Manuscript of the Hadiqat al-Su`ada (Garden of the Blessed) of Fuzuli
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Object Label
Stone Vessels in the New Kingdom
Because stone vessels are more durable than pottery, Egyptians often made them to be left in tombs as funerary gifts meant to last for eternity.
In the New Kingdom, most stone vessels were made of Egyptian alabaster, a soft white to yellowish-white material that geologists call calcite. Calcite was mined in the Sinai Peninsula and in the eastern desert stretching from Cairo to Luxor. Stones such as basalt, quartz crystal, obsidian, porphyry, schist, steatite, and serpentine were reserved for luxury items.
The exotic forms of foreign stone vessels appealed to New Kingdom craftsmen. Two examples seen here—the amphora with two handles and the footed dish, or tazza —were inspired by Syrian models. Also, the jar with the high cylindrical neck reproduces a Cypriot pottery type known as base-ring ware. Decoration tended to rely on traditional Egyptian patterns. For example, painted or incised floral garlands appear on many stone vessels made in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Dynasties. This design alludes to the Egyptian funerary practice of draping collars of flowers around pottery vessels.
To make a vessel, a carver first chiseled a block of stone into a general shape, then slowly rotated it on a wheel while polishing the exterior with an abrasive such as sand or emery. Finally, he hollowed out the interior using a drill with a metal or hard stone bit.
Caption
Muhammad bin Sulayman, known as Fuzuli ca. 1483–1556; Aziz Allah al-Husayni al-Kashani. Manuscript of the Hadiqat al-Su`ada (Garden of the Blessed) of Fuzuli, AH 1011 / 1602–3 C.E.. Opaque watercolor, ink and gold on paper; leather binding, 5 1/2 x 9 3/4 in. (14 x 24.8 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Charles K. Wilkinson, 70.143. No known copyright restrictions (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 70.143_p014_PS6.jpg)
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Title
Manuscript of the Hadiqat al-Su`ada (Garden of the Blessed) of Fuzuli
Date
AH 1011 / 1602–3 C.E.
Dynasty
Ottoman
Period
Ottoman
Geography
Place made: Baghdad, Iraq
Medium
Opaque watercolor, ink and gold on paper; leather binding
Classification
Dimensions
5 1/2 x 9 3/4 in. (14 x 24.8 cm)
Signatures
Colophon (in Arabic) reads: The book was finished with the aid of al-Malik al-Wahhab [one of the beautiful names of God] by the hand of the frail servant, the sinner, the transgressor, the one in need of the mercy of God al-Malik al-Ghani [another one of the beautiful names] 'Aziz-Allah [sic] al-Hus
Inscriptions
Colophon (in Arabic), with some diacritics missing: في السابع والعشرين من شهر جمادي [ا]لأخر سنة أحدا عشر ألف في دار السلام البغداد
Credit Line
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Charles K. Wilkinson
Accession Number
70.143
Rights
No known copyright restrictions
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