Bowl belonging to Hugh IV of Lusignan

This bowl is rare surviving evidence of diplomatic relations existing between the Lusignan family of Cyprus, the last Christian stronghold in the eastern Mediterranean after the fall of St. John of Acre in 1291, and the Mamluk dynasty which ruled Egypt, Syria and Palestine between 1250 and 1517. The Lusignans were kings of Jerusalem between 1189 and 1192 who then founded the kingdom of Cyprus in 1192. They reigned in Cyprus until 1489 when the island passed to Venetian rule (until the end of the sixteenth century when it became an Ottoman dependency). There are two other extant examples of metalwork created for the Lusignan family[1]. The influence of Mamluk art extended as far as the Yemen: the Rassulid sultans (1229-1454) commissioned metalwork[2] and ceremonial glass from the workshops of Syria and Egypt.

Decorative motifs fill horizontal zones on the inner and outer walls and concentric circles on the base. Two bands of thuluth inscriptions filling most of the inner and outer walls, mention the name and qualities of its intended owner[3]. On the walls, six circular lobed motifs, containing a vegetal ground with lotus flowers, divide the inscriptions. Some of these motifs are decorated with blazons (the lion rampant of the Lusignans[4] and the Jerusalem Cross) and some with radial inscriptions.

Delicate bands decorated with running animals, foliated vegetal scrolls and point designs complete the decoration. The lip of the bowl bears an inscription in gothic characters. The base which has been damaged is decorated with a zodiac: six planets encircling the sun, and further out, twelve planets associated with astrological signs.

The form of the bowl was introduced in Syrian and Egyptian arts from the thirteenth century[5]. This form, together with a smaller bowl with a spherical body, was widely used in the Mamluk period[6].

Great technical skill was required to hammer a metal plate into the form of a bowl and in the execution of the engraved and incised decoration inlaid with incised silver. Metal inlays, employed since the Roman period, were introduced in Khorassan (eastern Iran) in the 12^th century. The technique quickly spread to the Near East and Ayyubid metalworkers from Mossul[7] (Iraq) excelled in the art. Mamluk metalwork belongs to this tradition which collapsed in the region and in Iran from the end of the fifteenth century, partly for economic reasons.

The inscription in French, added in Cyprus, differs in its tool marks and the use of a coloured varnish applied to the letters to accent the colours. The armorial design is by the same European hand. 

The inscriptions with their tall shafts belong to a script popular in the Mamluk period which was also employed in glasswork and architectural decoration.

The floral and vegetal designs reflect the influence of Ilkhanid art. Following the Mongol invasion of Iran and the establishment of the Ilkhanid dynasty (which was connected to the Yuans of China), Chinese motifs, such the lotus blossom,[8] were incorporated into the decorative repertoire. The vegetal background, the compound flowers and the small stylised bird motifs recall contemporary Mamluk ceramics, which in turn adopted Iranian motifs[9].

The theme of running animals is derived from Ancient Iran and appears frequently in different regions of the Islamic world[10].

The theme of the zodiac originated in Ayyubid iconograpy[11] but it also existed in other regions. The symbolic representation of the universe on precious objects, often intended for eminent figures, set the owner within a cosmogony where the princely figure, identified with the sun, occupies a central place.

[2] Platter belonging to the sultan Sayf al-Din al-Malik al-Mudjahid ‘Ali; copper alloy, hammered, chasing, incised silver and red copper inlays, Paris, musée du Louvre, inv. AO 6008.

[3] Hugh IV was king of Cyprus between 1324 and 1359.

[4] The Lusignan coat of arms appears on a gold and sapphire signet ring, musée du Louvre, inv. MRR 229, C15th.

[5] Bowl and ewer, damascene brass with gold and silver, signed by ‘Ali ibn ‘Abdallah al-Mawsili, northern Iraq, Mossul, third quarter of C13th, Berlin, Museum für islamische Kunst, inv. I. 6580 (ewer), inv. I. 6581 (bowl).  

[6] This form finds numerous echoes in Ilkhanid and Timurid metalwork. See, for example, the bowl in the musée du Louvre, Fars, Iran, second half of C14th, copper inlaid with gold and silver, inv. 5701.

[7] As above.

[8] Lotus blossoms are also found on architectural decoration of the C14th, (portal of the Sultan Hasan Complex, Cairo, Egypt, 1356) and on textiles.

[9] Apothecary vase, Egypt or Syria, C14th, fritware, decorated with slip, painting under transparent glaze, Paris, musée du Louvre, inv.  MAO 518.

[10] Figurative and epigraphic freize, Iran, C11th, stucco, Paris, musée du Louvre, inv. MAO 447.

[11]Writing case, Syria, middle C13th, engraved bronze inlaid with silver and red copper, Paris, musée du Louvre, inv. K 3438.