Candlestick
14th century (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This lamp stand is a very late example of a shape inherited from the ancient world. The upper section, now missing, would have supported a tray for small oil lamps. The decoration, however, is typical of the 14th century. The inscription praises an unnamed Mamluk official.
The lamp stand is decorated in a style that developed during the first century of Mamluk rule in Egypt and Syria (1250–1350). This was the period when the sultanate was at the height of its power. The secular decoration on objects like this shows that they were made for palaces rather than religious buildings.
At first, scenes with human figures were common. These disappeared after 1300, and elegant inscriptions in Arabic became more prominent. The texts all name the patron or glorify the sultan.
The lamp stand is decorated in a style that developed during the first century of Mamluk rule in Egypt and Syria (1250–1350). This was the period when the sultanate was at the height of its power. The secular decoration on objects like this shows that they were made for palaces rather than religious buildings.
At first, scenes with human figures were common. These disappeared after 1300, and elegant inscriptions in Arabic became more prominent. The texts all name the patron or glorify the sultan.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Hammered brass inlaid with chased silver and engraved |
| Brief description | Brass lampstand inlaid with inscriptions, Egypt or Syria, 14th century. |
| Physical description | Base of a lampstand, copper alloy, probably brass, engraved and inlaid with silver and a black compound, the silver further engraved. Round central band with inscription in silver inlay naming the owner and attributing date of 14th century. Remaining medallions are filled with birds and arrangements of whorled bands. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Gallery label |
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| Object history | The South Kensington Museum (now the V&A) bought this lampstand from Gaston de Saint-Maurice (1831-1905) in 1884. Saint-Maurice had lived in Cairo in 1868–1878, holding a position in the Khedive’s court. In 1878 the Egyptian government organized a sequence of displays at the International Exhibition in Paris to celebrate the history of the country, and the lampstand was shown in a gallery entitled “L'Egypte des Khalifes”. Saint-Maurice sold the lampstand and other objects on display after the exhibition closed. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Associations | |
| Summary | This lamp stand is a very late example of a shape inherited from the ancient world. The upper section, now missing, would have supported a tray for small oil lamps. The decoration, however, is typical of the 14th century. The inscription praises an unnamed Mamluk official. The lamp stand is decorated in a style that developed during the first century of Mamluk rule in Egypt and Syria (1250–1350). This was the period when the sultanate was at the height of its power. The secular decoration on objects like this shows that they were made for palaces rather than religious buildings. At first, scenes with human figures were common. These disappeared after 1300, and elegant inscriptions in Arabic became more prominent. The texts all name the patron or glorify the sultan. |
| Bibliographic reference | Stanley Lane-Poole, The Art of the Saracens in Egypt, London, 1886, p. 232. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 912-1884 |
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| Record created | December 7, 2004 |
| Record URL |
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