chain pattern, the interior with three concentric bands of decoration centred on a calligraphic blazon ringed by lotus flowers and rosettes, a medial band with a bold naskhi inscription on an arabesque ground interrupted by three further calligraphic blazons, the outer ring with a continuous undulating spit-palmette scroll with radial darts emulating the sun's rays

INSCRIPTIONS

Around the inner base :

‘izz li-mawlana al-sultan al-malik al-nasir / al-‘alim al-‘amil al-‘adil nasir al-du/nya wa al-din muhammad ibn al-malik al-mansur qalaun

"Glory to our Lord, the Sultan, al-Malik al-Nasir, the Learned, the Diligent, the Just, Protector of the World and religion (Nasir al-Din) Muhammad, son of al-Malik al-Mansur Qala'un"

In the three roundels, repetition of:

‘izz li-mawlana al-sultan

"Glory to our Lord, the Sultan"

In the central roundel:

al-malik al-nasir

Round the outer wall:

‘izz li-mawlana al-sultan al-malik al-nasir / al-‘alim al-‘amil al-‘adil nasir al-du/nya wa al-din muhammad ibn qalaun

"Glory to our Lord, the Sultan, al-Malik al-Nasir, the Learned, the Diligent, the Just, Protector of the World and religion (Nasir al-Din) Muhammad, son of Qala'un"

In the small roundels, repetition of:

al-malik al-nasir

This exquisite gold and silver inlaid dish joins the select group of recorded metal objects bearing the name and titles of the Mamluk sultan, Nasir Muhammad ibn Qala'un.

Like the incense burner made for Sultan Muhammad ibn Qala'un in the Nuhad Es-Said collection, this dish contains a plethora of devices symbolic of the ruler.  In Mamluk art the ruler is consistantly equated with the sun as the giver of light and life to the world: the lancette leaves signifying the sun's rays radiating from the circular inscription; the dedication to the sultan within a golden disc reminiscent of the sun; the rosettes with traces of gold inlay, a colour shared with the dedication to the ruler; even the lotuses with their proximity to the central point of the dish carry solar symbolism.  In one case on the aforementioned incense burner the lotus has replaced a circular inscription and forms an interlaced six pointed star which is in itself a sun-symbol (Allan 1982, p. 88).

The closest comparable object is probably the small lidded box in the Hermitage Museum (inv. EG-765a,b) also produced for Sultan Muhammad ibn Qala'un in the early 14th century, see: Masterpieces of Islamic Art in the Hermitage Museum, Dar al-Athar al-Islamiyya, Kuwait, 1990, p.87, no.57.