Fragment of a Mosque Lamp
lamp maker
Unknown
Datemid 14th century
Place MadeSyria, Middle East
MediumEnamel and gilding on brownish glass
Dimensions10 x 23.5 cm (3 15/16 x 9 1/4 in.)
ClassificationsLighting Devices
Credit LineIsabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston
Accession numberC27w74
Status
Not on viewWeb CommentaryThis fragmentary, 14th century mosque lamp bears an inscription from the Qur'an. The words are formed from enameled letters decorating its flare and rim. They are taken from Sura 9, verse 18, celebrating the true believer's all encompassing commitment to God.
The Qu'ran sanctioned mosque lamps in one of its most famous passages (Sura 24, verse 25):
God is the light of the heavens and the earth.
The parable of His light is as if there were a niche,
And within it a lamp, the lamp inside a glass,
The Glass like a brilliant star
Lit from a blessed tree, an olive from neither East nor West,
Whose oil is almost luminous though scarcely touched by fire...
Id725137
Last Updated8/14/24
EmbARK ObjectID12421
Source ID1545
