Dish
Dish
1200-1300 (made)
1200-1300 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Flat base, very low sides slanting inwards, almost imperceptibly waisted half-way up and topped by a grooved moulding.
The inner base has traces of its engraved pattern. This featured an outer band formed from pointed lotus buds, originally silver-inlaid. A silver-inlaid fillet separated this border from the central rosette, now erased and engraved with a later design. There is also evidence of a continuous band of worn circles.
This later design is a whorl formed from eleven half-palmettes on hatched ground to hold black composition. The roundel is surrounded by five pointed arches with finials that each carry a cusped trefoil. Within the arches are divergent stalks flanking a cusped trefoil. Single trilobed lotus flowers are placed in the intervals between the lobed arches.
This design is Safavid, possibly the second half of the sixteenth century.
The exterior sides are entirely filled with the original continuous epigraphic band in naskhi on a scrolling ground.
The inner base has traces of its engraved pattern. This featured an outer band formed from pointed lotus buds, originally silver-inlaid. A silver-inlaid fillet separated this border from the central rosette, now erased and engraved with a later design. There is also evidence of a continuous band of worn circles.
This later design is a whorl formed from eleven half-palmettes on hatched ground to hold black composition. The roundel is surrounded by five pointed arches with finials that each carry a cusped trefoil. Within the arches are divergent stalks flanking a cusped trefoil. Single trilobed lotus flowers are placed in the intervals between the lobed arches.
This design is Safavid, possibly the second half of the sixteenth century.
The exterior sides are entirely filled with the original continuous epigraphic band in naskhi on a scrolling ground.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Dish |
| Materials and techniques | Brass with silver inlay and engraved decoration. Patina: brassy yellow with small green oxide deposits on the rim on one limited area probably due to prolonged exposure to humidity. |
| Brief description | Dish, brass with traces of silver inlay, Iran, 1200-1300 |
| Physical description | Flat base, very low sides slanting inwards, almost imperceptibly waisted half-way up and topped by a grooved moulding. The inner base has traces of its engraved pattern. This featured an outer band formed from pointed lotus buds, originally silver-inlaid. A silver-inlaid fillet separated this border from the central rosette, now erased and engraved with a later design. There is also evidence of a continuous band of worn circles. This later design is a whorl formed from eleven half-palmettes on hatched ground to hold black composition. The roundel is surrounded by five pointed arches with finials that each carry a cusped trefoil. Within the arches are divergent stalks flanking a cusped trefoil. Single trilobed lotus flowers are placed in the intervals between the lobed arches. This design is Safavid, possibly the second half of the sixteenth century. The exterior sides are entirely filled with the original continuous epigraphic band in naskhi on a scrolling ground. |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions | Note Persian; naskhi; epigraphic band on the side; engraved Translation Might A-L-R A-L-D (i.e.: al-da im, 'perpetual'?) A-L-R, A-L....(?), brilliance (?) A, A-L-R, brilliance...., A-L-R A-L-R, A L-A, A-L-D A A-L-R |
| Gallery label |
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| Object history | Purchased for 2s from Jules Richard through Robert Murdoch Smith, November 1889. Inter-departmental transfer to MES, RF 2011/1170. Historical significance: This is a rare but not unique example of Safavid over-decoration on a 13th century object. The design, at the centre of the inner base, was engraved at a later date over an earlier rosette erased by wear. |
| Bibliographic reference | Melikian-Chirvani, A.S. Islamic Metalwork from the Iranian World, London:HMSO, 1982, p165-166, ISBN 0 11 290252 9 |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 767-1889 |
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| Record created | March 18, 2003 |
| Record URL |
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