FOUR KHURASAN SILVER- INLAID BRONZE INKWELLS, 12TH-13TH CENTURY

Of cylindrical form applied with three hinged handles, decorated in silver inlay with figures and roundels of floral motifs between two bands of Kufic calligraphy, the internal drip-tray of one inkwell with a band of calligraphy, the underside of base with geometric designs with three drop-form silver overlaid feet, the cover with a central domed section surmounted by a bud finial, three loop handles. CATALOGUE NOTE Both the Quran and the hadith emphasize the special role of the written word in Islam, God having used it to teach man to distinguish between good and evil. Indeed, various authorities record that the first object Allah created was the pen and the second, the inkwell. Islamic treatises and other writings describe the preparation of ink, writing tools, and other implements such as inkwells, known as mihbara or dawat (the latter also refers to an inkpot set into a pen box). Inkwells and pen boxes were held in high regard in the Seljuq world, mostly on account of the Seljuqs’ notably literate elite culture and society. Inlaid brass examples inscribed with proverbs or courtly iconography were status symbols of high-ranking officers and the wealthy classes.