Islamic Luxury Goods
57. Pyxis of Al Mughira
● Date: 960 (10th century)
● Artist: Unknown
● Culture: Umayyad Spain
● Material: Carved ivory
● Location: Originally Cordoba, Spain; now located in the Louvre in Paris
FORM
● 6 inches tall, 4 inches wide
● Cylindrical box
● Made of royal ivory from an elephant’s
tusk
● Has an inscription on the bottom
● The dome opens to store items
CONTENT:
● Lions are attacking bulls (represents
victory)
● Shows 2 people collecting eggs from
falcon’s nests
● Has both human and animal figures
● Men on horseback are picking dates
● The entire space is filled with imagery
and designs (Horror Vacui)
188. Basin (Baptistry of Saint Louis)
● Date: 1290-1310 (1300 - Medieval Period)
● Artist: Mohammed Ibn al-Zain
● Culture: Islamic (Mamluk Dynasty), also French (made for French royalty)
● Material: Brass inlaid with gold and silver
● Location: Originally Syria or Egypt
FORM
● Made of a single sheet of brass inlaid w/
gold and silver
FUNCTION
● Stored cosmetics, perfume, or
jewelry
● Could be expressing the legitimacy
and authority of the Umayyad
people
CONTEXT:
● Gift given as a coming-of-age
present to the then 18 yr old Al
Mughira (brother of the Caliph -
ruler)
● Al Mughira was eventually executed
at the age of 26 when his brother
(the ruler) was overthrown
● It was usually left open so the
perfume would scent the room it
was in
● This broke Islamic tradition by
including images of actual humans
FUNCTION
● Function changed over time
● Originally used for ceremonial hand-
 ● Engraved on the inside and outside
● Not large enough to baptize by
submerging - only by pouring the water
CONTENT:
● The artist signed his name in many
spots around the basin
● Has no religious inscriptions (change
from Islamic tradition)
● Oblong sections have hunting and battle
scenes
● Roundel sections depict the monarchs
and coat-of-arms
● Shows scenes of Mamluk court life
191. The Ardabil Carpet (Medallion Carpet)
● Date: 1539-1540 (Late Period)
● Artist: Maqsud Kashani
● Culture: Islamic (Persian - Safavid Dynasty)
● Material: Silk warps and wefts with wool pile
● Location: Originally Isfahan or Iran
FORM
● One of the largest carpets in the world
(34.5’ x 17.5’ (approx. 600 sq. ft)
● Colored with natural dyes
(Pomegranate, Indigo)
CONTENT
● Central medallion represent a geometric
pool in Islamic gardens - it evokes a
sense of paradise for Muslims
● It has no figural designs because it was
made for a mosque
● The designs represent a heavenly dome
reflected in a pool of water filled with
floating blossoms
washing
● Later used as a baptistry vessel by
French royalty (used to baptize
Louis XIII, among others in the
Royal family)
CONTEXT:
● King Louis XII had close relations
with Islamic rulers
● Given to French royalty by an
Ottoman ruler
● Used to baptize many royal
children, beginning with Louis XIII
(father of Louis XIV - Versailles)
FUNCTION
● In Islamic culture, carpets and rugs
are used in the daily rituals of prayer
conducted 5x a day
CONTEXT
● It would have taken 8-10 skilled
weavers 3-4 years to create this
● It was one of a matching pair
● In 1843 it was seen in a shrine by
British visitors
● In the mid-1870s an earthquake
damages the building and carpet
● In 1893 it was sold to V&A Museum
for £2,000 ($300,000 in today’s
dollars)
● Made by a royal weaving factory in
Persia (modern-day Iran)