A rare and important Khurasan silver-inlaid brass basin, probably Herat,...
of deep-form with everted scalloped rim with eighteen sides, the engraved design inlaid with silver and incised with details, along the everted edge of the rim are running quadrupeds, the register below with a tall anthropomorphic calligraphic band and a smaller inscription in Kufic beneath, the centre of the basin with astrological symbols, including five planets, the sun and the moon at the centre, surrounded by twelve signs of the zodiac, with an external band of running quadrupeds with crescent-moons beneath a band of interlacing strapwork, the exterior plain
54.3cm. diam.
13.5cm. height
Condition Report:
The beaten brass body with some breaks with associated restoration, the exterior plain, most of the silver-inlaid decoration visible and present, some abrasion and weathering to surface particularly visible along edges, as viewed.
Catalogue Note:
inscriptions
In naskh, words of good wishes, starting with: al-‘izz wa’l-iqbal – ‘glory and prosperity’, ending with wa’l-baqa li-sahibihi, ‘and longevity to its owner’
Including others such as: al-sa’adat – ‘peace’, al-rahmat – ‘mercy’, but most of the words in these panels are miswritten or incomplete.
In Kufic: similar inscriptions, not fully deciphered.
This magnificent example of Herati silver-inlaid metalwork is closely related to a basin formerly in the Nicholas M.G. Paleologos collection, sold in these rooms, 31 March 2021, lot 74. Both share a comparably elaborate scheme of astrological iconography presented on a majestic basin whose radiating form resembles the sun itself. The iconography reveals a complex knowledge of astrology and a belief at the highest level of both the apotropaic and governing influence of the stars.
Large basins of this form are rare. Aside from the Paleologos basin, the closest example with scalloped edges is in the Nasser D. Khalili Collection, London (inv. no.MTW 1242), see Rogers 2010, pp.96-97, cat.103 and Spink 2022, p.211-2, no.104. Although the decoration at the centre of the basin is divided in the same way the zodiacal basins, it features rosettes in each hexagon of the lattice. A Kashan lustre bowl of comparable form on a smaller scale in the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, demonstrates how basins of this form would have been distributed into the surrounding regions in Khurasan and Central Persia, informing the work of craftsmen in different media (Watson 1985, p.98, Spink op.cit., p.210).
Stefano Carboni explores how the discipline of astrology became so popular that it affected the visual arts, serving not only as a decorative device, but also providing a protective function by imbuing the object with cosmological and talismanic significance (1997, p.3). Works such as the present basin are representative of very specific and highly symbolic phase in Islamic art production (ibid., p.7). On this basin, almost all the silver inlay remains intact, allowing us to fully understand its zodiacal scheme. The decorative design centres on an iconography of power through strong astrological symbolism. Featuring the twelve signs of the zodiac, planets, anthropomorphic inscriptions, and the sun-like form of the basin itself, all would have contributed to asserting the owner's power within both an earthly and cosmic realm. The combination of these details would have further had the benefit of serving an apotropaic or protective function, as indicated by the inscription in which the words ‘Glory and Prosperity, 'Longevity,’ ‘Peace,’ and ‘Mercy’ can be read.
The crescent moons of this example are interspersed within bands of running quadrupeds. Carboni explains that a particular interest in the Moon’s cycle developed due to its association with the cool, humid part of the day. It soon gained astrological symbolism, personified as a female figure, the power of which was sometimes reinforced by further imagery such as entwined dragons (Carboni 1997, p.11). The placement of the moons within the cycle of running animals might serve to reinforce the strength and power of the moon and thus strengthen the protective power of the imagery to its anonymous patron.
The iconography of the basin relates to a group of brass ewers attributed to Herat in the late twelfth and early thirteenth century based on stylistic similarities and an inscription from a comparable ewer in the Simon Janashia Museum of Georgia in Tbilisi (inv. no.19-2008:32). Known as the 'Tiflis ewer', the ewer in Tbilisi states that it was "made by Mahmud ibn Muhammad of Herat in Herat in the month of Sha'ban 577" (19 December 1181-17 January 1182 AD). The ewers from this group share stylistic as well as decorative features and often include benedictory inscriptions, sometimes dedicated to an anonymous owner. While the 'Tiflis ewer' is comparatively simplistic in its ornamentation, ewers with zodiacal signs can also be found in museum collections such as the State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, inv. no.ИР-1436, the Louvre Museum, Paris, inv. no.OA 5548, the...
