Made in Arabic
demitasse
الطَّسْت
A brass basin engraved and inlaid with silver, made in Egypt or Syria for a high-ranking Mamluk commander; such basins came with a ewer for washing the hands. Arabic ṭast or ṭasht, borrowed from Persian, became French tasse, "cup", and Italian tazza. English still drinks its small coffee from a demitasse, a "half-tasse".
- Instrument
- a brass basin inlaid with silver, Egypt or Syria, first half of the 14th century
- Written on it in Arabic
- A band of thuluth script carrying its owner's titles runs round the outside, and a second inscribed band runs inside the rim.
The path between languagestašt → ṭast, ṭašt → tasse, tazza → demitasse
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, ملكٌ عامّ
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