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Multi-Cultural Aspects of Pottery: a Christian Bowl Found in Mamluk Egypt in Its Cultural Context

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Multi-Cultural Aspects of Pottery: a Christian Bowl Found in Mamluk Egypt in Its Cultural Context 0347-07_ECA_4(2007)_06 18-08-2008 12:58 Pagina 81 ECA 4 (2007), p. 81-94; doi: 10.2143 / ECA.4.0.2024668 Multi-Cultural Aspects of Pottery: A Christian Bowl found in Mamluk Egypt in its Cultural Context Tasha VORDERSTRASSE Pottery, like other objects of material culture, in this period and therefore this bowl provides a reflects the identity of the individuals who produced valuable example of this type of object. The bowl and consumed it. This statement, although it may should be seen as part of the multi-cultural art of seem obvious, has implications when we look at the the region, as Philon argues, but her attribution of iconography of pottery. The piece that is under style remains problematic. After discussing the examination here is a perfect case in point: this methodology adopted here, the article will look at bowl is decorated with the Deposition and was pro- the bowl in detail before finally discussing possible duced for Christians probably in Syria or Egypt, patrons for it by not only examining the Coptic possibly by a Christian potter, but it has been sug- community in Egypt, but also through comparison gested that it has Byzantine antecedents but was with Ottoman-period Armenian patrons of vessels Persian and ultimately Chinese in style. Fragments with religious scenes. of this bowl are conserved in the Benaki Museum in Athens (Plates 1 and 4)1, in the Museum of METHODOLOGY Islamic Art in Cairo (Plate 2), and in the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore (Plates 3 and 5). The The information about the piece indicates that the Benaki and Cairo pieces were published and stud- bowl was found in Egypt, but beyond that, issues of ied by Helen Philon in 1983 in a preliminary form, provenance and cultural affiliation become increas- as she planned to publish the bowl fully in the ingly complicated. I believe that the bowl should not forthcoming catalogue of the later Islamic ceramics been seen as ‘Syrian’, ‘Persian’, or ‘Mongol’, but from the Benaki Museum, but this never appeared2. rather part of the multi-cultural milieu of the The Walter piece has never been published and its thirteenth and early fourteenth centuries. The connection with the Benaki and Cairo pieces has approach adopted here to the bowl is the same used not previously been recognized. In her short article, in the article ‘The Iconography of the Wine Drinker Philon recognized the importance of this bowl as a in ‘Port St Symeon’ Ware from the Crusader Era’5. cultural artifact stating: ‘The Christian theme In this article, it was shown that the figure of the painted on this object of Islamic origin raises a number of interesting questions relating to both the art-historical and socio-political landscape that pro- 1 Athens: inv. no. 823; Cairo: inv. no. 13724; Baltimore: inv. duced it.’3. At the end of the article she concluded no. 48.2734. I would like to thank Dr. Bernard O’Kane of that the bowl is a ‘compendium of styles, and icono- the American University in Cairo for his assistance in graphic themes originating in local Egyptian and obtaining a photo of the Cairo bowl and the American Uni- versity of Cairo Press for their assistance. I would like to Syrian traditions, Mongol Iran and Byzantium. To thank Dr. Anna Ballian of the Benaki Museum in Athens Byzantium one can trace the theme, to Egyptian for providing me with photos and information about the and Syrian origins one can trace certain stylistic fea- fragments in the Benaki Museum. I would like to thank tures, and to Mongol Iran, the painterly modes and Dr. Georgi Parpulov of the Walters Art Museum who coin- cidentally sent me a photo of the Walters Art Museum piece 4 certain iconography.’ . Since the bowl was only when this article was nearly completed and who generously studied in a preliminary form, there still remains provided me with photos, information, and permission to considerable scope for broadening our understand- publish this piece for the first time. 2 ing of how this bowl fits into the art-historical con- Philon 1983, 265-274. 3 Philon 1983, 265. text of Mamluk Egypt. As will be shown below, 4 Philon 1983, 270. Christian religious subjects rarely appear on pottery 5 Vorderstrasse 2005, 59-72. 