Harvard Art Museums > 1958.134: Inkwell Artists' Tools Collections Search Exit Deep Zoom Mode Zoom Out Zoom In Reset Zoom Full Screen Add to Collection Order Image Copy Link Copy Citation Citation"Inkwell (Unknown Artist) , 1958.134,” Harvard Art Museums collections online, Apr 19, 2024, https://hvrd.art/o/216045. Reuse via IIIF Toggle Deep Zoom Mode Download This object does not yet have a description. Identification and Creation Object Number 1958.134 People Unknown Artist Title Inkwell Classification Artists' Tools Work Type inkwell Date late 12th century-early 13th century Places Creation Place: Middle East, Iran, Khorasan province Period Seljuk-Atabeg period Culture Persian Persistent Link https://hvrd.art/o/216045 Physical Descriptions Medium leaded brass, incised and inlaid with silver and copper Technique Cast Dimensions 10 x 8 cm (3 15/16 x 3 1/8 in.) Inscriptions and Marks inscription: Inscribed in Arabic, in thuluth script, with wishes for power and good fortune Acquisition and Rights Credit Line Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Alpheus Hyatt Purchasing Fund Accession Year 1958 Object Number 1958.134 Division Asian and Mediterranean Art Contact am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu Permissions The Harvard Art Museums encourage the use of images found on this website for personal, noncommercial use, including educational and scholarly purposes. To request a higher resolution file of this image, please submit an online request. Descriptions Description The inscriptions on these inkwells are the ones encountered most often during the Seljuk era, with wishes for glory, prosperity, wealth, happiness, etc. The small handles on the lids and bodies may have been used to secure the lids when the inkwells were not in use. These two examples have very similar decoration except that one has rosettes and knotted split palmettes in the middle register of the body, whereas the other has figures sitting cross-legged holding branches or columns. The inkwell without figural decoration may have been used by a scribe who copied the Quran or other religious texts, while the other inkwell would probably have been used by a secular official. Notes from the Glory and Prosperity exhibition, Feb - June 2002. Publication History Rahim Habibeh, Inscription As Art In the World of Islam - Unity In Diversity, exh. cat., Hofstra University (Hempstead, NY, 1996), page 35/figure 2 Melanie Michailidis, Glory and Prosperity: Metalwork of the Islamic World, brochure, ed. Marsha Pomerantz, Harvard University Art Museums (2002), p. 4, fig. 6 Exhibition History Geometry of the Spirit: Islamic Illumination and Calligraphy, Harvard University Art Museums, Cambridge, 04/30/1988 - 06/26/1988 Calligraphy and the Arts of the Book, Harvard University Art Museums, Cambridge, 11/25/1993 - 01/30/1994 Beyond the Surface: Scientific Approaches to Islamic Metalwork, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 10/21/2011 - 06/01/2013 Verification Level This record was created from historic documentation and may not have been reviewed by a curator; it may be inaccurate or incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of Asian and Mediterranean Art at am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
