The reception
room of an Arab house had a special feature in
the form of a central fountain with basin usually
sunk below the floor. On these fountains the
worker in mosaic often did his best work and
displayed the finest resources of his
craftsmanship. Other points at which mosaic was
introduced were borders of doorways and wall
panels entitled to special honor. A large
fountain in the University- Museum that I
(Gordon) obtained in Cairo in 1919 and a smaller
one obtained at the same time and place, are from
Cairo houses of the 15th century and are superb
examples of mosaic in its application to floors
and fountains.
Arabic Art By George Byron Gordon In
University of Pennsylvania The Museum Journal
Volume XIII The University Museum Philadelphia
1922
JBOC: I am drawn to
the four cups in the basin floor of the fountain.
When we look at look at Mamluk art with
representations of cups I have to note the Mosque
lamp with the inscription of Sayf al-din Qawsun
cup-bearer to Sultan
al Nasir Ibn Mohammad Qalaun. This lamp in
the collection of the Victorian and Albert Museum
London U.K. has 6 cups which is seen as a
reference to Qawsun's status as cup-bearer to the
Sultan. This may well have the same sort of
significance.It is tempting to try to equate this
with the cup in the Blazon of 15th
century Sultan al-ashraf Qa'itbey but it is
stylistically different and not flanked by the
pen-boxes. Stylistically the cup itself is closer
to the cup design in theFitzwilliam
Museum 14th Century Mosque lamp.
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