Rare gold-inlaid Mamelouk inkwell - Lot 253

Rare gold-inlaid Mamelouk inkwell Bronze inlaid with gold and silver Levant, 14th century, Mamluk period H.4,3 cm - D. 3 cm Provenance : - Y. Tsakos - Frances Artuner Collection, Belgium (acquired in the 1960s) - Sotheby's London sale, October 13, 2004, lot 112 - Private collection, United States - De Backker, presented at Tefaf Maastricht - Sotheby's London sale, October 23, 2019, lot 216 Metal pieces from the Mamluk period, with engraved decoration and usually inlaid with silver, are more rarely inlaid with gold, as is the case with this very fine inkwell. Here, the gold is visible in the beautiful Thuluth calligraphy in the central register, set against a background of silver-inlaid foliage. This calligraphic frieze is framed by two Greek friezes also inlaid with gold filigree. On the underside is a delicate medallion of silver scrolls, centered on a golden flowerette. The inscription tells us the purpose of this object "made for his excellence, the very high, the Ala'i, 'Ala' al-Din son of the late king (?)". Although a number of Mamluk rulers bear the name 'Ala' al-Din, this object may be related to a mosque lamp made for 'Ala' al-Din 'Ali son of Baktamur, preserved in the collections of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation and dated 1329 AD. Although the exact attribution of Mamluk objects is complex, the titulature corresponds in many respects to that of this lamp and corroborates an early 14th century dating. For a study of Mamluk objects, see : Atil E. (1981), Renaissance of islam: art of the Mamluks, Washington D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, p. 64.