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A metal bird with incised designs, a well in the body, and openings in the wings and tail

The chunky cast metal body of the bird rests on its flat base, from which its broad neck rises at the center of the front. The egg shaped head has round eyes, a curved beak, and crescent shaped plumage. Wings curve out from each side of the body, and in the middle of its back is a small well. Along the top of the flat narrow tail which extends straight out from the back there is an opening that leads to the well in the back. The wingtips each have similar openings, and the neck is ringed with an incised braided design which is perforated with small holes.

Gallery Text

As central control weakened in the Abbasid Empire, regional dynasties arose to support, challenge, or redefine the authority of the caliph in Baghdad. The arts flourished in many centers, and wealthy merchant and professional classes emerged. A dramatic increase in productivity and innovation and an unprecedented expansion of figural decoration characterize the arts of this period.

A transforming event was the influx of Turkic and Mongol peoples from Central and Inner Asia. Most of the objects in this case were created in lands ruled by the most important of the Turkic dynasties, the Great Seljuks (1038–1157), and their immediate successors, the Atabegs. The Mongol invasions into Islamic lands began in the early 1200s and culminated in the 1258 sack of Baghdad. Eventually, the Mongols established their rule as the Yuan dynasty in China, the Chagatay Khanate in Central Asia, the Golden Horde Khanate in southern Russia, and the Ilkhanid dynasty (1256–1335) in greater Iran. The integration of a vast Eurasian territory into the Mongol Empire facilitated commerce and communication, bringing fresh Chinese inspiration into Islamic art.

Identification and Creation

Object Number
1957.223
Title
Lamp in the form of a bird
Classification
Lighting Devices
Work Type
lighting device
Date
12th century
Places
Creation Place: Middle East, Iran, Khorasan province
Period
Seljuk-Atabeg period
Culture
Persian
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/216521

Location

Location
Level 2, Room 2550, Art from Islamic Lands, The Middle East and North Africa
View this object's location on our interactive map

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Quaternary alloy, cast and incised
Technique
Cast
Dimensions
13.34 x 19.05 x 19.05 cm (5 1/4 x 7 1/2 x 7 1/2 in.)

Provenance

Recorded Ownership History
Stanley Marcus, Dallas, TX, gift; to Fogg Art Museum, 1957.

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Gift of Stanley Marcus
Accession Year
1957
Object Number
1957.223
Division
Asian and Mediterranean Art
Contact
am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
Permissions

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Descriptions

Description
Lamps are an excellent example of the way in which basic metalwork forms continued from the pre-Islamic into the Islamic periods, with only gradual changes over the centuries to bring these forms more into line with the emerging Islamic taste. The form of the lamp stand (1) dates back to Roman times and was spread throughout the Mediterranean region. This form continued into the Islamic era and was popular all over the Islamic world. The lamp and stand combination (2) is 5-6 centuries later than (1), but the basic shape is still the same. Elements of the new Islamic style can be seen in the generalised shape of the feet, as opposed to the realistic animal paws of the earlier stand; the more pronounced indentations of the base; and the faceted baluster shapes of the shaft.

Likewise, the lamp portion of (1), which detaches from the stand, can be compared to (3), which is again 5-6 centuries later. The later lamp comes from Khurasan and has a type of base not seen in earlier lamps. Its body and handle, though, are clearly descended from Roman and Byzantine prototypes. By this time, the Byzantine cross has been transformed into an Islamic split palmette.

The bird-shaped lamp (4) has a very Islamic appearance, with its openwork braids and symmetrical incised decoration, but this shape can also be traced back to Byzantine prototypes. This particular example, which like (3) comes from Khurasan, also shows that Islamic metalwork was influenced by traditions found further to the east. The turquoise inlay of the eye (originally in both eyes) is an inheritance from Buddhist metalworking traditions in Kashmir, not far from the eastern boundary of the Islamic world. The Kashmiri metalworkers produced large amounts of Buddhist figural sculpture with inlaid turquoise or turquoise-colored glass paste for the eyes.
Notes from the Glory and Prosperity exhibition, Feb - June 2002.

Exhibition History

  • Islamic Art From the Collections of the Fogg Art Museum, Harvard University, Fogg Art Museum, Cambridge, 08/01/1974
  • Birds, Beasts and Calligraphies, Fogg Art Museum, Cambridge, 06/11/1981 - 09/29/1981
  • Eyes to the East: Indian, Persian, and Turkish Art Given by Harvard Graduates, Harvard University Art Museums, Cambridge, 09/22/1990 - 11/25/1990
  • Overlapping Realms: Arts of the Islamic World and India, 900-1900, Harvard University Art Museums, Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Cambridge, 12/02/2006 - 03/23/2008
  • Beyond the Surface: Scientific Approaches to Islamic Metalwork, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 10/21/2011 - 06/01/2013
  • 32Q: 2550 Islamic, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 11/16/2014 - 01/01/2050

Subjects and Contexts

  • Google Art Project

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