AN ENGRAVED BRASS 'MAGIC' BOWL WITH PSEUDO-SYRIAC INSCRIPTIONS
Mamluk Egypt or Syria, late 15th - 16th century

Of deep rounded shape, with a slightly inward-turned rim, and a wide, splayed, conical boss with a flattened head incised with a six-pointed star, the engraved decoration consisting of overlapping concentric bands of lozenges in the shape of triangular arches and cusped cartouches interspersed amidst palmette sprays, all filled with talismanic inscriptions in pseudo-Syriac script, some geomantic numerical series, and Arabic prayers in bold thuluth script on the front and reverse of the central conical boss, 20.3cm diam.