A Mamluk enamelled glass beaker
Syria, 13th Century
of pale yellow glass and flaring cylindrical form, raised boss to base, decorated in polychrome enamel and gilt with a band of inscription to the shoulder and fish motifs to the body and rim, thin bands to the shoulder and lower body
14.9 cm. high
Footnotes:
Provenance
Gorny & Mosch, Sale 137, 2004, Lot 872
Property from a Princely Collection, acquired at Gorny & Mosch, Auktion Kunst der Antike, 19 June 2009, lot 585.


Inscriptions: izz li-mawlana al-malik..., 'Glory to our lord, the king...'

Beakers are one of the most well-known categories within Ayyubid and Mamluk glassmaking. Fish motifs were commonly found on such enamelled glass beakers, possibly as a sign of good fortune on vessels containing liquids, and feature on the earliest datable example from 1180-1208 AD/ 576-605AH (Stefano Carboni, Glass from Islamic Lands, London: Thames & Hudson in association with The al-Sabah Collection, Dar al-Athar al-Islamiyyah, Kuwait National Museum, 2001, p. 329).

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