Tray Stand

Tray Stand

By 1341, the terminus post quem for this brass tray stand, the so-called epigraphic style that had come into vogue during the reign of Sultan al-Nasir Muhammad was fully developed in Mamluk art.[2] Wide bands of bold calligraphy had replaced the animal and figural friezes of the thirteenth and early fourteenth centuries. Medallions now framed heraldic motifs rather than scenes of princely enthronements or astrological personifications. Executed in monumental thuluth script, the inscription on the lower section of this stand identifies the patron as the son of the powerful amir Qawsun. Although no date is provided, its reference to Qawsun as "the late excellency" places the commission after the amir’s death in 1341. Husain, the son of Qawsun, adopted the heraldic device of his father—a ringed cup on a divided shield, which indicated Qawsun’s ceremonial role as cupbearer to the sultan. This device is repeated four times on the sloping upper and lower sides of the stand within large round medallions decked with lotus blossoms and peonies, and four times on the central inscription band. Although the cup emblems are small relative to the object and the other decorative elements, they stand out because they are the only motifs inlaid with copper, the reddish hue of which contrasts with the brass body as well as with the yellow brass and silver inlays. Mamluk metalwork, immediately before the decline that set in by the last quarter of the fourteenth century. It also demonstrates the elevated rank to which some sons of Mamluks could rise. The patron’s father, one of the most influential amirs during the sultanate of al-Nasir Muhammad, had secured his position even further through marriage: not only had he married a daughter of the sultan, but one of his own daughters had married the ruler himself. Even though Qawsun was ousted ignominiously by fellow Mamluk amirs after al-Nasir Muhammad’s death, his sons continued to enjoy high status in Mamluk society—and sufficient wealth to commission luxury objects such as this.[3]

Ellen Kenney in [Ekhtiar, Soucek, Canby, and Haidar 2011]

Footnotes:

2. Rachel M. "Brass, Gold and Silver from Mamluk Egypt: Metal Vessels Made for Sultan Al-Nasir Muhammad: A Memorial Lecture for Mark Zebrowski, Given at the Royal Asiatic Society on 9 May 2002." Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society 14, no. 1 (April 2004), pp. 59–73.

3. Levanoni, Amalia. A Turning Point in Mamluk History: The Third Reign of al-Nasir Muhammad ibn Qalawun, 1310–1341. Leiden, 1995, pp. 81–85.

Tray Stand

Made of two inverted truncated cones soldered together with a central ring, flaring foot, and rim, this work belongs to a group of medieval inlaid brasses from the Islamic world commonly identified as tray stands, which supported larger circular metal platters that displayed and served food (see cat. 112 [MMA 91.1.603] in this volume).[1] This example is representative of the Mamluk period in Egypt and Syria, where such sophisticated utilitarian objects in inlaid brass enriched the households of the ruling elite. Among the characteristics of Mamluk art seen here are the monumental calligraphy—written in elegant cursive script with elongated letter shafts set against a densely arabesque-like background—and the large, polylobed circular medallions filled with blossoming lotus and peony flowers. The latter two motifs reflect the taste for Mongol chinoiserie introduced to Mamluk art after 1320.

Appearing at the center of each medallion within a plain circle is a cup placed below a horizontal bar. This inlaid-copper heraldic motif not only adds a reddish accent to the coloration but also represents the prestigious office of the cupbearer, a ringed cup on a divided shield.[2]Additional cup blazons alternate with the inscribed cartouches on the central rim. The inscriptions on the body provide the honorific titles and name of its owner, Husain, son of Sayf al-Din Qawsun (d. 1342), one of the highest-ranking, most influential officers of the Mamluk Sultan al-Nasir Muhammad, also known as Ibn Qalawun (r. 1293–1341).[3] That Husain had adopted his father’s heraldic emblem after his death indicates that he also inherited the role of cupbearer. Although rival Mamluk emirs had dismissed Qawsun after the sultan died in 1341, this tray stand shows that his sons maintained their wealth and high status among the ruling elites.[4]

Deniz Beyazit in [Higgins Harvey 2021]

Footnotes:


