Mamalukes
Print
1825 (made)
1825 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Lithograph depicting two Mamluk men on horseback, riding at speed through a desert with spears and swords aloft. Lettered with title and printer's address.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Mamalukes (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Lithograph |
| Brief description | Lithograph after a drawing by Henry Alken depicting Mamalukes (or Mamluks). Great Britain, 1825. |
| Physical description | Lithograph depicting two Mamluk men on horseback, riding at speed through a desert with spears and swords aloft. Lettered with title and printer's address. |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions | Published Jany, 1, 1825, by S, & J, Fuller, at their Sporting Gallery, 34, Rathbone Place, London. (Lettered) |
| Credit line | Purchased with the assistance of the National Heritage Memorial Fund, Art Fund, Shell International and the Friends of the V&A |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Bibliographic reference | Mamluk is a military caste in medieval Egypt, composed of non-Arab origin people, mainly Kipchaks, Georgians and Circassians. The "mamluk phenomenon" of a specific warrior class was of great political importance and was extraordinarily long-lived, lasting from the 9th to the 19th century AD. Over time, mamluks became a powerful military caste in various Muslim societies, mainly in Egypt, but also in the Levant, Iraq, and India. Mamluks held political and military power. In some cases, they attained the rank of sultan, while in others they held regional power as amirs or beys. Most notably, mamluk factions seized the sultanate for themselves in Egypt and Syria in a period known as the Mamluk Sultanate (1250–1517). The Mamluk Sultanate famously beat back the Mongols at the Battle of Ayn Jalut and fought the Crusaders, effectively driving them out from the Levant by 1291 and officially in 1302 ending the era of the Crusades.
While mamluks were purchased, their status was above ordinary slaves, who were not allowed to carry weapons or perform certain tasks. In places such as Egypt from the Ayyubid dynasty to the time of Muhammad Ali of Egypt, mamluks were considered to be “true lords", with social status above freeborn Muslims. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | SP.19 |
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| Record created | July 1, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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