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of deep-form with everted scalloped rim with eighteen sides, the engraved design inlaid with silver and incised with details, along the everted edge of the rim are running quadrupeds, the register below with a tall anthropomorphic calligraphic band and a smaller inscription in Kufic beneath, the centre of the basin with astrological symbols, including five planets, the sun and the moon at the centre, surrounded by twelve signs of the zodiac, with an external band of running quadrupeds with crescent-moons beneath a band of interlacing strapwork, the exterior plain
54.3cm. diam.
13.5cm. height
Condition Report:
The beaten brass body with some breaks with associated restoration, the exterior plain, most of the silver-inlaid decoration visible and present, some abrasion and weathering to surface particularly visible along edges, as viewed.
Catalogue Note:
inscriptions
In naskh, words of good wishes, starting with: al-‘izz wa’l-iqbal – ‘glory and prosperity’, ending with wa’l-baqa li-sahibihi, ‘and longevity to its owner’
Including others such as: al-sa’adat – ‘peace’, al-rahmat – ‘mercy’, but most of the words in these panels are miswritten or incomplete.
In Kufic: similar inscriptions, not fully deciphered.
This magnificent example of Herati silver-inlaid metalwork is closely related to a basin formerly in the Nicholas M.G. Paleologos collection, sold in these rooms, 31 March 2021, lot 74. Both share a comparably elaborate scheme of astrological iconography presented on a majestic basin whose radiating form resembles the sun itself. The iconography reveals a complex knowledge of astrology and a belief at the highest level of both the apotropaic and governing influence of the stars.
Large basins of this form are rare. Aside from the Paleologos basin, the closest example with scalloped edges is in the Nasser D. Khalili Collection, London (inv. no.MTW 1242), see Rogers 2010, pp.96-97, cat.103 and Spink 2022, p.211-2, no.104. Although the decoration at the centre of the basin is divided in the same way the zodiacal basins, it features rosettes in each hexagon of the lattice. A Kashan lustre bowl of comparable form on a smaller scale in the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, demonstrates how basins of this form would have been distributed into the surrounding regions in Khurasan and Central Persia, informing the work of craftsmen in different media (Watson 1985, p.98, Spink op.cit., p.210).
Stefano Carboni explores how the discipline of astrology became so popular that it affected the visual arts, serving not only as a decorative device, but also providing a protective function by imbuing the object with cosmological and talismanic significance (1997, p.3). Works such as the present basin are representative of very specific and highly symbolic phase in Islamic art production (ibid., p.7). On this basin, almost all the silver inlay remains intact, allowing us to fully understand its zodiacal scheme. The decorative design centres on an iconography of power through strong astrological symbolism. Featuring the twelve signs of the zodiac, planets, anthropomorphic inscriptions, and the sun-like form of the basin itself, all would have contributed to asserting the owner's power within both an earthly and cosmic realm. The combination of these details would have further had the benefit of serving an apotropaic or protective function, as indicated by the inscription in which the words ‘Glory and Prosperity, 'Longevity,’ ‘Peace,’ and ‘Mercy’ can be read.
The crescent moons of this example are interspersed within bands of running quadrupeds. Carboni explains that a particular interest in the Moon’s cycle developed due to its association with the cool, humid part of the day. It soon gained astrological symbolism, personified as a female figure, the power of which was sometimes reinforced by further imagery such as entwined dragons (Carboni 1997, p.11). The placement of the moons within the cycle of running animals might serve to reinforce the strength and power of the moon and thus strengthen the protective power of the imagery to its anonymous patron.
The iconography of the basin relates to a group of brass ewers attributed to Herat in the late twelfth and early thirteenth century based on stylistic similarities and an inscription from a comparable ewer in the Simon Janashia Museum of Georgia in Tbilisi (inv. no.19-2008:32). Known as the 'Tiflis ewer', the ewer in Tbilisi states that it was "made by Mahmud ibn Muhammad of Herat in Herat in the month of Sha'ban 577" (19 December 1181-17 January 1182 AD). The ewers from this group share stylistic as well as decorative features and often include benedictory inscriptions, sometimes dedicated to an anonymous owner. While the 'Tiflis ewer' is comparatively simplistic in its ornamentation, ewers with zodiacal signs can also be found in museum collections such as the State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, inv. no.ИР-1436, the Louvre Museum, Paris, inv. no.OA 5548, the...
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Time, Location
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