Trade
exchanges of ideas
Islamic metalwork was most sought-after in Europe between the 1300s and 1500s CE. Europeans first came across it during pilgrimages to the Holy Land. They started to commission and import it both for uses in churches and at home. Craftsmen responded to Europeans’ tastes and needs by adding European coats of arms to their objects and adapting them to different European uses.
> ADAPTATION TO EUROPEAN USES
> EUROPEAN COMMISSIONS
> USES IN THE ISLAMIC WORLD
> COATS OF ARMS
adaptation to european uses
trade: exchanges of ideas
Metal bowls in the Islamic world generally have a rounded base.
This is because they were mostly used on textiles such as carpets while dining on the floor. But the rounded bases were not suitable for European wooden tables where they would easily have overturned. So Middle Eastern craftsmen started to adapt their shapes, creating flat-bottomed vessels uniquely for the European market.
Detail of a Persian manuscript depicting people eating out of vessels on a floor textile.
Shāhnāmah, 1589–90 CE. © Courtesy of Princeton University Library: Islamic MSS 310, Third Series, no. 310 Peck fol. 368b.
adaptation to european uses
trade: exchanges of ideas
Bowl-shaped box with cover, brass inlaid with silver. Mahmud al-Kurdi, north-west Iran or Turkey, c. 1500 CE.
The double inscription in Arabic and Latin script on its rim and its flat base both show that this bowl was made for export to Europe. This object is unique — it is the only one of its kind to survive today.
european commissions
trade: exchanges of ideas
The inlaid technique lent itself to commissions from the Italian market. Middle Eastern craftsmen often added a blank shield to the vessel ready to accommodate the coat of arms of a future European buyer. Once exported to Europe, a thin sheet of precious metal with the arms of the European family was all that was needed to fill the empty space.
Detail from bowl-shaped box with cover, brass with silver inlay. Syria (Damascus?), c. 1500 CE.
european commissions
trade: exchanges of ideas
This bowl was probably made in Syria in about 1500 CE. A typically European jousting shield, with an indentation to accommodate a lance, made it ready for a European customer.
Detail of an English manuscript showing the distinctive shape of the jousting shield. Sir Thomas Holme’s Book of Arms, c. 1445–1524 CE.
Bowl-shaped box with cover, brass with silver inlay. Syria (Damascus?), c. 1500 CE.
uses in the islamic world
trade: exchanges of ideas
The shapes and decorations of objects adapt to their use in a particular culture. Made around 1500 CE in Anatolia (modern-day Turkey), this bucket was probably used for drinking. The silver inlay shows it was owned by a wealthy household.
Bucket of engraved brass with silver inlay.
Zain al-Din, north-west Iran or Turkey, c. 1500 CE.
Detail of a Persian manuscript depicting people eating out of vessels on a floor textile. Shāhnāmah, 1589–90 CE. © Courtesy of Princeton University Library: Islamic MSS 310, Third Series, no. 310 Peck fol. 368b.
uses in the islamic world
trade: exchanges of ideas
The decoration covers the bucket's base in a splendidly intricate pattern.
People in the Middle East ate their meals sitting on the floor, so they would see the bottom of the vessel when a servant brought it in.
Detail of a Persian manuscript showing people eating out of vessels on a floor textile. Shāhnāmah, 1589–90 CE.© Courtesy of Princeton University Library: Islamic MSS 310, Third Series, no. 310 Peck fol. 368b.
Base. of bucket of engraved brass with silver inlay.
Zain al-Din, north-west Iran or Turkey, c. 1500 CE.
Coats of arms
trade: exchanges of ideas
In the 1200s CE — while European Crusaders were at war in the Holy Land — the Mamluks took over Egypt and the eastern coast of the Mediterranean. One of their chief decorative motifs is the medallion surrounded by an inscription or decoration. This medallion feature was already present in the Seljuk tradition when it was developed by the Mamluks.
Bowl inlaid with silver, c. 1300 CE.
© Museum für Islamische Kunst, Berlin: I. 3597
Coats of arms
trade: exchanges of ideas
The Mamluks started to insert a coat of arms in the medallion following the practice of the European crusaders stationed in the eastern Mediterranean.
Bowl inlaid with silver, c. 1300 CE.
