Kashkul
1800-1875 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
The beggar's bowl, or kashkul, was a sign of the religious poverty assumed by Islamic mystics. This function is reflected in the inscriptions used. On this kashkul they include a poem in Persian lauding the kashkul in mystical terms.
Many kashkuls are carved from half the shell of a huge nut - the fruit of the coco de mer palm. The tree grows in the Seychelle Islands, in the Indian Ocean, and the shell washes ashore in southern Iran. This took on spiritual significance as a symbol of the dervish’s journey on the ocean of mystic knowledge. The shape of the coco de mer nut was copied in steel kaskhuls like this one.
Many kashkuls are carved from half the shell of a huge nut - the fruit of the coco de mer palm. The tree grows in the Seychelle Islands, in the Indian Ocean, and the shell washes ashore in southern Iran. This took on spiritual significance as a symbol of the dervish’s journey on the ocean of mystic knowledge. The shape of the coco de mer nut was copied in steel kaskhuls like this one.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Steel bowl, chased and engraved |
| Brief description | Steel kashkul with engraved decoration, Qajar Iran, 1800-1875. |
| Physical description | Bowl with small spout in the form of a kashkul or dervish's wallet, made of watered steel, chased and engraved with flowers and inscriptions naming the maker Haji Abbas, Isfahan |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Marks and inscriptions | poem in Persian
|
| Gallery label | Jameel Gallery
12–14 Beggar’s Bowls
Iran
1800–75
The beggar’s bowl was a sign of the religious poverty assumed by Islamic mystics. This function is reflected in the inscriptions used. They include verses from the Qur’an (12), poetry in Persian about the mystic’s quest for enlightenment (13), and Shi’ite prayers (14).
The first bowl (12) is carved from half the shell of a huge nut – the fruit of the coco de mer palm. The tree grows in the Seychelle Islands, in the Indian Ocean, and the shell washes ashore in southern Iran. The steel bowl (13) has the same shape.
12 Carved coco de mer with steel mounts
Museum no. 876-1889
13 Steel with chiselled decoration. Signed by Haji Abbas
Museum no. 405-1876
14 Lime wood, carved and painted
Museum no. 726-1876(Jameel Gallery) |
| Object history | The present bowl is one of the two finest steel kashkuls known; the other is in the Nuhad es-Said Collection. These, in addition to many of the other steel kashkuls in various collections, must be late-19th century in origin, despite their makers’ efforts to make them look as early as 17th century. Several are signed by one Haji Abbas, who apparently died in 1960 or 1961 but liked to sign his works as the son of the chief armourer to Shah Abbas (r. 1588-1629). |
| Summary | The beggar's bowl, or kashkul, was a sign of the religious poverty assumed by Islamic mystics. This function is reflected in the inscriptions used. On this kashkul they include a poem in Persian lauding the kashkul in mystical terms. Many kashkuls are carved from half the shell of a huge nut - the fruit of the coco de mer palm. The tree grows in the Seychelle Islands, in the Indian Ocean, and the shell washes ashore in southern Iran. This took on spiritual significance as a symbol of the dervish’s journey on the ocean of mystic knowledge. The shape of the coco de mer nut was copied in steel kaskhuls like this one. |
| Bibliographic reference | James Allan and Brian Gilmour, Persian Steel: The Tanavoli Collection, Oxford, 2000, pp. 319-20. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 405-1876 |
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| Record created | April 19, 2005 |
| Record URL |
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