Illustrative model — an approximation, not a scan of the original object.
c. 1355 – 1364
Mosque Lamp of Sultan Hasan
About 1360 CE, according to the museum record.
- Material
- Gilded and enamelled glass
- Dimensions
- H. 35.2 cm, max. W. 30.5 cm
- Findspot
- Probably made in Egypt, possibly Syria, to hang in the mosque of Sultan Hasan in Cairo
- Discovery
- Entered the Victoria and Albert Museum’s collection in 1900.
- Held by
- Victoria and Albert Museum, London
- Inventory number
- 323-1900
A large glass lamp with six suspension rings. Around its neck in blue enamel runs the opening of the Light Verse, "God is the Light of the heavens and the earth", and its roundels carry a phrase glorifying the sultan.
Certainty: Established
The lamp’s inscription is the opening of the Light Verse (Qurʾan 24:35), common on Mamluk mosque lamps.
- Victoria and Albert Museum, London “Mosque lamp, 323-1900” collections.vam.ac.uk
Certainty: Probable
The lamp is thought to have been made to hang in the mosque of Sultan Hasan.
Scholarly note: This is the museum’s attribution, based on the inscription and date.
- Victoria and Albert Museum, London “Mosque lamp, 323-1900” collections.vam.ac.uk