This monumental engraved copper plate is a triumph of Mamluk metalwork, its surface composed like a manuscript of power where calligraphy, figural imagery, and sacred geometry interlace. It is not merely a plate but a ceremonial proclamation of rulership and devotion, glowing with traces of silver inlay upon its worn copper ground.

Calligraphic Inscriptions
Dominating the concentric bands are flowing lines of Thuluth script, inscribed with royal praises:

Arabic:
"العز لمولانا السلطان الملك الناصر العادل العامل العابد القائد المحارب المجاهد المنصور"

Transliteration:
al-ʿizz li-mawlānā al-sulṭān al-malik al-nāṣir al-ʿādil, al-ʿāmil, al-ʿābid, al-qāʾid, al-muḥārib, al-mujāhid, al-manṣūr.

Translation:
“Glory to our lord, the Sultan al-Malik al-Nāṣir, the just, the diligent, the devout, the commander, the warrior, the struggler in faith, the victorious.”

These inscriptions alternate with woven vegetal scrolls and geometric star-knots, binding sacred text with cosmic pattern.

Artistic Details

• Central Medallion: At the heart, a seated noble figure, robed and crowned, radiates authority. He is flanked by attendants and framed by a halo of calligraphic rays, positioning him at the cosmic and courtly axis.
• Figural Bands: Around the medallion, engraved human figures and birds appear in procession, their stylized gazes and gestures weaving devotion and earthly service into the Sultan’s orbit.
• Geometric Stars: Six radiant geometric star forms structure the design, interlaced with arabesques and foliate tracery, anchoring the plate in divine geometry.
• Arabesque Borders: Flowing leaves and vegetal engraving fill the intervals, ensuring no surface is left idle.
• Concentric Harmony: Each ring, medallion, inscription, star, foliage, figure, ripples outward like waves of authority, guiding the eye from ruler to cosmos.
• Material Glow: The copper surface, worn yet gleaming with remnants of silver inlay, lends the piece a sense of both reverence and age, as though it has passed through generations of courts and ceremonies.

Interpretation
This plate embodies the Mamluk vision of sovereignty: the Sultan enthroned at the center, encircled by the praises of scripture, attended by servants and birds, and upheld by geometry and foliage that mirror the divine order. As both a utilitarian vessel and a ceremonial object, it unites the practical with the symbolic, proclaiming the Sultan as the axis of justice, faith, and eternal victory.