Ewer
1602 (dated)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This ewer is the earliest dated example of its kind. The rectangular opening on the handle is inscribed on one side with the date and on the other with the name of the owner, Qasim. This man may well have been Qasim Beg Abdarbashi, who was in charge of serving drinks at royal receptions at this time.
Around 1550, a new type of brassware with fine, engraved decoration emerged in Iran. It featured stylised plants and other ornament in relief against a hatched ground, originally filled with a black compound. The decoration was often arranged in bands or cartouches that matched the shape of the object. Poetic inscriptions in the elegant ‘nasta’liq’ style of Persian calligraphy were also common. Human and animal motifs, absent since before 1400, reappeared. Here the animals appear in cartouches on the body of the ewer.
Around 1550, a new type of brassware with fine, engraved decoration emerged in Iran. It featured stylised plants and other ornament in relief against a hatched ground, originally filled with a black compound. The decoration was often arranged in bands or cartouches that matched the shape of the object. Poetic inscriptions in the elegant ‘nasta’liq’ style of Persian calligraphy were also common. Human and animal motifs, absent since before 1400, reappeared. Here the animals appear in cartouches on the body of the ewer.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Brass, cast, engraved and inlaid with black composition |
| Brief description | Brass ewer, Iran (probably Isfahan), 1602. |
| Physical description | Brass, cast, engraved and inlaid with black composition. The Persian inscription invokes good luck for the owner, 'the servant of the King of Divine Friendship, Qasim', probably Qasim Beg Abdarbashi, the 'Master of Drinks'. |
| Dimensions |
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| Styles | |
| Gallery label |
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| Summary | This ewer is the earliest dated example of its kind. The rectangular opening on the handle is inscribed on one side with the date and on the other with the name of the owner, Qasim. This man may well have been Qasim Beg Abdarbashi, who was in charge of serving drinks at royal receptions at this time. Around 1550, a new type of brassware with fine, engraved decoration emerged in Iran. It featured stylised plants and other ornament in relief against a hatched ground, originally filled with a black compound. The decoration was often arranged in bands or cartouches that matched the shape of the object. Poetic inscriptions in the elegant ‘nasta’liq’ style of Persian calligraphy were also common. Human and animal motifs, absent since before 1400, reappeared. Here the animals appear in cartouches on the body of the ewer. |
| Associated object | |
| Bibliographic reference | A. S. Melikian-Chirvani, Islamic Metalwork from the Iranian World, 8-18th Centuries, London, 1982, pp. 322-26, cat. no. 147. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 458-1876 |
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| Record created | March 18, 2003 |
| Record URL |
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