Inkwell with Lid

Inkwell

Inkwells were largely produced throughout the Islamic world due to the special place that writing and calligraphy had in Islamic art and in the administration. This exquisitely decorated inkwell is typical of the style of metalwork from Khorasan (a region including eastern Iran and part of modern Turkmenistan and Afghanistan). It has a cylindrical body and a lid with a dome-shaped knob. The decoration, which consists primarily of three panels of floral scrolls flanked by vase-shaped patterns and rosettes, is engraved and some areas are tastefully inlaid with silver and copper which give the surface of the inkwell an elegant polychromatic aspect.

The inscription on the lid and the body consists of a formula of good wishes for the owner; it reads: "Glory, prosperity, dominion, happiness, health, and lasting survival to its owner." In the three medallions that interrupt this formula the name of the artist is inscribed: "The work of Muhammad al-Sa." The inscription on the body reads: "Glory, prosperity, dominion, security, and restfulness to the owner."

Abdallah Kahil in [Walker et al. 1994]

Signature: The work of Muhammad al-Sa

Inscription: In Arabic on lid and body a formula of good wishes for the owner:
- On lid: العز و الاقبال و ال/وله و السعاده و العافیه و البقا دائم لصاحبه
عمل محمد الـ...ـاع (؟)
Glory, prosperity, dominion, happiness, health, and lasting survival to its owner.
The name of the artist is inscribed in the three medallions that interrupt this formula:
The work of Muhammad al-Sa
- On body العز و الاقبال و الدوله و السلامه و الراحه لصا[حبه]
Glory, prosperity, dominion, security, and restfulness to its owner
(Yassir al-Taba, 1978)

The name of the metal worker is written in kufic script on the lid among other words:
عمل/ محمد/ البیاع
- On lid in naskhi script:
العز و الاقبال و ال/ولة و السعادة و العا/فیة و البقا لصاحبه
- On body in naskhi script:
العز و الاقابال وا/لدولة و السلا/مة و الراحة لصا
(A.Ghouchani, 2012)

[ Demotte, Inc., New York, until 1935; sold to MMA]

Mexico City. Colegio de San Ildefonso. "Arte Islámico del Museo Metropolitano de Arte de Nueva York," September 30, 1994–January 8, 1995, no. 78.

Dimand, Maurice S. A Handbook of Muhammadan Art. 2nd rev. and enl. ed. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1944. p. 140, ill. fig. 82 (b/w).

Metropolitan Museum of Art, Daniel S. Walker, Arturo Ponce Guadián, Sussan Babaie, Stefano Carboni, Aimee Froom, Marie Lukens Swietochowski, Tomoko Masuya, Annie Christine Daskalakis-Matthews, Abdallah Kahil, and Rochelle Kessler. "Colegio de San Ildefonso, Septiembre de 1994–Enero de 1995." In Arte Islámico del Museo Metropolitano de Arte de Nueva York. Mexico City: Consejo Nacional para la Cultura y las Artes, 1994. no. 78, pp. 200–1, ill. (b/w).

Yarshater, Ehsan, ed. Encyclopaedia Iranica vol. 7 (1996). p. 138, ill. pl. VIII (b/w).