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Steel flask
unknown - Enlarge image
Steel flask
- Place of origin:
Iran (made)
- Date:
ca. 1850-1875 (made)
- Artist/Maker:
unknown (production)
- Materials and Techniques:
Steel flask, chased and inlaid with gold
- Museum number:
383-1880
- Gallery location:
Islamic Middle East, room 42, case WW7
Metalworkers in nineteenth-century Iran, particularly in Isfahan, produced a variety of high-quality wares in steel. The techniques they used included piercing, engraving and gilding.
There is a strong contrast between the long, slender neck of this flask and its bulbous body. Every surface is covered with a combination of gold decoration and chiselled designs. Yet the ornament follows a carefully composed scheme, which is based on rows of cartouches separated by narrow bands.

