Lot 82
- 82
A clear-glass mosque lamp for the Islamic market, Venice, late 15th/ early 16th century
Estimate
6,000 - 8,000 GBP
bidding is closed
Description
- Glass
of clear-green glass, the waisted globular form with wide flaring neck, with six trailed lug handles to body
Condition
In good condition, intact, some minor breaks to extremities of trailed glass loop-handles, as viewed.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
Catalogue Note
This mosque lamp, which was most probably produced in Venice for the Islamic market, attests to the trade network not only of finished goods, but also that of the raw materials and workmanship that was exchanged between Venice and the Islamic world. This mosque lamp, which was intentionally left completely clear of superlative designs, would probably have been exported to the Mamluk Sultanate in Egypt where it would have been ‘completed’ with enamel decoration. On the other hand, it is also known that: “[…] from the thirteenth century on, about the time that Venetian glassmakers were organized in the guild for the fiolarii (bottle makers), most raw materials necessary for glassmaking were imported into Venice from the Levant” (Hess and Rossi 2004, p.7).
Providing a fascinating glimpse into this network of exchange, this lamp is one of the few examples of fifteenth/sixteenth century European Mamluk-style mosque lamps remaining completely free of design. A comparable example is in the Victoria and Albert Museum, inv. no. 332-1900, and another in the Museum of Islamic Art, Cairo (see Venice and the Islamic World: 828-1797, Exhibition catalogue, 2007, fig.7, p.260).
Providing a fascinating glimpse into this network of exchange, this lamp is one of the few examples of fifteenth/sixteenth century European Mamluk-style mosque lamps remaining completely free of design. A comparable example is in the Victoria and Albert Museum, inv. no. 332-1900, and another in the Museum of Islamic Art, Cairo (see Venice and the Islamic World: 828-1797, Exhibition catalogue, 2007, fig.7, p.260).