Mosque Lamp
Unknown Artist
first half 14th century
Medium
Glass; enameled
Dimensions
H. 14 5/16 in. (36.4 cm) Max Diam. 10 1/8 in. (25.7 cm)
Classification
Glass
Department
Islamic Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Edward C. Moore Collection, Bequest of Edward C. Moore, 1891
Accession Number
91.1.1530
Tags
Art Historical Context
This exquisite enameled glass mosque lamp, crafted by an unknown artist in the half of the 14 century, hails from the golden age of Mamluk Egypt, a period renowned for its opulent Islamic art. Standing 14 5/16 inches tall with a maximum diameter of 1/8 inches, it was to hold oil and suspend from mosque ceilings, where flickering light would dance through its translucent body, evoking the divine illumination central to Islamic worship. The lamp's medium—blown glass adorned with colorful enamels—represents a pinnacle of medieval glassmaking technique. Artisans applied powdered glass enamels in...