0021-1818_islam_98-1-2-i-259

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During the second phase of his career, he experimented with his signature.
The formula, “The work of al-0asan b. Mu1ammad” appears on the coins of some
smaller mints. However, after its introduction at the important mint of al-Mu1ammadiyya,
al-0asan’s signatures cease to be inscribed. An effaced signature on
seven surviving dirhams suggests that the mint deliberately ended the practice.
In addition to regular issues of d\nars and dirhams, the dies and casts for special
issues may also be attributed to al-0asan.
The last engraver to sign his name, known only as Mu1ammad, engraved
dies for the Kakawayhid mint of Isfahan and a couple of minor mints between
413 AH/1022 CE and 421 AH/1030 CE. The consistent design and fine epigraphy
of the coins of this mint suggests that Mu1ammad alone engraved its dies. In the
opinion of the author, they are among the best executed dies of the 5 th century
AH.
In its conclusion, the monograph notes the significance of the signatures of
Muj\b (al-0arith), al-0asan b. Mu1ammad and Mu1ammad in documenting the
transition of die engraving from mass production to local craft. The demise of a
centralized die production and the rise of local and regional workshops during
the late 9 th and 10 th centuries CE created demand for the skilled labor of local artisans
but this demand did not allow employment for more than a few months out
of each year. As a result, the engravers continued to earn their main livelihood
working with metalware, ceramic or stone. The signing of their dies seems to have
been intended to prove their skill to potential clients outside the mint. Its discrete
and episodic character, however, indicates that the practice was normally discouraged
or prohibited.
The challenges to the discussion of this subject are significant. Although
signed dies have been previously studied, no corpus exists that can easily be consulted.
In addition to their minute size, the signatures appear erratically on the
coins of a large number of mints over many years. Stylistic differences are difficult
not only to discern but to discuss due to the limitations of language.
The monograph aptly meets these challenges. The work identifies many more
examples of signed dies than was ever previously known, including specimens from
the Lundberg collection. These are illustrated in over two hundred high-quality figures,
plates and detailed drawings. The figures consist of photographs of coins or
parts of coins, many of which are enlarged. Both the figures and drawings accompany
the text allowing for easy reference. In combination, they are especially useful
in verifying readings of signatures and stylistic judgments about die engravers.
The work draws extensively on published and unpublished sources. The bibliography
is comprehensive. In addition, unpublished studies of G. Rispling and
H. Lundberg are mentioned in the introduction. Much of this scholarship is integrated
into the discussion or referred to in footnotes.