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Collections

Lampstandsecond half of 16th century

Not on view
Tall brass or bronze vessel with a flaring foot, cylindrical body, and everted rim, covered overall in finely incised arabesque decoration, with two lion-head ring handles
Brass vase with cylindrical body tapering to a flared circular base, densely engraved overall with Arabic script and interlacing arabesque patterns, with two small ring handles at the midsection.
Close-up of a engraved metal surface, gold and silver tones, densely covered with scrolling vegetal arabesques and a central rectangular cartouche containing Arabic script, with intricate intertwining vine and leaf motifs throughout.
Close-up of engraved brass surface with a central rectangular cartouche containing Arabic script, surrounded by densely worked scrolling arabesque foliage in relief.
Close-up of a brass or bronze surface with densely engraved arabesque scrollwork surrounding a central rectangular cartouche containing Arabic script calligraphy, with fine hatched background texturing throughout.
Close-up of a brass or bronze surface with dense engraved arabesques and scrolling vegetal patterns, featuring a central cartouche with Arabic script in naskh or thuluth style.
Title
Lampstand
Place Made
Iran
Date Made
second half of 16th century
Medium
Brass, engraved
Dimensions
16 5/8 x 9 in. (42.23 x 22.86 cm)
Credit Line
The Madina Collection of Islamic Art, gift of Camilla Chandler Frost
Accession Number
M.2002.1.10
Classification
Metal
Collecting Area
Art of the Middle East: Islamic
Curatorial Notes

The tall lampstand, which once supported a smaller oil lamp, is one of several types of lighting devices in the Iranian world. This large and heavy columnar example is a quintessential metal form of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Its surface is covered in floral and vegetal patterns, and the upper section includes verses of Persian poetry in cartouches. These verses concern illumination and include the word for lamp (chiragh), thereby perfectly complementing the object itself. This combination of functionality and literary sophistication was common for utilitarian objects produced in Iran.

Selected Bibliography

  • Lo Terrenal y lo Divino: Arte Islámico siglos VII al XIX Colección del Museo de Arte del Condado de Los Ángeles. Santiago: Centro Cultural La Moneda, 2015.

  • Komaroff, Linda. Beauty and Identity: Islamic Art from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 2016.