A study on a French manufacture royal glassware and crystal from al-mania palace museum

الملخص EN

The art of glass making was one of the major achievements of the Muslim artists.

Glassmaking flourished in Egypt for more than two millennia.

Islamic glass production, at its early and middle stages of expansion (from the first AH/seventh AD to the seventh AH/thiiteenth centuries), developed a unique expression that was characterized by the introduction of new tecliniques and the imiovation of old traditions (i.e.

Sasanian and Byzantine).

However, during the Late Islamic Period (ninth AH/fifleenth AD to Mid-thirteenth AH/nineteenth AD centuries) the Ottoman Empire was one of the main areas of the production of glass that was characterized by the direct influence of European style.

The studied collection is attributed to Muhammad Ali's dynasty (the Turkish dynasty that ruled Egypt from 1805 to 1952.

It is now preserved in the Museum of Prince Muhammad Ali Palace in Cairo (Manial Palace Museum), where most of the French-made royal glassware are kept.

It is considered one of five glasswork collections to belong to the royal family and preserved in other museums in Cau*o and Alexandria^ The four other collections are related to both local workshops in Turkey and Egypt as well as European glass-making centres in Venice, Bohemia and France.

However, historical sources have long been asserting the Venetian and Bohemian glass as one of the Turkish glassware imports under the Ottomans.

This study focuses on the French production of Turkish glassware during the nineteenth century.

The significance of these objects lies in the information they provide about the characteristic features of the French made Turkish glassware.

Especially important is the use of royal insignia motifs because it recalls the European influence on Turkish glass during the investigated period.

The studied collection reflects both historical and artistic importance due to its attribution to the Royal Family.

The carefiilly plaimed depiction of the royal portrait exhibited by this collection illuminates the luxury and socio-political prestige which the members of the Royal Family of Egypt (1805 to 1952) enjoyed.

In the meantime, it provides significant information about the employed decorative motifs and techniques.

Applying both descriptive and analytical methodologies, the present study takes a broad approach covering art, teclinique and aesthetics.

Consequently, this would involve the inclusion of a number of other related issues.

The paper will first outline some general background and context, including the history of glass manufacture in the Ottoman Empire.

This is followed by a section that discusses the main centres of Turkish glass production (local centres were located in Turkey and Egypt; European centres were located in Bohemia, Venice and France) during the investigated period.

Then, the paper will analyse the employed decorative motifs and accordingly, it classifies the depicted royal insignia into categories and stresses how much they correspond to similar French elements.

Finally; the paper provides a detailed account for the objects in question.

A variety of ruling dates were given in this research.

This includes the targeted dates of the rulers of Mohamed Ali dynasty and the related ruling dates of the French kings.

In order to make it clear for the reader, one AD date form only is given.