- Title
- Tray
- Date Made
- late 13th-early 14th century
- Medium
- Brass, engraved and inlaid with silver and gold
- Dimensions
- 2 1/4 x 18 in. (5.72 x 45.72 cm)
- Accession Number
- M.73.5.296
- Collecting Area
- Art of the Middle East: Islamic
- Curatorial Notes
Among the body of scientific knowledge inherited from the Greeks by Muslim scholars was astrology, which came to play an important role in Islamic society, influencing a variety of activities, including medical treatments and political decision-making. In the arts, astrological motifs appeared on a number of objects, such as this tray, and were believed to be auspicious for the owner. At the center of this intricately inlaid tray is a silver sun surrounded by five planets (Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn), the moon, and the twelve zodiac symbols.
