The Art of Eternal Connections
Arabic
Two shards can be combined to read part of the word ‘eternal’ with ‘and’. The letter “و“ (wa) means “and”.
Initial thoughts were that the word ‘eternal‘ may have been an extract from the Qur’an however after further research and ongoing dialogues with experts in Islamic art, including Dr Mariam Rosser-Owen, curator in the Middle Eastern section at the Victoria and Albert Museum, this is unlikely for a drinking vessel that would have been handled frequently. It was also not unheard of for such items to contain wine during the Mamluk period. Therefore like other examples, the calligraphy would form a full sentence, namely a generic blessing conveying good health. There are some instances where there is a dedication to a specific person, for example, a Sultan, but the ones I’ve come across don’t include ‘eternal’ or words related to it.
Professor Emilio Molina Lopez who consulted on Eternal Connections mentioned that it was common for words to rhyme with similar meanings, like a verse of a poem. He translated the sentence that may have matched the fragments to ‘Eternal Glory and permanent prosperity‘ based on our research. The order of this text in Arabic is slightly different and would read Glory (before the two combined fragments) Eternal and (the fragments) Prosperity Permanent (after the fragments). Other variations could exist; this is one theory with more words to have possibly followed.
It is worth noting that the Arabic script uses an abjad writing system rather than an alphabet. Some Arabic terms will not have an English equivalent. You can learn more at https://www.baytalfann.com/post/the-arabic-abjad.
Lastly, the third fragment could be from the same beaker or perhaps it belongs to a set, ranging in size as there are known examples.
Glassblowing
Video credit: Leila Said
