Stand
Not on view
Mamluk rulers and governors favored long titles for themselves and also for the inscriptions adorning their architecture, metalwork, and glass. This stand, which held a tray, has two very dominant calligraphic inscriptions. The thuluth inscription, which is emphasized by silver inlay, acknowledges that the stand was made for Bahadur al-Badri, who was the Mamluk governor of Hims (Homs) in 1319 and who died around 1339-40:
Upper portion: For His Honorable and High Excellency, our Lord, the Royal, the Great Amir, the Vanquisher, the Defender of the Faith, the Warrior at the Frontiers, the Warden of the Marches, the most Glorious.
Lower portion: The Favorite, the Treasure, the Viceroy, the Learned, the Governing, the Shelter, Saif al-Din Bahadur al-Badri, the Sword-bearer of al-Malik al-Nasir.
The calligraphy is written on busy scrollwork and the letters themselves are often wrapped around one another, creating an impression of three-dimensionality. The middle rounded section, the upper inner rim, and the bottom rim bear the emblem of the governor, a sword.
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