Mosque Lamp
1320-1330 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This mosque lamp was made for Qijlis, a high official who had been the sultan’s armourer. His emblem was a sword, which can be seen in the large roundels. Between the roundels is a quotation from the Qur’an that mentions ‘the mosques of God’.
Before the introduction of electricity, lighting was an expensive luxury. Providing lighting in an Islamic religious building was therefore seen as an act of generosity to the community that would be rewarded by God. Donors paid for lamps and the supply of oil and wicks they required. During Mamluk rule (1250-1517) in Egypt and Syria, donors commissioned lamps and lamp-holders of glass and metal that were often large and impressive. Inscriptions recorded the donors’ names.
Before the introduction of electricity, lighting was an expensive luxury. Providing lighting in an Islamic religious building was therefore seen as an act of generosity to the community that would be rewarded by God. Donors paid for lamps and the supply of oil and wicks they required. During Mamluk rule (1250-1517) in Egypt and Syria, donors commissioned lamps and lamp-holders of glass and metal that were often large and impressive. Inscriptions recorded the donors’ names.
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Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Glass, gilt and enamelled |
| Brief description | Lamp made for the Mamluk official Qijlis, Egypt or Syria, ca. 1320-1330. |
| Physical description | Enamelled and gilt glass mosque lamp. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Marks and inscriptions | Inscription of Qur'an IX, 18 on neck and 'This is what was made a waqf by the servant yearning for God, the Exalted, hoping for the pardon of his generous Lord, Qijlis (officer), of al-Malik al-Nasir' and three medallions on neck bear coats of arms - emblems of the armour-bearer. (Decoration) |
| Gallery label |
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| Object history | Said to have been found in Dair Saiyidinaiya, a monastry near Damascus, Syria. Qijlis was promoted arms-bearer to al-Nasir Muhammad, Mamluk Sultan of Egypt, in 1321, and died in 1331. His first state office was in 1317 when he was appointed leader of the pilgrimage. |
| Subject depicted | |
| Summary | This mosque lamp was made for Qijlis, a high official who had been the sultan’s armourer. His emblem was a sword, which can be seen in the large roundels. Between the roundels is a quotation from the Qur’an that mentions ‘the mosques of God’. Before the introduction of electricity, lighting was an expensive luxury. Providing lighting in an Islamic religious building was therefore seen as an act of generosity to the community that would be rewarded by God. Donors paid for lamps and the supply of oil and wicks they required. During Mamluk rule (1250-1517) in Egypt and Syria, donors commissioned lamps and lamp-holders of glass and metal that were often large and impressive. Inscriptions recorded the donors’ names. |
| Bibliographic reference | L.A.Mayer, Saracenic heraldry: a survey (Oxford) 1933, p.190. |
| Other number | 6218 - Glass gallery number |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 580-1875 |
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| Record created | December 13, 1997 |
| Record URL |
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