Lot 216: AN ISLAMIC MAMLUK ENGRAVED COPPER ALLOY CALLIGRAPHIC BOWL, EGYPT OR SYRIA, 14TH -15TH CENTURY

This straight-sided bowl is constructed from a copper alloy, likely brass or bronze, and features remnants of silver inlay executed in the damascene technique. The exterior is decorated with a wide central horizontal band containing three cartouches of calligraphy in Thuluth script, alternating with three circular roundels featuring complex six-pointed star geometric interlaced motifs. The background of these decorative panels is filled with finely engraved foliate arabesque scrollwork. Below the main decorative band is a narrow border of braided guilloche, followed by a lower register of stylized arching palmette motifs. The calligraphic inscriptions consist of repetitive laudatory titles typical of 14th or 15th-century metalwork from the Mamluk regions of Egypt or Syria.

Diameter: 13cm