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Glassmaking emerged as one of the most popular forms of portable art during the Mamluk period, alongside textiles, metalwork, and pottery, and drew on techniques established by the preceding Ayyubid dynasty. Architecture stood as a hallmark of Mamluk society, recognizable by its sculpture and colors, elements which translated into the portable arts including this oil lamp. This particular lamp likely hung from the ceiling in a Sufi hostel (khanqah) in Egypt during the early 1320s. It bears around its upper body a famous Qu’ran verse describing God as “the light of the heavens and the earth.” Lower down it refers to the patron for whom it was made: a Mamluk amir named al-Karmini or Karim al-Din (retired in 723 AH, 1323 AD) who served under the sultans Baybars II (r. 1309 – 10) and al-Malik al-Nasir Muhammad ibn Qalawun Sayf al-Din (d. 1341).
Oil lamp
Islamic; Mamluk
Early 1320s
Object Place: Cairo, Egypt
Medium/Technique
Glass with gold and enamel decoration
Dimensions
Overall: 27.5 x 20cm (10 13/16 x 7 7/8in.)
Credit Line
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Edward Jackson Holmes
Accession Number37.614
CollectionsAfrica and Oceania, Islamic Art
ClassificationsGlass
Glassmaking emerged as one of the most popular forms of portable art during the Mamluk period, alongside textiles, metalwork, and pottery, and drew on techniques established by the preceding Ayyubid dynasty. Architecture stood as a hallmark of Mamluk society, recognizable by its sculpture and colors, elements which translated into the portable arts including this oil lamp. This particular lamp likely hung from the ceiling in a Sufi hostel (khanqah) in Egypt during the early 1320s. It bears around its upper body a famous Qu’ran verse describing God as “the light of the heavens and the earth.” Lower down it refers to the patron for whom it was made: a Mamluk amir named al-Karmini or Karim al-Din (retired in 723 AH, 1323 AD) who served under the sultans Baybars II (r. 1309 – 10) and al-Malik al-Nasir Muhammad ibn Qalawun Sayf al-Din (d. 1341).
DescriptionLamp produced for Karim al-Din, a Mamluk official under the sultan Baybars II (r. 1309 – 10) and then al-Nasir Muhammad
InscriptionsArabic inscriptions in thuluth script. On neck, Quran 24:35 (the Verse of Light); on body, name of Karim al-Din (retired in 723 AH, 1323 AD). Translation: "This is one of the objects that has been made for the blessed monastery-fortress constructed by the Servant longing for God, His High Excellency Karim al-Din. May [God make] eternal [his glory]."
Provenance1937, gift of Mr. and Mrs. Edward Jackson Holmes, Topsfield, MA, to the MFA. (Accession Date: October 14, 1937)