© Museum für Islamische Kunst, Berlin: I. 3597
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Trade: Precious and Rare (Courtauld)
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Transcript
Trade
exchanges of ideas
Islamic metalwork was most sought-after in Europe between the 1300s and 1500s CE. Europeans first came across it during pilgrimages to the Holy Land. They started to commission and import it both for uses in churches and at home. Craftsmen responded to Europeans’ tastes and needs by adding European coats of arms to their objects and adapting them to different European uses.
> ADAPTATION TO EUROPEAN USES
> EUROPEAN COMMISSIONS
> USES IN THE ISLAMIC WORLD
> COATS OF ARMS
adaptation to european uses
trade: exchanges of ideas
Metal bowls in the Islamic world generally have a rounded base. This is because they were mostly used on textiles such as carpets while dining on the floor. But the rounded bases were not suitable for European wooden tables where they would easily have overturned. So Middle Eastern craftsmen started to adapt their shapes, creating flat-bottomed vessels uniquely for the European market.
Detail of a Persian manuscript depicting people eating out of vessels on a floor textile. Shāhnāmah, 1589–90 CE. © Courtesy of Princeton University Library: Islamic MSS 310, Third Series, no. 310 Peck fol. 368b.
adaptation to european uses
trade: exchanges of ideas
Bowl-shaped box with cover, brass inlaid with silver. Mahmud al-Kurdi, north-west Iran or Turkey, c. 1500 CE.
The double inscription in Arabic and Latin script on its rim and its flat base both show that this bowl was made for export to Europe. This object is unique — it is the only one of its kind to survive today.
european commissions
trade: exchanges of ideas
The inlaid technique lent itself to commissions from the Italian market. Middle Eastern craftsmen often added a blank shield to the vessel ready to accommodate the coat of arms of a future European buyer. Once exported to Europe, a thin sheet of precious metal with the arms of the European family was all that was needed to fill the empty space.
Detail from bowl-shaped box with cover, brass with silver inlay. Syria (Damascus?), c. 1500 CE.
european commissions
trade: exchanges of ideas
This bowl was probably made in Syria in about 1500 CE. A typically European jousting shield, with an indentation to accommodate a lance, made it ready for a European customer.
Detail of an English manuscript showing the distinctive shape of the jousting shield. Sir Thomas Holme’s Book of Arms, c. 1445–1524 CE.
Bowl-shaped box with cover, brass with silver inlay. Syria (Damascus?), c. 1500 CE.
uses in the islamic world
trade: exchanges of ideas
The shapes and decorations of objects adapt to their use in a particular culture. Made around 1500 CE in Anatolia (modern-day Turkey), this bucket was probably used for drinking. The silver inlay shows it was owned by a wealthy household.
Bucket of engraved brass with silver inlay. Zain al-Din, north-west Iran or Turkey, c. 1500 CE.
Detail of a Persian manuscript depicting people eating out of vessels on a floor textile. Shāhnāmah, 1589–90 CE. © Courtesy of Princeton University Library: Islamic MSS 310, Third Series, no. 310 Peck fol. 368b.
uses in the islamic world
trade: exchanges of ideas
The decoration covers the bucket's base in a splendidly intricate pattern.
People in the Middle East ate their meals sitting on the floor, so they would see the bottom of the vessel when a servant brought it in.
Detail of a Persian manuscript showing people eating out of vessels on a floor textile. Shāhnāmah, 1589–90 CE.© Courtesy of Princeton University Library: Islamic MSS 310, Third Series, no. 310 Peck fol. 368b.
Base. of bucket of engraved brass with silver inlay. Zain al-Din, north-west Iran or Turkey, c. 1500 CE.
Coats of arms
trade: exchanges of ideas
In the 1200s CE — while European Crusaders were at war in the Holy Land — the Mamluks took over Egypt and the eastern coast of the Mediterranean. One of their chief decorative motifs is the medallion surrounded by an inscription or decoration. This medallion feature was already present in the Seljuk tradition when it was developed by the Mamluks.
Bowl inlaid with silver, c. 1300 CE. © Museum für Islamische Kunst, Berlin: I. 3597
Coats of arms
trade: exchanges of ideas
The Mamluks started to insert a coat of arms in the medallion following the practice of the European crusaders stationed in the eastern Mediterranean.
Bowl inlaid with silver, c. 1300 CE. © Museum für Islamische Kunst, Berlin: I. 3597
We hope you enoyed your visit
> Come back and see us again