A MONUMENTAL MAMLUK COPPER BASIN Syria or Egypt, 15th century

A MONUMENTAL MAMLUK COPPER BASIN
Syria or Egypt, 15th century

Copper, engraved, of round form, with tapering sides; the exterior decorated with a broad band of thuluth inscriptions, interspersed with lobed roundels containing lotus flowers, roundels filled with arabesques, and the typical late Mamluk interlacing, repeated undulating-leaf motif.

22cm high, approximately 46cm wide

This piece represents a transitional point between Bahri Mamluk metalwork, from which it retains the form and certain decorative elements, such as the lotus flower, and the later Mamluk production, characterised by small undulating leaves, thinner and more elongated inscriptions, and a progressive decline in quality.