A Mamluk armorial candlestick made for the standard bearer of al-malik al-nasir muhammad ibn Qala'un, Egypt or Syria, circa 1317

cast, incised and inlaid with silver and traces of copper, the body of truncated conical form with ridged foot, the projecting shoulder and concave drip-pan rising to a narrow tapering cylindrical neck with ridged conical socket, the exterior decorated allover with incised patterns inlaid with silver, the body with three oblong cartouches with monumental thuluth inscriptions interrupted by three circular medallions enclosing tripartite blazons set between minor bands of chain pattern, the drip-pan with three kufic inscriptive cartouches separated by three tripartite blazons inlaid with silver and copper and left undecorated, the neck with a further thuluth inscription band between lancet borders, th socket with a band of chain pattern

Published in 1400 Years of Islamic Art 1981, no.52

inscriptions

mimma 'umila bi-rasm al-amir al-kabir al-a / jall al-akmal sharaf al-din qiran (?) amir 'alam al-malik al-nasiri

'[This is] one of what was made for the Great Commander, the most Excellent, the most Perfect Sharaf al-Din Qiran, Amir of Standard [i.e. "Standard Bearer"] of al-Malik al-Nasir'

Round the neck:

al-'izz al-da'im al-iqbal al-salim

'Perpetual Glory, sound Prosperity'

Round the shoulder in Kufic: Undeciphered.

Sharaf al-Din Qiran al-Husami is mentioned once in the primary sources as amir 'alam ("standard bearer") in the year A.H.717 / A.D.1317