Summary
This chapter addresses the social and economic life of metalwork through six objects, objects produced in a variety of places and times, and in a range of media, each of which sheds light on its own context. The six objects are: an astrolabe made by Ahmad and Muhammad, Serce Limani box from the Bodrum Museum of Underwater Archaeology, Seljuq Sabre Blade from the Furusiyya Collection, zebu and calf aquamanile from the Hermitage Museum, Freer pen box made by Shazi/Shadhi the Naqqash in 1210, and silver-inlaid tray made for Badr al-Din Lu lu in thirteenth-century Mosul. The making of an astrolabe brings together two highly specialized crafts that require different skills and training: the metalworking techniques including casting, sheet cutting, and engraving, and the theoretical astronomical and mathematical knowledge. The role of trade is also seen in three important hoards of eleventh-century metalwork, those of Tiberias, Caesarea (both in Israel), and Denia (southeast Spain).