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$2,950
An impressive and unusually large 19th-century Middle Eastern Islamic brass bowl, richly hand-worked with engraved, chased and repoussé decoration in the tradition of medieval Mamluk metalwork. The substantial vessel has a broad, rounded body rising from a circular foot and tapering inward toward the open rim. Its entire exterior is organized into elaborate horizontal decorative registers, creating the dense, architectural surface characteristic of historic Islamic metalwork. The principal band is particularly striking, displaying large Arabic calligraphic cartouches executed in a monumental thuluth-style script. These inscriptions alternate with shaped medallions containing figural and ornamental imagery, all set against exceptionally dense hand-tooled grounds. Above and below are scrolling vegetal arabesques, floral motifs, geometric borders and repeated decorative bands. The brass has been worked in several techniques, including hammering, repoussé, chasing and engraving, producing considerable variation in depth and texture. Raised calligraphy and ornament contrast against finely worked recessed backgrounds, allowing the design to remain highly legible despite the extraordinary density of the decoration. The composition draws directly upon the celebrated metalworking traditions associated with the Mamluk world of Egypt and Syria, where elaborately inscribed brass vessels were produced for courtly, ceremonial and domestic use from the 13th through 16th centuries. During the 19th century, renewed European and Middle Eastern interest in historic Islamic decorative arts encouraged craftsmen to revive these earlier forms and ornamental vocabularies. The bowl has developed an attractive warm golden brass surface, with darker coloration remaining within the engraved recesses that emphasizes the elaborate handwork. At approximately 10.5 inches at its widest point and 9 inches high, this is a substantial decorative object with considerable presence. It works beautifully as a freestanding collector's object on a console, pedestal, library table or large coffee table and would integrate particularly well into Moorish, Orientalist, Mediterranean or layered contemporary interiors. A compelling example of Islamic Revival decorative metalwork, combining sculptural scale, elaborate Arabic calligraphy and exceptionally rich hand-worked ornament.
