Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form
Syria, Khaleb or Damascus, the late 14th century, gold-embossed glass with enamel decoration. Height – 51.5 cm., upper diameter – 24 cm.
A bright green lamp, with a widening neck, low leg support and 6 hanging handles close to the body, decorated in enamel paint in shades of blue, green and reddish brown. The neck has guilloche and small leaves, at regular intervals, three circles with the family coat of arms, with a sword, in the middle. At the base of the neck there is a band decorated with green and brown circles.
The body of the lamp has an inscription with letters scratched into a brown contour, which reads: “His noble and most honorable majesty, our lord the ruler Sayf al-Din Inel al-Yosefi. Inel (died 1393) started out as the Emir of Egypt. He became commander and governor of Khaleb and Tripoli, and later governor of Damascus and Tzefat. In 1390 he returned to Cairo as military ruler. It is probable that the lamp was used at Emir Inel’s madrasa (academy) in Cairo.
The manufacture of large lamps for religious institutions was an important sector of the production of glass decorated with enamel paint, particularly in the late 13th century and 14th century. They were commissioned by the Sultan or Emir, and were decorated with their name or family coat of arms, and sometimes included verses from the Koran.
