Chapter 15 - Art with Poetry: Inscriptions on Mamluk Metalwork

Summary

This chapter explores poetic inscriptions on Mamluk metalwork, a subject that has received so far little attention. Published inscriptions have been mostly focused on the mainstream subject of patrons’ names and titles that characterise the epigraphy and aesthetics of Mamluk art. The only author to have dedicated substantial attention to this subject is the Italian Arabist Michelangelo Lanci (1779–1867). His Trattato, published in 1845–46, is a corpus of mainly Arabic inscriptions on various media, many of which are on Mamluk metalwork in Italian collections. Lanci did not shy away from tackling the arduous task of reading and translating poetic inscriptions. In spite of understandable inaccuracies in his interpretation, his corpus is a pioneer work that had been meanwhile forgotten, and a valuable source for this article. In recent time, besides Esin Atıl's catalogue Renaissance of Islam where she published a few poetic inscriptions on metal objects, only a few publications have dealt with this subject. This chapter presents a selection of poetic inscriptions on miscellaneous wares before focusing on a corpus of inscriptions dedicated to drinking bowls.

Princely metalwork of the early or Bahri Mamluk period, from the mid- seventh/thirteenth through the eighth/fourteenth century, continued and elaborated the Mosul and Ayyubid traditions, displaying a decorative programme of silver-inlaid decoration consisting of inscriptions alongside representations of courtly entertainments and abstract designs. Gradually, during the eighth/fourteenth century, the share of images diminished in favour of inscriptions designed to dominate the decorative programme in a style described as epigraphic and also as the official style. Among these luxury objects there is a small group inscribed with poetic texts instead of patrons’ names and titles.

During the decades roughly covering the first half of the ninth/ fifteenth century, the silver-inlaid production for princely patrons receded substantially. Following this hiatus a new production of less luxurious tinned engraved vessels, lunch-boxes, dishes, bowls and basins, emerged and continued to the end of the Mamluk period. Parallel to these functional wares, the last quarter of the century saw a revival of luxury vessels in novel styles and techniques. Although the metalwork of the ninth/fifteenth century continues to display princely names and titles, inscriptions no longer dominate the design but are rather integrated in the decorative programme as one element among others and their content is no longer confined to princely names and titles but often includes poetic texts at the same time.