Pilgrim Flask with Dedicatory Inscription ("The Toledo Flagon")

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Pilgrim Flask with Dedicatory Inscription ("The Toledo Flagon")

Place of OriginSyria (Damascus) or Egypt

Dateabout 1300

DimensionsH: 14 in. (35.6 cm)

MediumFree-blown glass with polychrome enamel and gilding

ClassificationGlass

Credit LinePurchased with funds from the Libbey Endowment, Gift of Edward Drummond Libbey

Object number

1927.317

Not on View

DescriptionThe vessel is characterized by a large, oval body with a short neck and two handles. The decoration is executed in gold enamel with accents of red, green, and white. The body features a broad central band containing a monumental Arabic inscription interrupted by circular medallions. The shoulder displays a geometric plan with circular ornaments.

Label TextThis spectacular vessel, known as the "Toledo Flagon," is a masterpiece of medieval Islamic glassmaking. Its shape is based on a "pilgrim flask" (cantimplora)—a portable canteen typically made of leather or metal for carrying water on journeys. Here, the form is rendered in fragile glass, transforming a functional object into a ceremonial symbol of status. The intricate gold and enamel decoration features a bold Arabic inscription encircling the base. Translated in 1928, it reads: "One of what was made by the order of the Moulowi High Residence to the Emir". This suggests it was a commission for a high-ranking Mamluk commander from the Sultan's court.

Its history bridges East and West; preserved for generations in Spain, reportedly at the Monastery of Guadalupe, it passed through the noble collection of the Count of Valencia de Don Juan before its acquisition by the Toledo Museum of Art in 1927

Published ReferencesKühnel, Ernst, “Die Ausstellung islamischer Kunst im Haag,” Der Kunstwanderer, vol. 9, July 1927, p. 495.

Lamm, Carl Johan, Mittelalterliche Gläser und Steinschnittarbeiten aus dem Nahen Osten, Berlin: D. Reimer, 1930, Vol. I, pp. 417–418; Vol. II, pl. 183.

Toledo Museum of Art News. No. 53, March 1929 (Cover illustration).

Pope, John Alexander, Chinese Porcelains from the Ardebil Shrine, Washington, D.C., Freer Gallery of Art, 1956, p. 87, repr. Pl. 135.

Spaeth, Eloise, American Art Museums and Galleries, New York, Harper, 1960, p. 132.

“Toledo Museum of Art News (New Series),” vol. 4, no. 2, Spring 1961, p. 44 (repr.).

Toledo Museum of Art, Art in Glass, Toledo, 1969, p. 29 (repr.).

Riefstahl, Rudolf M., “The Complexities of Ancient Glass,” Apollo, vol. 86, no. 70, December 1967, p. 437.

Exhibition HistoryExhibition of Islamic Art, The Hague, 1927 (Lent by Sir Robert Abdy; reproduced in catalogue).