Mosque Lamp

Origin: Syrian
Date: 15th century
Medium: Glass, polychrome enamel and gold
The William A. Whitaker Foundation Art Fund
97.13

Before the introduction of electricity, a large number of oil lamps were used to light the covered areas in a mosque, especially the area facing in the direction of Mecca. During the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, particularly under the patronage of the Mamluks in Egypt, Syrian glassmakers were famous for their enameled mosque lamps. These were characterized by the intricacy of their calligraphic style and the subtle manipulation of the thuluth script to create special aesthetic effects. Thuluth is a monumental script with well-formed letters that emphasize vertical and horizontal movements.

The thuluth calligraphy on this lamp is distinctly different from the Mamluk style which was more elaborate and less vertical. The Ak Koyunlu dynasty in eastern Anatolia used a similar calligraphic style on state documents. Perhaps this lamp was commissioned by an Ak Koyunlu ruler.

Two bands of writing, repeating the Arabic word "the wise," decorate the rim and body of this lamp. The long shafts of the letters achieve an elegant verticality which contrasts with the bulbous form of the lamp.