Inkwell with Zodiac Signs

This cast brass (inlaid with silver, copper, and black compound) inkwell is part of the Museum of Art’s (NYC) collection of Islamic art.

One of the innovations of Persian metalworkers was the development of animated inscriptions, in which parts of letters were transformed into animal or human figures. Hon this piece, the tall letters of the inscription on the lid are embellished with human heads. The use of animated inscriptions traveled westward, appearing on metalwork produced in western Iran, Iraq, and Syria, but was never adopted in other media. The body of the inkwell is decorated with the twelve signs of the zodiac.

Remarkably well preserved, this inkwell is a fine example of the elaborate embellishment applied to utilitarian objects in the medieval Islamic world. Calligraphic tools and implements were particularly ornate, often made of brass or other copper alloys and decorated with elaborate openwork or inlaid designs. It bears a rich decorative program of benedictory Arabic inscriptions in animated naskhi script, animal motifs, and zodiac signs. The body is divided into three registers; the middle one is the widest and is decorated with the twelve signs of the zodiac inscribed in interlocked star-shaped medallions. Above and below this wide middle band run two thinner registers with the secondary design of animals set against a background of scrolling vines. The motif of running animals is mirrored on the lid, despite the fact that the base and lid originally belonged to separate objects.

Cylindrical inkwells similar to this one were produced in Greater Iran during the eleventh century under the Seljuq dynasty and continued to be produced in Iran through the thirteenth century. The popularity and often lavish ornamentation of inkwells in this period speak to the cultural importance attached to the art of writing. The choice of astrological signs as the primary decorative theme also reflects contemporary taste, and similar designs can be seen on numerous examples in the Metropolitan Museum and other collections. First introduced into the Islamic world through Greek texts, the art of astrology was considered integral to the science of astronomy. Moreover, the presence of such imagery on these objects was thought to invest them with cosmological and talismanic properties, thereby placing their owners under the auspicious influence of the stars.