Arts of the Islamic World & India including Fine Rugs & Carpets
Arts of the Islamic World & India including Fine Rugs & Carpets
AN OTTOMAN TOMBAK HANGING LAMP, TURKEY, 18TH/19TH CENTURY
Auction Closed
June 10, 06:00 PM GMT
Estimate
8,000 - 12,000 GBP
Lot Details
Description
AN OTTOMAN TOMBAK HANGING LAMP, TURKEY, 18TH/19TH CENTURY
the gilt-copper body moulded, hammered and chiselled, the shoulder with three foliate suspension loops each with a suspension chain linked to a leafy tip terminating in a S-shaped hook, decorated with swirling foliate vines and openwork leafy details near edge
69.5cm. height; 22.1cm. diam.
Unlike the glass lamps this metal lamp would have given off little light apart from the shadows cast through its openwork base. As with the Iznik lamps of the sixteenth-century their function was symbolic rather than as a source of light. It has been suggested that they were also used as an acoustic device; hung near the place where prayers were read, helping dampen the echo by allowing the voice of the reader to bounce off them (Atasoy and Raby 1989, p.41).