Bucket thumbnail 1
Bucket thumbnail 2
+4
images
Not currently on display at the V&A

Bucket

11th century (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This bucket is one of a small group of similar items. Scholars think they probably came from Egypt, where several of them were acquired, and have dated them to the 10th and 11th centuries. The buckets all have the same cylindrical shape and the same type of attachment for the handle (by swivel pins). They also have similar incised decoration, which includes a band containing an inscription. In this case the wording is not legible, but on another of the buckets it contains good wishes for those who use it. The handle has a hole in the centre, to which a suspension ring was once attached. The bucket may therefore have hung over a well.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Copper alloy, hammered and incised
Brief description
Middle East, Metalwork. bronze, engraved with inscriptions in Kufic script invoking good wishes for the owner, Egypt (Fatimid), 10th-11th c., Islamic. Inter-departmental transfer to MES, RF 2011/1170.
Physical description
Copper alloy bucket with flat base and cylindrical body with a raised band around the rim. Rising from this band, and flush with it, are two flanges to which the arched handle is attached by swivel pins. The raised band and the walls of the bucket immediately below it have incised decoration arranged in three registers. The top register, on the raised band, is based on an interlace pattern. Below this, on the body of the bucket is an unread inscription in Arabic, reserved in a hatched ground. The bottom register is a row of lozenges, also reserved in a hatched ground. The bands of decoration are defined top and bottom by rows of elongated dots, and similar dots define the central band containing the inscription. The handle is decorated with incised lines and has a hole in the centre, to which a suspension ring was once attached.
Dimensions
  • Height: 15.8cm
  • Diameter: 17.3cm
Style
Marks and inscriptions
Object history
when this object came into the Museum in 1923 it was registered as 18th century Syrian.
Summary
This bucket is one of a small group of similar items. Scholars think they probably came from Egypt, where several of them were acquired, and have dated them to the 10th and 11th centuries. The buckets all have the same cylindrical shape and the same type of attachment for the handle (by swivel pins). They also have similar incised decoration, which includes a band containing an inscription. In this case the wording is not legible, but on another of the buckets it contains good wishes for those who use it. The handle has a hole in the centre, to which a suspension ring was once attached. The bucket may therefore have hung over a well.
Collection
Accession number
M.25-1923

About this object record

Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.

You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.

Suggest feedback

Record createdFebruary 6, 2003
Record URL
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest