A fine Mamluk gold- and silver-inlaid cast brass bowl with inscription, Egypt or Syria, late 13th or early 14th century

of deep rounded form decorated around the rim with an elegant benedictory inscription separated by four roundels, two containing a whirling rosette and two containing a central lotus palmette surrounded by small florets and leaves, with a band of arabesques and short lancet leaves on the reverse, with a fish pond in the centre of the interior

From the Collection of the Painter and Sculptor Ernst Yelin (1900-1991), Stuttgart-Paris.

in overall fine condition with a high percentage of the original inlay and black compound intact, some small losses, knocks and bumps, as viewed
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

inscriptions
Round the shoulder:

al-maqarr al-karim al-'ali al-mawlawi al-maliki a / al-'alimi al''amili al-'adili al-ghazi al-muja / hidi al-murabiti al-muthaghiri al-kafili al-humani al-qawami al-nazami al-'awni al-sayyidi al-makhdumi al-maliki al-nasii

'The Most Honourable Authority, the High, the Lordly, the Possessor, the Learned, the Diligent, the Just, the Conqueror, the Holy Warrior, the Defender, the Protector [of frontiers], the Viceroyal, the Valiant, the Support, the Order, the Helper, the Master, the Well-served [officer] of al-Malik al-Nasir'

In the roundels:

al-maqarr al-'ali al-mawlawi al-maliki al-'alimi al-'amili al-'adili al ghazi al-maliki al-nasii

'The High Authority, the Lordly, the Possessor, the Learned, the Diligent, the Just, the Conqueror, [an officer] of al-Malik al-Nasir

Under the rim:

bi-rasm ahmad ibn/ al-jundi ibn al-tarrab(?)

'By order of Ahmad ibn al-Jundi al-Tarrab(?)'

The bowl has rounded, inward-sloping sides and an outward sloping rim. The sides are decorated with an elegant benedictory inscription in naskhi which is interrupted by four roundels. Two roundels contain a whirling rosette within a border of extremely fine circular benedictory inscriptions in naskhi. Two further roundels contain a central lotus palmette surrounded by little florets and leaves. Beneath is a band of arabesques with short lancet leaves. Inside, in the centre, is a fish pond.

This bowl is an exceptional example of early Mamluk metalwork not only for its exquisite quality, but noticeably for the fact that it still preserves almost the whole of its original inlay and, even more remarkably, preserves the whole of the original black compound employed for the background.

The main inscription contains formulaic phrases and blessings ending with the titles of the Mamluk Sultan al-Malik al-Nasir [Muhammad ibn Qala'un] (reigned 1294-1340). Two small but prominent dedicatory inscriptions in naskhi along the rim give the name of the person who commissioned the piece, Ahmad ibn al-Jundi.  The rank and identity of this individual is unknown, though the name al-Jundi does appear in Mamluk sources and there is even a scholar called Ahmad al-Jundi.

The inscriptions are both historically and art historically significant. The inlaid decoration is indisputably of "royal" quality, and the bowl has the iconography of royal pieces with radial "solar" inscriptions (as discussed by James Allan in Islamic Metalwork. The Nuhad Es-Said Collection, London, 1982, p.88), and yet it seems to have been made for an unknown emir and commissioned by a commoner. It is reasonable to conclude, therefore, that "royal" inscriptions may have been more widely used and less exclusively reserved for court circles than previously argued.

Our bowl has a near companion piece in the Galleria e Museo Estense Modena, inv. no. 2062, which was made for one of the emirs of Sultan al-Nasir Muhammad, (late 13th early 14th century, diameter 19cm. Published Eredita'dell'Islam. Arte Islamica in Italia, Venice 1993, pl. 175, p. 308.) 

Another very similar bowl is in the collection of the Galleria Regionale della Sicilia, Palazzo Abatellis, Palermo, inv. no. 7332 (see U. Staacke, I Metalli Mamelucchi del Periodo Bahri, Palermo 1997, pp. 100-103, pl. 13).