A MAMLUK GOLD AND SILVER-INLAID BRASS CANDLESTICK BASE
Possibly Syria or the Levant, 14th century

Of characteristic splayed truncated conical shape, the brass exterior inlaid with intricate silver and gold decoration, the widest band ornamented with interlocking rosette medallions and oval thuluth calligraphic cartouches with honorific titles, set against a recessed ground with black inlay, possibly a form of bitumen, designed with scrolling vegetal meanders, encased within two friezes of foliate chevrons, the fine gold and silver inlay demonstrating the characteristic brilliance and meticulous attention to detail of the Mamluk workshops.

11.5cm x 19cm

The Mamluk Sultanate (1250 - 1517) was a period celebrated for its sophisticated metalwork, which combined artistic virtuosity and refined technical skill. Metal objects from this era, particularly those inlaid with precious metals, were highly prized items of courtly luxury and symbols of status and prestige, often bearing the honorific titles and names of the courtiers or sultans they were made for. Comparable examples include those preserved in prominent museum collections, notably the British Museum (inventory no. 1878,1230.715), and examples from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (Accession Number 91.1.585), illustrating similar intricate gold and silver inlays. Auction comparables include Sotheby’s London, 25 April 2018, lot 161, and Christie’s London, 26 April 2012, lot 125.