Lot 338
- 338
An important monumental Mamluk bowl with incised snake design, Egypt, 14th century
Estimate
40,000 - 60,000 GBP
bidding is closed
Description
- Brass
the earthenware bowl of deep rounded form on a tall foot, with incised decoration featuring an armorial motif in the centre and a snake along the cavetto, with splashes of green and brown glaze on a cream slip ground, the exterior with moulded bands
Provenance
Khawam Collection, Cairo (before 1970)
Hotel Drouot, Paris, 20 November 1974, p.10, no. 21.
Collection of Francoise and Claude Bourelier
Hotel Drouot, Paris, 20 November 1974, p.10, no. 21.
Collection of Francoise and Claude Bourelier
Exhibited
Zurich, October 1976, no. 73
Literature
Zurich, October 1976, no. 73
H. Philon, Benaki Museum Athens: Early Islamic Ceramics, Ninth to Late Twelfth Centuries, vol. 1, Athens, 1980, p.68 and p.116, fig.242.
A. Daneshvari, Of Serpents and Dragons in Islamic Art: An Iconographical Study, Mazda Publishers, California, 2011, p.154, fig.35.
H. Philon, Benaki Museum Athens: Early Islamic Ceramics, Ninth to Late Twelfth Centuries, vol. 1, Athens, 1980, p.68 and p.116, fig.242.
A. Daneshvari, Of Serpents and Dragons in Islamic Art: An Iconographical Study, Mazda Publishers, California, 2011, p.154, fig.35.
Condition
Broken with associated restoration and some overpainting, the rim with one large chip, a small chip and some abrasion, the interior with some abrasion and minor surface chips, foot broken and so does not stand up on its own, some surface chips with associated overpainting to some of them, 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 bowl has a shared provenance and forms a pair with one in the al-Sabah Collection in the National Museum of Kuwait, inv. no.LNS 125C (Watson 2004, pp.408-9, Cat.R.15 and R.16). Watson suggests that these types of deep round bowls, although featuring a heraldic blazon in the centre, were probably used as “barracks ware” for the kitchens and mess tables of the retainers and guards of the Mamluk elite (ibid.). Edward Gibbs assigns these wares to the period from the middle of the thirteenth century up to the end of the reign of al-Nasir Muhammad (d. 1341) based on the types of inscriptions and blazons used (E. Gibbs, Mamluk Ceramics: 648-923 AH/1250-1517 AD, Transactions of the Oriental Ceramic Society, vol. 63, London, 1998-1999, p.25).
The present bowl is quite distinct in that it features a serpent around its cavetto, a symbol of cosmological significance, historically associated with the concept of al-Sakina (the Divine Presence). The round shape of the bowl, and the serpent encircling it, echoes the interpretations of this concept as the "ouroboros serpent that wraps herself like a snake on the site of the sanctuary of the Ka’ba and provides Abraham with the exact location of the sanctuary" (Daneshvari 2011, pp.120-1). A particularly vivid description of this tale is written by the tenth-century scholar Tabari (Tarikh, vol. 1, p.253) “[…] And when they reached the place of al-Ka’ba (al-bait), she encircled herself around the spot and told Abraham: ‘Build upon me' 'build upon me' 'build upon me’. Abraham then laid the foundation of al-Ka’ba, and he and Isma’il raised the House until they reached the place of the column” (ibid. p.121).
The present bowl is quite distinct in that it features a serpent around its cavetto, a symbol of cosmological significance, historically associated with the concept of al-Sakina (the Divine Presence). The round shape of the bowl, and the serpent encircling it, echoes the interpretations of this concept as the "ouroboros serpent that wraps herself like a snake on the site of the sanctuary of the Ka’ba and provides Abraham with the exact location of the sanctuary" (Daneshvari 2011, pp.120-1). A particularly vivid description of this tale is written by the tenth-century scholar Tabari (Tarikh, vol. 1, p.253) “[…] And when they reached the place of al-Ka’ba (al-bait), she encircled herself around the spot and told Abraham: ‘Build upon me' 'build upon me' 'build upon me’. Abraham then laid the foundation of al-Ka’ba, and he and Isma’il raised the House until they reached the place of the column” (ibid. p.121).