Lamp in the form of a bird

Lamps are an excellent example of the way in which basic metalwork forms continued from the pre-Islamic into the Islamic periods, with only gradual changes over the centuries to bring these forms more into line with the emerging Islamic taste. The bird-shaped lamp has a very Islamic appearance, with its openwork braids and symmetrical incised decoration, but this shape can also be traced back to Byzantine prototypes. This particular example which comes from Khurasan, also shows that Islamic metalwork was influenced by traditions found further to the east. The turquoise inlay of the eye (originally in both eyes) is an inheritance from Buddhist metalworking traditions in Kashmir, not far from the eastern boundary of the Islamic world. The Kashmiri metalworkers produced large amounts of Buddhist figural sculpture with inlaid turquoise or turquoise-colored glass paste for the eyes.