A GILT COPPER MAMLUK BOWL
Possibly Egypt or Syria, 14th - 15th century

Of tapering cylindrical shape, resting on a plain flat base, with inverted sloping sides and a reinforced, thick, circular rim, the exterior densely engraved with overlapping registers in line with the decorative repertoire of Mamluk metalwork creations including bands with braiding and arrow-shaped tassels at the top and bottom, and interlocking roundels and cartouches in the middle filled with Arabic calligraphy in thuluth script, grids of Y-shaped motif, vegetal scrolls, and intricate knotwork all against a cross-hatched ground, similar decorative motifs around the rim, the interior engraved with a shallow central roundel with a stylised flower surrounded by a beaded band and three concentric circles, 15cm diam. and 7cm high.