During the 15th and 16th centuries, Venice traded and fought extensively with the Turkish and Arab empires that bordered the Mediterranean basin. Venetian merchants brought back to the city Near Eastern goods. This Saracenic metalwork had an immediate influence on Venetian design and eventually on the rest of Europe.

Unlike northern European brasswork, this brasswork was almost always engraved and inlaid with silver wire, a technique known as ‘damascene’. The decoration was extensive, often covering the entire surface of an object. This circular bowl in engraved brass was once damascened.

The arabesque pattern, based on a stylised plant with a winding stem, was studied and copied by contemporary Italian artists. By the middle of the 16th century, the arabesque as a form of ornament was beginning to influence craftworkers all over Europe. It became incorporated into the development of European ornamental design until the decline of the Rococo style in the late 18th century.