

Mosque lamp for the Mausoleum of Amir Aydakin al 'Ala'I al-Bunduqdar, Mamluk period (1250–1517), shortly after 1285
Egypt, probably Cairo
Glass, brownish; blown, folded foot, applied handles; enameled and gilded
Egypt, probably Cairo
Glass, brownish; blown, folded foot, applied handles; enameled and gilded
H. 10 3/8 in. (26.4 cm), W. 8 1/4 in. (21 cm)
Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1917 (17.190.985)
This lamp is the earliest datable example of its kind known to have hung in an interior that still survives. The inscription states that it was made for the tomb of the Mamluk amir Aydakin al 'Ala'I al-Bunduqdar (died 1285) in Cairo. The emblem of the Keeper of the Bow, a pair of confronted bows against a red background, appears nine times on this lamp. A rare mistake by the calligrapher is evident on the neck, where the word bunduqdar (Keeper of the Bow) has been misspelled as a meaningless word, bunqud-dar.