81 0347-07_ECA_4(2007)_06 18-08-2008 12:58 Pagina 82 sitting drinking man is a common one throughout culturalism that was described there. In this the eastern Mediterranean, found in art produced instance, however, it is likely that the patron was under the Muslims, Cilician Armenians, and Cru- Christian-based upon the subject matter7. saders in different types of media. It was argued that one cannot term this type of art as ‘Muslim’ or POTTERY FRAGMENTS FROM THE BENAKI ‘Christian’, but rather that it should be considered MUSEUM, ATHENS, THE MUSEUM OF ISLAMIC ART, within the multicultural context of the period. In CAIRO, THE WALTERS ART MUSEUM, BALTIMORE this instance, it is art that is derived from a Byzan- tine context which is re-imagined in this milieu6. The bowl is a large one that is decorated with the Unlike the sitting drinking man, however, which Deposition of the Cross. It was found in Egypt. The was a secular symbol, the ‘Deposition Bowl’ clearly piece in the Cairo Museum was donated by Mau- has religious significance. Despite this, the art should rice Nahman in 1936, a famous Egyptian antiqui- not be termed Christian, although the subject mat- ties dealer8. The two pieces in the Benaki Museum ter is. This object, like other objects, was produced were purchased by Athonis Benaki (1873-1954) by local craftsmen for a variety of patrons who could from Phocion Tano(s) in 1939 in Egypt. Phocion have hailed from different cultural background and Tanos was a well-known antiquities dealer in Egypt religions. The deposition bowl should also be seen who regularly supplied collectors such as Benaki, as a reflection of the same phenomenon of multi- Chester Beatty, and King Farouk. He came from a line of antique dealers, who had first founded a shop in Cairo in 1870, and ran the Antiquities 9 6 The transformation of such iconography is a commonly dis- Gallery from 1937 until his death in 1972 . The cussed topic. See, for example, Collinet 2001, 130; fact that the Benaki and Cairo pieces were both Skalova/Gabra 2006, 112-113, 115; Weitzmann 1943, from Egyptian dealers argues strongly for the prove- 133; idem 1975, 37. nance of the bowl in Egypt. In contrast to the other 7 It should be kept in mind, however, that the presence of Christian symbolism does not automatically mean that the pieces, the piece in the Walters Art Museum in Bal- patron was Christian. For Islamic (in this instance, royal) timore was given to the museum in 1996, but owners of metalwork with Christian images, see: Atıl/ according to the donator, it was acquired by her Chase/Jett 1985, 137-146; Baer 1989, 40, 43; Hoffman ancestor Moritz Sobernheim (1872-1933) in Syria 2004. 8 O’Kane 2006, 142, n. 127. For more information on Mau- before WWI. This date and place does not accord rice Nahman (1868-1948), see: Capart 1947, 300-301; with the provenance information for the Benaki and Dawson/Uphill 1995, 305. Cairo pieces but Moritz Sobernheim is known to 9 Carswell 2000; Dawson/Uphill 1995, 410; Delivorrias have visited Egypt on a variety of occasions10. An 2000, 16; Maravella 2002, 83; Robinson 1981, 27-28. Information about date of acquisition from Dr. Anna examination of the other objects donated by the Ballian, Benaki Museum, Athens. Sobernheim family reveals that Moritz Sobernheim 10 Moritz Sobernheim was a German scholar who specialized also collected Egyptian filter neck jars. In fact, they in Semitic languages. He published extensively on Arabic form the largest part of the extant collection of his inscriptions on both buildings and on objects, and visited 11 the Middle East several times in the course of the nineteenth objects in the Walters Art Museum . This makes it and early twentieth century. In particular, he was active at possible that either Moritz Sobernheim acquired fil- the Baalbek excavations under Puchstein and published on ter necks and this piece on one of his visits, the Arabic inscriptions from the site. His travels to the Mid- although the exact date cannot currently be deter- dle East seem to have ceased after he began to work for the German government in 1919. Sobernheim documented at mined. This scenario seems more likely than the least one of his trips in print, see: Sobernheim 1899. The other idea that Moritz Sobernheim just happened number of all of his trips is not clear. For his other works to buy a piece that was extremely similar to the and activities, see Böhme/Schottroff 1979, 3; Kammerer- Benaki and Cairo pieces but was from a different Grothaus et al. 1999, 112; Kästner/Baher 1999, 88; Killy/Vierhaus 1998, 355; Sobernheim 1896; idem 1905; bowl. This also argues that there could be other idem 1909; idem 1921; idem 1922; Wininger 1925, 556. pieces of this bowl lying unrecognized in museums 11 I would like to thank Georgi Parpulov for patiently answer- or private collections (see further discussion below). ing all of my questions in regards to the acquisition history The bowl is of underglaze painted pottery made of the Sobernheim collection in the Walters Art Museum and for sending me photos of not only the piece I am pub- from a pale gritty yellow paste imitating frit ware, lishing here but also of the filter necks which allowed me covered with white slip and then painted in black, to confirm that they were Egyptian.
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