Description
Flask with quatrefoil decoration, Near East or Egypt, mid-13th to mid-14th century Blown glass, small bottle with a flat circular body surmounted by a cylindrical neck with a turned-up lip. Moulded decoration, enamelled in red and green, and gilded: a four-lobed fleuron framed by medallions in accolade decorated with arabesques with palmettes on the sides of the body, the circumference decorated with fleur-de-lis flowers. D. (without neck) : 8,4 cm Neck probably reported, strong iridescence. Provenance: Antonin and Christiane Besse Collection, Paris, then by descent. Enameled and gilded glass miniatures are common in the early Mamluk period. One finds, for example, small qumqum sprinklers or perfume flasks such as those kept in the al-Sabah collection in Kuwait, two of which have the same flat body as our object (LNS 92 KG, LNS 2G, LNS 48 G and LNS 70 G). Their function is not completely identified but their small size makes them portable objects. The presence of a neck on our object makes it more an object intended for drinking. The fleur-de-lis visible twice on the periphery of the object is a frequent motif in Mamluk heraldry, especially on coins. Without necessarily being associated with a princely figure, this heraldic piece of furniture, assimilated in France to royalty, is nevertheless represented in the coats of arms of high-ranking people with strong responsibilities, especially command. A similar flower is found at the base of the neck of the lamp of Baybars II in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London (322-1900). The compartmentalized arrangement of arabesques on the body is found on other mamluk glasses such as the center of tray 91.1.1533 in the Metropolitan Museum in New York. Bibliography: Balog, Paul, "New considerations on Mamluk Heraldry," in Museum Notes (American Numismatic Society), vol. 22, American Numismatic Society, 1977, pp. 197-198. A Glass Flask with Enameled Quatrefoil Pattern, Near East or Egypt, mid-13th - mid-14th century
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Flask with quatrefoil decoration, Near East or Egypt, mid-13th to mid-14th century Blown glass, small bottle with a flat circular body surmounted by a cylindrical neck with a turned-up lip. Moulded decoration, enamelled in red and green, and gilded: a four-lobed fleuron framed by medallions in accolade decorated with arabesques with palmettes on the sides of the body, the circumference decorated with fleur-de-lis flowers. D. (without neck) : 8,4 cm Neck probably reported, strong iridescence. Provenance: Antonin and Christiane Besse Collection, Paris, then by descent. Enameled and gilded glass miniatures are common in the early Mamluk period. One finds, for example, small qumqum sprinklers or perfume flasks such as those kept in the al-Sabah collection in Kuwait, two of which have the same flat body as our object (LNS 92 KG, LNS 2G, LNS 48 G and LNS 70 G). Their function is not completely identified but their small size makes them portable objects. The presence of a neck on our object makes it more an object intended for drinking. The fleur-de-lis visible twice on the periphery of the object is a frequent motif in Mamluk heraldry, especially on coins. Without necessarily being associated with a princely figure, this heraldic piece of furniture, assimilated in France to royalty, is nevertheless represented in the coats of arms of high-ranking people with strong responsibilities, especially command. A similar flower is found at the base of the neck of the lamp of Baybars II in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London (322-1900). The compartmentalized arrangement of arabesques on the body is found on other mamluk glasses such as the center of tray 91.1.1533 in the Metropolitan Museum in New York. Bibliography: Balog, Paul, "New considerations on Mamluk Heraldry," in Museum Notes (American Numismatic Society), vol. 22, American Numismatic Society, 1977, pp. 197-198. A Glass Flask with Enameled Quatrefoil Pattern, Near East or Egypt, mid-13th - mid-14th century
