Rare Mamelouk comb with calligraphic and floral decoration - Lot 254

Rare Mamelouk comb with calligraphic and floral decoration Ivory Egypt, 14th/15th century, Mamluk period 11.1 x 4 cm Weight : 23,8g Provenance : - French art market, 2013. This rare beard comb is decorated on one side with a wide band of calligraphy in muhaqqaq script, a favored script typical of the Mamluk period (1250-1516/1517). It bears an inscription Al-Sultān al-Malik al-Ashraf in reference to a Mamluk ruler. On the other side, the comb is delicately chased with interlacing foliage and palmettes. Several Mamluk-period pyxides, on which the calligraphy is comparable in style and treatment, are dated to the 14th century, including one in the collections of the Palermo Museum, formerly in the collections of the Museo Martiniano (Abatellis inv. 11437 stores), and another in the collections of La David collection in Copenhagen (25-1999). CITES certificate issued on 17/11/2023