35 ABSTRACT Fine copper alloy vessels are an important class of metalwork made dur- ing the Islamic era (which began in ad 622) in the lands bordering the Eastern Mediterranean. Many of these vessels are decorated with silver, gold and black inlays that are easily damaged or lost. Candlesticks and other multi-component pieces frequently suffer because of the weakness of the original joining techniques used. Elemental analyses (by atomic absorption and inductively coupled mass spectrometry) of the collections at the British Museum have already been published, and an extensive programme of X-ray fluorescence analysis, X- radiography and microscopic examination is building on that information. Drawing on the current knowledge of the technical aspects of this copper alloy metalwork, this paper outlines findings relevant to the conservation, display and interpretation of these impressive vessels. ÖZET Doğu Akdeniz sınırındaki bölgede üretilmiş olan bakır çanaklar, İslami döneme ait metal işçiliğinin en önemli örneklerini oluştururlar. Bu çanakların çoğu, artık zarara uğramış veya kaybolmuş olan gümüş, altın ve siyah kakma tekniğiyle süslenmiştir. Kullanılan orjinal birleştirme tekniklerinin yetersizliği yüzünden mumluk ve diğer parçalardan bazıları hasara uğramıştır. British Museum’da bulunan koleksiyon üzerinde yapılan atomik soğurma ve indüktif coupled kütle spektrometri analizleri yayınlanmış olup, detaylı X-ray ışınırlık, X-radyografi ve mikroskopik analizleri de bu çalışmaları desteklemektedir. Bu makale, sözü edilen bakır çanakların teknik özellikleri hakkında elde edilen bilgiler üzerine yoğunlaşmış olup, ulaşılan sonuçlarla, bu çanakların konservasyon, sergileme ve yorumlama çalışmaları arasında sıkı ilişkiler bulmaktadır. INTRODUCTION The term ‘Islamic’ is used here in the secular sense, for objects made under Islamic rule from the first year of the Islamic era, ad 622, Fig. 1. The lands under Islamic rule bordering the eastern Mediterranean were well known for their metalworking centres, for example Cairo, Damascus and Aleppo where fine inlaid vessels, candlesticks, incense burners and the like were made, Fig. 2 [1, 2]. Many of the inlaid copper alloy objects now in collections worldwide have been passed down from generation to genera- tion, and from their present excellent condition have clearly been treasured and preserved. While the survival of these copper alloy vessels testifies to their robustness, this should not lead to complacency concerning their care and conservation. Some, inevitably, have been altered to fit the needs of later times — for example, large drum-shaped candlestick bases have been cut down and inverted for use as basins — and many have suffered from regular use and cleaning, but surprisingly large numbers of pieces have survived. In recent decades, Islamic metalwork has also begun to come from archaeological excavation and this is tending to redress the balance from the fine collectable pieces to more modest decorative and utilitarian metalwork. For example, excavation of a workshop on the outskirts of Tiberias uncovered a hoard of approximately 1000 items of metalwork from the Fatimid period (eleventh to early twelfth century ad) [3, 4]. Another important discovery was the cargo of the Serçe Liman, an eleventh-century Byzantine merchant ship that sank off the south west coast of Turkey on its return voyage from Syria to Constantinople, which has provided a time capsule of artefacts including glass, jewellery and metalwork [5]. The Mediterranean Sea has a long history as a highway for trade. Sea traffic was particularly intense at the eastern end of the Mediterranean in the medieval period, albeit with pauses brought about by hostilities between the Christian and Islamic worlds [6]. Metals were among the commodities traded around the Mediterranean: large quantities of copper came from Europe to the Islamic lands, particularly from the fifteenth century onwards [7, 8]. Finished items of metalwork were also traded; brass artefacts that were made specifically for the Venetian market in metalworking centres bordering the Eastern Mediterranean had shield-shaped panels for European coats of arms while the candlesticks had narrow stems to take the slender candles used at table in Europe, but all had the complex inlaid designs characteristic of Islamic metalwork [9]. The artefacts show the technical innovations in metalwork- ing made by Islamic craftsmen, notably the use of sand-casting for vessels and other three-dimensional forms some centuries before this method of casting was used in Europe [10], but there was also some continuity from earlier metalworking traditions in the region. Islamic metalwork is uniquely recognizable by its forms and decoration. The brass (an alloy of copper and zinc) vessels, which are richly inlaid with silver, gold or copper, and ISLAMIC COPPER-BASED METALWORK FROM THE EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN: TECHNICAL INVESTIGATION AND CONSERVATION ISSUES Susan La Niece Fig. 1 Map of places mentioned in the text. ©Trustees of the British Museum.