Candlestick inscribed with Wishes for Good Fortune, Peace, and Happiness to its Owner
Unknown Artist
ca. 1500
Medium
Brass; cast, pierced, engraved, and inlaid with black organic compound
Dimensions
H. 9 7/8 in. (25.1cm) Diam. (base) 7 15/16 in. (20.2 cm)
Classification
Metal
Department
Islamic Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase, The Seley Foundation Inc. Gift, Louis E. and Theresa S. Seley Purchase Fund for Islamic Art, Schimmel Foundation Inc., Margaret Mushekian and Mr. and Mrs. Jerome A. Straka Gifts, Rogers and The Friends of the Islamic Department Funds, 1980
Accession Number
1980.114
Rights
Public Domain
Art Historical Context
This elegant brass candlestick, crafted around 1500 in the Islamic world, stands as a testament to the exquisite metalworking traditions of the period. Measuring nearly 10 inches tall with a sturdy 8-inch base diameter, it served both a practical purpose—holding a candle for light—and a decorative one, transforming everyday illumination into an object of beauty and blessing. Its inscriptions, elegantly engraved with wishes for good fortune, peace, and happiness to the owner, reflect the cultural emphasis on invoking prosperity and harmony in daily life, a common motif in Islamic art from the late medieval era. The artistry shines through sophisticated techniques: casting formed the solid structure, piercing created delicate openwork patterns for light to flicker through, engraving added fine textual details, and inlays of a black organic compound—likely a form of niello—provided striking contrast and durability. These methods, honed by skilled artisans possibly in regions like Egypt or Syria under Mamluk or early Ottoman influence, highlight the technical mastery of Islamic metalwork, where functionality met spiritual aspiration. Today, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, this candlestick invites visitors to appreciate how ordinary objects carried profound cultural wishes, bridging the practical and the poetic in a vibrant artistic heritage.