Bowl, 12th–13th century; Ghaznavid
Afghanistan
High tin bronze, cast, hammered, chased, punched, and engraved; H. 7 1/6 in. (18 cm), Diam. 1 9/16 in. (4 cm)
Louis E. and Theresa S. Seley Purchase Fund for Islamic Art and Rogers Fund, 2000 (2000.57)
Technical Glossary
Afghanistan
High tin bronze, cast, hammered, chased, punched, and engraved; H. 7 1/6 in. (18 cm), Diam. 1 9/16 in. (4 cm)
Louis E. and Theresa S. Seley Purchase Fund for Islamic Art and Rogers Fund, 2000 (2000.57)
Metal objects produced during Ghaznavid rule in what is now Afghanistan often contain a high percentage of tin, hence their definition as "high-tin bronzes." Although this type of bronze is difficult to manipulate due to its hardness, it was favored because of its likeness to silver. The design on this bowl, with its bold central six-pointed star and pseudo-vegetal elements all around, is especially successful and refined.
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Related Index Terms
Geography/Place
Material and Technique
- • Metalwork, Bronze
- • Metalwork, Bronze, West Asia
- • Vessel, Shallow (Platter, Plate, Basin, Bowl)
- • Vessel, Shallow, Central and North Asia
