Candlestick inscribed with Wishes for Good Fortune, Peace, and Happiness to its Owner
Unknown Artist
ca. 1500
Medium
Brass; cast, pierced, engraved, and inlaid with black organic compound
Dimensions
H. 9 7/8 in. (25.1cm) Diam. (base) 7 15/16 in. (20.2 cm)
Classification
Metal
Department
Islamic Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase, The Seley Foundation Inc. Gift, Louis E. and Theresa S. Seley Purchase Fund for Islamic Art, Schimmel Foundation Inc., Margaret Mushekian and Mr. and Mrs. Jerome A. Straka Gifts, Rogers and The Friends of the Islamic Department Funds, 1980
Accession Number
1980.114
Art Historical Context
This elegant brass candlestick, crafted around 1500 in the Islamic world, stands as a testament to the exquisite metalworking traditions of the period. Measuring nearly 10 inches tall with a sturdy 8-inch base diameter, it served both a practical purpose—holding a candle for light—and a decorative one, transforming everyday illumination into an object of beauty and blessing. Its inscriptions, elegantly engraved with wishes for good fortune, peace, and happiness to the owner, reflect the cultural emphasis on invoking prosperity and harmony in daily life, a common motif in Islamic art from the l...