This base of a lampstand demonstrates the extraordinary delicacy and power of Seljuk metalwork. It is decorated with Kufic inscriptions bestowing blessings on the owner. Openwork designs of linked roundels and intertwined palmette scrolls adorn the surfaces.
Artist Islamic, Iranian
Title
  • Base of a Lamp Stand with Benedictory Inscription
Date between 1150 and 1250
Medium Leaded arsenical brass
Dimensions Overall: 12 1/4 × 19 13/16 inches (31.1 × 50.3 cm)
Credit Line City of Detroit Purchase
Accession Number 30.447
Department Islamic Art
On View Islamic N120, Level 1 (see map)
(Arthur Upham Pope);
1930-present, purchase by the Detroit Institute of Arts (Detroit, Michigan, USA)
Bulletin of the DIA 12, no. 8 (May, 1931).