A Mamluk Finger-Bowl

[Pierre Tavlitzki]

In this sunny Sunday, I looked for a beautiful object. I found a Mamluk bucket in gilded and enameled gold, estimated 600 K£ by Sotheby's, for sale on April 1 in London.

21 cm high, it is conically shaped. Its top diameter is 20 cm. The base diameter is not indicated but as seen in the photos of the catalog, it is 15 cm. It is very nicely decorated, including palmettes and animals in three crowns of similar heights. An inscription in cursive style indicates that it contains cool water and serves as a finger vessel. The colors are bright and contrasting.

The old glasses are very rare, I had already many opportunities to say it. The catalog indicates that there is no more than four other remaining pieces of this type. Such object is difficult to be dated, but by comparison of its decorative motifs with other Mamluk art, it is about 650 years old, which makes its creation in the early eighth century of the Hegira.

[Pierre Tavlitzki]

The object is admirable (it's a word I use rarely) and deserves its price: £ 1.55 million including premium.

Buyers are still there for lots of very high quality. Hopefully the sellers will realize!