1. For more on the tray stand, see Ellen Kenney in Ekhtiar, Maryam, Priscilla Soucek, Sheila R. Canby, and Navina Najat Haidar, eds. Masterpieces from the Department of Islamic Art in The Metropolitan Museum of Art. New York, 2011, pp. 156–57, no. 105. Examples with a closed, flat top and bottom, such as the one in the Museum of Islamic Art, Doha, indicate that these could also have been used alone, without the tray; see Deniz Beyazit in Canby, Sheila R., Deniz Beyazit, Martina Rugiadi, and A.C.S. Peacock. Court and Cosmos: The Great Age of the Seljuqs. Exh. cat. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art. 2016, p. 139, no. 69. For smaller Chinese porcelain imitations, see Harrison-Hall, Jessica. Catalog of Late Yuan and Ming Ceramics in the British Museum. London: British Museum Press, 2001, p. 110.



2. Meinecke, Michael. "Zur mamlukischen Heraldik." Mitteilungen des Deutschen Archaeologischen Instituts, Abteilung Kairo 28, no. 2 (1972), pp. 213–87; Rogers, J. Michael. "Evidence for Mamluk-Mongol Relations, 1260–1360." In Colloque international sur l’histoire du Caire, 27 mars –5 avril 1969, edited by André Raymond, J. Michael Rogers, and Magdi Wahba, pp. 385–403. [Cairo]: Ministry of Culture of the Arabic Republic of Egypt, 1972, p. 387.

3. The lower-section inscription is relevant for identification of the owner and the date of this work: "The well-served, al-Hussam [al-Din], Husain son of his late excellency Sayf [al-Din] Qawsun, [officer] of al-Malik al-Nasir." Ellen Kenney suggests that the mention of Qawsun as his "late excellency" indicates the object was commissioned after Qawsun’s death in 1342 (see Kenney in Ekhtiar et al. 2011 [note 1], p. 156, which, however, cites 1341 for the year of the emir’s death).

4. See Levanoni, Amalia. A Turning Point in Mamluk History: The Third Reign of al-Nasir Muhammad ibn Qalawun (1310–1341). Islamic History and Civilization 10. Leiden, Brill, 1995, pp. 81–85.

Inscription: On upper section in Arabic in thuluth script:
مما عمل برسم الجناب العالي ا/ المولوي الامیري الکبیري الغازي ا
From [the objects] that were made by order of His High Excellency,
the lord, the great amir, the vanquisher

At center in Arabic in thuluth script:
مما عمل برسم الجناب العالي المولوي الامیري الکبیري المالکي العالمي ا
From [the objects] that were made by order of His High Excellency,
the lord, the great amir, the royal, the learned

On lower section in Arabic in thuluth script:
المخدومي الحسامي حسین ابن المقر المرحوم/ السیفي قوصون الملکي الناصري
The well-served, al-Husam [al-Din], Husain son of his late excellency
Sayf [al-Din] Qawsun, [officer] of al-Malik al-Nasir

Edward C. Moore (American), New York (until d. 1891; bequeathed to MMA)

New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Renaissance of Islam: Art of the Mamluks," November 21, 1981–January 10, 1982, suppl. #8.

New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Uris Center. "Collaborations: Artists Working Together," 1983, no. 2.

New York. Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum. "Africa: the Art of a Continent," June 7, 1996–September 29, 1996.

Collaborations: Artists Working Together. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1983. no. 2, p. 1, ill. (b/w).

Ekhtiar, Maryam, Priscilla P. Soucek, Sheila R. Canby, and Navina Haidar, ed. Masterpieces from the Department of Islamic Art in The Metropolitan Museum of Art. 1st ed. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2011. no. 105, pp. 139, 156–57, ill. p. 156 (color).

Komaroff, Linda, ed. Dining with the Sultan : The Fine Art of Feasting. Los Angeles; New York: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 2023. cat. 11, p. 145, ill.

Beyazit, Deniz. Collecting Inspiration : Edward C. Moore at Tiffany & Co., edited by Medill Higgins Harvey. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2021. no. 111, p. 176, ill.