Box
1238-1240 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This lid of this casket depicts the heavens, with the sun, six planets and the signs of the zodiac. The sides illustrate life below, with falconers hunting on horseback and knights slaying mythical beasts. The inscription between them, on the side of the lid, names the Ayyubid prince al-Malik al-Adil II, who ruled in Cairo from 1238 to 1240.
In Islamic art, objects made from base materials were often transformed by sophisticated forms of decoration. Brassware, like this piece, was often decorated with inlaid surface ornament.
For larger motifs, metalworkers chiselled out small areas of brass and filled them with thin sheets of silver, gold and copper. They added details by chasing the surface of the softer metals and contrast by using a black filler.
The inlay technique first became popular in eastern Persia (now Iran) in the mid 12th century. It then spread westwards and by 1250 was in use across the Middle East. Its popularity declined after 1500.
In Islamic art, objects made from base materials were often transformed by sophisticated forms of decoration. Brassware, like this piece, was often decorated with inlaid surface ornament.
For larger motifs, metalworkers chiselled out small areas of brass and filled them with thin sheets of silver, gold and copper. They added details by chasing the surface of the softer metals and contrast by using a black filler.
The inlay technique first became popular in eastern Persia (now Iran) in the mid 12th century. It then spread westwards and by 1250 was in use across the Middle East. Its popularity declined after 1500.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 2 parts.
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| Materials and techniques | Brass, silver damascened and inscribed |
| Brief description | Casket, brass, inlaid with zodiacal and princely imagery, Egypt or Syria, 1238-40. |
| Physical description | Brass box, cylindrical, the fitted cover with canted rim, damascened in silver depicting the heavens, with the sun, six planets and the signs of the zodiac. The sides illustrate life below with falconers hunting on horseback and knights slaying mythical beasts. The inscription between them, on the side of the lid, names the Ayyubid prince al-Malik al-Adil II. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Gallery label |
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| Summary | This lid of this casket depicts the heavens, with the sun, six planets and the signs of the zodiac. The sides illustrate life below, with falconers hunting on horseback and knights slaying mythical beasts. The inscription between them, on the side of the lid, names the Ayyubid prince al-Malik al-Adil II, who ruled in Cairo from 1238 to 1240. In Islamic art, objects made from base materials were often transformed by sophisticated forms of decoration. Brassware, like this piece, was often decorated with inlaid surface ornament. For larger motifs, metalworkers chiselled out small areas of brass and filled them with thin sheets of silver, gold and copper. They added details by chasing the surface of the softer metals and contrast by using a black filler. The inlay technique first became popular in eastern Persia (now Iran) in the mid 12th century. It then spread westwards and by 1250 was in use across the Middle East. Its popularity declined after 1500. |
| Bibliographic reference | Stanley Lane-Poole, The Art of the Saracens in Egypt, London, 1886, pp. 208-9. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 8508:1, 2-1863 |
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| Record created | November 18, 2002 |
| Record URL |
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