A Brass magic bowl, Egypt or Syria, 15th-17th century

of shallow rounded form with a raised omphalos with flattened sides engraved with a six-pointed star and inscriptions borded by a narrow band of scrolling split-palmettes, the interior and exterior cavetto engraved with alternating circular and oblong cusped cartouches filled with talismanic inscriptions and flanked by pendant palmettes, the interior and exterior rim with calligraphic band

inscriptions

Quotations from the Qur'an, Arabic verses, talismanic and magic inscriptions (not historic).

From the fifteenth century onwards bosses became a common feature of magic bowls and were said to derive from the Graeco-Roman omphalos or navel vessel. Those with flattened bosses such as the present example appeared until the seventeenth century. During this period they were produced and marketed from Syria and the Jazirah across to Mughal India. (see Khalili et al 1997, p.77).  The verses contained within the inner cartouches of the bowl are similar to those found in other metal vessels from the Mamluk period.