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Wine tâs with the arms of the Kingdom of Sicily
Egypt or Syr…
See original version (French)
34
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Wine tâs with the arms of the Kingdom of Sicily
Egypt or Syr…
See original version (French)
Estimate €8,000 - €12,000
Voluntary lot
Description
Wine tâs with the arms of the Kingdom of Sicily
Egypt or Syria, Mamluk art, second half of the 15th century
Made of hammered brass, engraved and inlaid with silver, this flared vessel rests on a flat base and has a wide, slightly raised pouring spout. The body is decorated with a large epigraphic frieze in thuluth script, set against a background of finely engraved spiral floral arabesques, alternating with a heraldic coat of arms of the Kingdom of Sicily, and underlined by poly-lobed medallions with stylised lotuses. The spout features a cartouche decorated with foliage. The interior is decorated with a fish circle.
H. 9 × W. 26 cm (3.5 × 10.2 in.)
Inscription
al-maqarr al-'ali al-mâlikî / al-'âlî al-'âmilî / al-mâlikî al-'âlî / al-malik al-ashrafî
"The high authority, the high lord, the worthy, the eminent servant, to King al-Ashraf."
The high authority, the possessor, the high, the diligent, the possessor, the high, the [officer] of al-Malik al-Ashraf'.
Bibliography
James Allan, Islamic Metalwork in the Nuhad Es-Said Collection, 1982, no. 21, pp. 100-101.
Gelre Herald's Armorial (Brussels, Royal Library of Belgium, ms. 15652-56).
Sammlung von Wappen aus verschiedenen, besonders deutschen Ländern (Munich, Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, BSB Cod.icon. 307).
Commentary
This spouted basin is part of a well-documented type of Mamluk ware produced from the mid-14th century onwards, with or without a spout, and distributed until the 15th century. Comparable examples are held in major collections, including the Museo Civico in Turin and the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.
Identification of the coat of arms. The central medallion features a shield identified as the arms of Frederick III of Aragon, King of the Island of Sicily (r. 1355-1377). Adopted under his reign, these arms were not changed thereafter and remained those of the Kingdom of Sicily, widely used in European heraldic compendia of the 14th and 15th centuries). We would like to thank heraldist Philippe Palasi for his help in identifying the coat of arms.
The presence on the same piece of a princely Mamluk title in the name of an officer of Sultan al-Ashraf and the arms of the Kingdom of Sicily bears witness to the intense artistic and commercial exchanges that took place in the 15th century between the Mamluk Sultanate and the Crown of Aragon in its Italian possessions. The basin was probably commissioned from a workshop in Cairo or Damascus, either as a diplomatic gift or for the clientele of Sicilian elites with links to the Mediterranean East.
A Mamluk silver-inlaid brass spouted basin bearing the arms of the Kingdom of Sicily, with a Mamluk admiral inscription, Egypt or Syria, Mamluk period, 2nd part of 15th century.
The central armorial cartouche bears a shield combining pallets (Aragon) and eagles (Hohenstaufen-Sicily), identified as the arms of Frederick III of Aragon, King of the Island of Sicily (r. 1355-1377). Adopted under his reign, they remained thereafter the arms of the Kingdom of Sicily and circulated widely in European heraldic compendia of the 14th and 15th centuries. The basin was probably commissioned in a Cairo or Damascus workshop, either as a diplomatic gift or for the Sicilian elite engaged in Mediterranean trade.
See original version (French)
Auto-translation. Refer to original language for legal validity.
Lot description modified on 06/01/2026 at 11:05 AM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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