The Caravanserai Lamp

About this artwork

This lamp was inspired by a quatrain from the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam: "Think! In this battered caravanserai Whose doorways are alternate Night and Day How sultan after sultan with his pomp Abode his hour or two then went his way" The lamp is a contemporary interpretation of these verses. It outlines a pathway or trail leading towards a series of interconnected doorways which are staggered to form a series of steps. On one side a sun/moon streams upward, trailing light behind. On the opposite side a balcony overlooks the scene. In front two doorposts from the entrance to a section of the caravanserai, while a small fire burns in its courtyard. The fabric is covered with swirling moons and stars further illustrating the endless passage of days.