An impressive Mamluk revival silver and copper inlaid brass charger Egypt or Syria, circa 1900


of circular form, with wide flattened rim, profusely engraved and decorated in silver and copper inlay with a central octagon containing an interlace of split palmettes overlaid with bearded human faces and fish, surrounded by a band of inscription-filled cartouches, four larger carouches filled with inscriptions in kufic on a ground of foliate interlace, further inscription filled roundels and cartouches containing vegetal interlace and geometric motifs 80 cm. diam.
|ProvenancePrivate US collection.Collection of Auguste Pacho II (b. 1861), received as a wedding gift.Inscriptions: numerous sayings in Arabic. Auguste Pacho II was the son of Auguste Pacho (1812-1890), a businessman and Egyptologist who was reputed to be the first European graduate of the el Azhar University, Cairo. He is known for having procured the oldest existing version of Joseph and Aseneth for the British Museum in 1847 (manuscript no.17,202).