Mosque lamp

Object Details

• Label

  One of the major art forms that flourished during the Mamluk period was that of enameled and gilded glass. Glass mosque lamps enjoyed particularly popularity in the fourteenth century and were commissioned by the Mamluk rulers to illuminate the interiors of mosques and other religious establishments. Sultan Hasan (reigned 1347–51 and 1354-61) ordered a great number of these polychrome lamps, including this example, for his celebrated madrasa built in Cairo in 1356-62.

  This object typifies both the shape and the decoration of 14th century Mamluk lamps. It has a high neck and bulbous body with six suspension handles on the sloping shoulders. The neck contains a verse from the Qur'an (XXIV: 35) related to the manifestation of divine light in Islam. This well-known passage is interrupted by three epigraphic blazons of the Sultan Hasan, which also appear on the lower part of the lamp.

• Collection

  Freer Gallery of Art Collection

• Exhibition History

  Engaging the Senses (October 14, 2017 - ongoing)

  The Art of the Qur’an: Treasures from the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts (October 22, 2016 to February 20, 2017)

  Arts of the Islamic World (May 3, 1998 to January 3, 2016)

  Islamic Art (May 9, 1993 to June 3, 1997)

  Untitled Exhibition, South Corridor (December 10, 1984 to July 10, 1986)

  Ancient Glass (May 26, 1982 to June 25, 1982)

  Untitled Exhibition, South Corridor (March 6, 1981 to May 7, 1984)

  Art of the Mamluks (May 14, 1981 to May 25, 1982)

  Art of the Arab World (August 15, 1980 to May 13, 1981)

  Art of the Arab World (May 8, 1975 to August 20, 1977)

  Near Eastern Art (June 15, 1973 to May 7, 1975)

  Near Eastern Art—Paintings, Pottery (August 18, 1967 to February 10, 1972)

  Glass Exhibition, in honor of VI International Congress on Glass (July 4, 1962 to December 3, 1962)

  Centennial Exhibition, Galleries 6 and 7 (February 25, 1956 to April 10, 1962)

• Origin

  Egypt

• Credit Line

  Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment

• Type

  Furniture and Furnishing

• On View

  Freer Gallery 03: Engaging the Senses

• Restrictions and Rights

  Usage Conditions Apply

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Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1300s

• Place

  Egypt

• Topic

  Gilding, Art, Mamluk period (1250 - 1517), Arts of the Islamic World, Enamel and enameling, Blow molding, Roman Period (30 BCE - 395 CE), Glassblowing

• Culture

  Muslims

• Object Type

  Furniture, Furnishings

• On View

  Yes