Platter with Drinkers and Musicians

1250-1325

Used in sumptuous banquets, this platter attests the settlement and success of artists from Mosul (Iraq) in Syria, Egypt and Iran between 1220 and 1260, when metalworkers began to sign their works with their name followed by the nisba (adjective indicating geographical origin) al-Mawsili. The inner rim bears a formula of good wishes addressed to the owner in naskhi script in accordance with a characteristic of the Islamic aesthetic. Even though the dedicatee is not named, the central rosette surrounded by twelve medallions evoking an astral theme indicates a princely commission. The allegorical image of the sovereign as the sun is combined with an imaginary garden filled with birds, drinkers and musicians.

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