Lighting DevicesPersian16th century

Torch stand (mash`al)

late 16th century

Description

Torch stands, which held oil and a wick rather than a candle, were a popular form of lighting in the Safavid era. The following poem, by a Khorasani poet named Mulla Heyrati Tuni, is inscribed in nastaliq script in two bands near the top and bottom of this piece: Sometimes my soul burns with love for the beautiful ones, sometimes my heart bleeds. Every moment passion burns me with a new brand. Like a moth, I seek the candle. If I advance, I burn my wing. Be on guard, the smoke of the burning heart. At times the fire of my heart burns both world and heaven. Like the candle, all night the wick of my soul burns. At times, I draw a single sigh and both worlds burn.

Classification

Lighting Devices

Technique

Incised

Medium

Brass

Culture

Persian

Period

Safavid period

Century

16th century

Division

Asian and Mediterranean Art

Department

Department of Islamic & Later Indian Art

Dimensions

H. 40 x Dia. 22.5 cm (15 3/4 x 8 7/8 in.)

Provenance

William H. Folwell, Philadelphia (by 1878). Mrs. May Folwell Hoisington, Rye, NY, (by Mrs. Elizabeth H. Barton, Kirby Lane, Rye, NY, (by 1953), sold; to Fogg Art Museum, 1953.