A Mamluk enamelled glass beaker

Syria, 13th Century

Footnotes

Provenance
Acquired at Christopher Sheppard, Kensington Church Street, London, in 2006.

The present lot is a remarkable survival from golden age of Islamic enamelled glass production. The technique was developed in Egypt and Syria between the 12th and 15th centuries, with the incorporation of human figures within the decoration of such glassware gradually disappearing from around the turn of the 13th and 14th Centuries.

The decoration on our beaker is possibly that of a courtly scene, with two of the figures appearing to hold beakers similar to that which they adorn. This decorative element can also be found on other beakers from the period, including one in the Rothschild Collection at Waddesdon Manor, Aylesbury (inv. no. 5017). These beakers were themselves used in courtly settings, likely filled with wine (they are often depicted containing red liquid) or water, creating an overall coherence between decoration and function.

Two further beakers are in the Walters Art Museum, Baltimore (Acc. Nos. 47.17 and 17.18). Some comparable examples sold at auction include a figural glass beaker sold at Christie's, Art of the Islamic and Indian World, 4 October 2012, lot 105; and a beaker sold at Sotheby's, Arts of the Islamic World & India Including Fine Rugs and Carpets, 31 March 2021, lot 70.

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