Candlestick

Candlestick

Candlesticks with truncated conical bases, cylindrical necks, and bulging sockets were familiar objects throughout the Islamic world in the medieval period. They revealed various degrees of sophistication in their decorative patterns, which were usually obtained by means of the inlay technique.

The decoration on the present object is among the most elaborate of its kind. The surface is entirely filled with a background pattern of interlocked T-shaped elements; with round or lobed medallions that include figural images; with calligraphic bands in naskh script; and with narrow bands enclosing either geometric or vegetal motifs. The four large medallions on the body of the candlestick display the same composition of an enthroned ruler, seated frontally in a cross-legged position and holding a glass of wine, who is flanked by two soldiers carrying swords. Two lions support his throne. Above the ruler's head, two human-headed birds, probably harpies, complete this traditional royal scene, which is symbolic of power, authority, and opulence. The smaller medallions above and below the inscriptional bands on the main body of the candlestick, as well as around the transitional area between the body and the neck (not visible in the photograph), contain the single figure of a woman, sitting cross-legged and facing front, who holds a circle inside of which is a crescent that frames her head. This image, as explained on the opposite page, signifies the "planet" Moon. Other human figures are present inside the lobed medallions around the neck of the object: They represent additional courtly attendants to the enthroned ruler. Six-petaled rosettes and small paired ducks also occur inside tiny round medallions.

Inscriptions in Arabic are enclosed by bands extending around the socket, the base of the neck, the shoulder, and the main body of the candlestick. These are blessings for the anonymous sultan to whom this work was dedicated and include words such as "glory," "triumph," "prosperity," "fortune," and "long life." In addition, a brief section of an invocation (due'a) in verse on the shoulder, now partly erased, was commonly found on contemporary metalwork in the Iranian area. Yet another, later inscription states that the candlestick belonged to a certain "Zaynab, the daughter of the Commander of the Faithful, al-Mahdi li-din allah."

It would seem that the candlestick originated in the geographical areas of the Jazira or of western Iran in the late thirteenth or first half of the fourteenth century. While it has been shown that the inscriptions link the object to southwestern Iran, its figural imagery—especially the representation of the Moon—points more decidedly to the Jaziran region.

[Carboni 1997]


Candlestick

Candlesticks were produced in large number in the Islamic world. In addition to their domestic use they were often ordered for and donated to mosques and other religious institutions. This candlestick probably comes from northern Syria, from an area on the western bank of the Tigris usually known as al-Jazira (The Island, it is now divided between Syria and Iraq). The candlestick has a typical shape and similar candlesticks come from Iran and Egypt as well. It is made of several sheets of bronze soldered together in the form of a conical base; it has a cylindrical neck.

The decoration is elaborate; it employs various techniques and motifs. Chasing, engraving, and punching were used to create the patterns, most of which are inlaid and overlaid with gold and silver. The decoration includes floral motifs, fretwork, figural elements, and inscriptions. Unfortunately, the inscriptions do not mention the names of the artist or of the owner. They consist of two traditional formulae: one of good wishes for the anonymous owner (on the neck and shoulder), the second of a series of honorific titles normally used for high ranking amirs (army generals) in the Ayyubid and Mamluk armies.

The figural decoration is included in medallions. On the base of the candlestick there are four large medallions separated by the four segments of the inscription. The center of each segment of the inscription is flanked vertically by two smaller medallions. All four large medallions show the same scene which consists of an enthroned figure flanked by two attendants. This is a popular scene not only on Islamic metalwork but also in miniature painting, especially in the area of northern Syria, Mesopotamia, and Iran. The small medallions on the base include a personification of the moon as a female figure holding a crescent, an image that is commonly found in the same area. The inscription and the medallions are set against a background of fretwork. In the field there are also 16 six-petalled rosettes included in small medallions. Interlaced patterns and floral scrolls border the top and the bottom of the base.

Abdallah Kahil in [Walker et al. 1994]

Inscription: In Arabic in naskht script:
On neck: Glory, Triumph, Prosperity, Kindness, Salvation, and Favors ... Glory and .. Kindness, Munificence, Favors, and Fortune

On top of body: Prosperity, Fortune, Munificence, Generosity, Favors to the Owner, Happiness, Salvation, Long life [the following inscription has been added later: The Owner is Zeineb, daughter of Amir of the believers al-Hadi li-din-Allah]

On body: Glory to our Lord, The greatest King, the great Sultan, the Wise, the Just, the Fighter for the Faith, the Warden of Islam, the Generous

(Translation by Yassir al-Tabba, 1978)

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

New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "The Educated Eye: Studies in Curatorial Problems," January 1973.

Mexico City. Colegio de San Ildefonso. "Arte Islámico del Museo Metropolitano de Arte de Nueva York," September 30, 1994–January 8, 1995, no. 82.

New York. The Hagop Kevorkian Special Exhibitions Gallery, The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Following the Stars: Images of the Zodiac in Islamic Art," February 4–August 31, 1997, no. 2.

New York. The Hagop Kevorkian Special Exhibitions Gallery, The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "The Nature of Islamic Ornament, Part IV: Figural Representation," September 16, 1999–January 30, 2000, no catalogue.

New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Rumi and the Sufi Tradition," October 23, 2007–February 3, 2008, no catalogue.

Swietochowski, Marie. "The Historical Background and Illustrative Character of the Metropolitan Museum's Mantiq al-Tayr of 1483." In Islamic Art in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, edited by Richard Ettinghausen. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1972. pp. 199–211.

Melikian-Chirvani, A. S. Islamic Metalwork from the Iranian World 8th–18th Centuries. London, 1982. ill. fig. 50A (detail).

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. 82, pp. 208–9, ill. (color).

Carboni, Stefano. Following the Stars: Images of the Zodiac in Islamic Art. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1997. no. 2, pp. 10–11, ill. (b/w).

Gibson, Melanie, ed. "Essays in Honor of Robert Hillenbrand." In Fruit of Knowledge, Wheel of Learning. London: Gingko, 2022. ill. back cover and p. 287.