Ewer with Pomegranate-shaped Thumb Rests

Ewer

The shape of this ewer is found only in the early Islamic period, mostly in Iran. Simple in shape and decoration, it has a globular body, a cylindrical neck, a partially pearled handle, and a thumb-rest in the shape of a pomegranate. The decoration has a sculptural quality since the ewer is ornamented primarily with three-dimensional forms, such as the pomegranate, the pearls on the handle, and the heart-shaped joint between the handle and the rim.

The two-dimensional decoration is austere and confined to the neck. It consists of three bands. The upper and lower ones have incised ornaments of a scrolling leaf pattern. The leaves in the lower band are in the shape of a heart and of trefoils. The upper side of the upper band and the lower side of the lower band are bordered with a barely visible incised bead pattern. In both bands the negative space is textured, a fact that may suggest that it was once inlaid with either silver or gold. The central band shows 18 facets.

Abdallah Kahil in [Walker et al. 1994]

Jacques Couêlle, Aix-en-Provence, France (until 1928; sold to Brummer); [ Brummer Gallery, Paris, 1928–32; sold to MMA]

Mexico City. Colegio de San Ildefonso. "Arte Islámico del Museo Metropolitano de Arte de Nueva York," September 30, 1994–January 8, 1995, no. 74.

Scerrato, Umberto. Metalli islamici. Testo di Umberto Scerrato. Elite : le arti e gli stili in ogni tempo e paese ; 60. Milano: fabbri, 1966. ill. fig. 12.

Baer, Eva. Metalwork in Medieval Islamic Art. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press, 1983. pp. 90–92, ill. fig. 70 (b/w).

Metropolitan Museum of Art, Daniel S. Walker, Arturo Ponce Guadián, Sussan Babaie, Stefano Carboni, Aimee Froom, Marie Lukens Swietochowski, Tomoko Masuya, Annie Christine Daskalakis-Matthews, Abdallah Kahli, and Rochelle Kessler. "Colegio de San Ildefonso, Septiembre de 1994–Enero de 1995." In Arte Islámico del Museo Metropolitano de Arte de Nueva York. Mexico City: Consejo Nacional para la Cultura y las Artes, 1994. no. 74, pp. 192–93, ill. (b/w).

Dunn-Vaturi, Anne-Elizabeth, and Martina Rugiadi. "in: The Brummer Galleries, Paris and New York. Edited by Biro, Brennan and Force." In The Brummer Gallery and the Making of Iranian and Islamic Art, edited by Yaëlle Biro, Christine Brennan, and Christel Hollevoet-Force. Brill, 2023. pp. 419, 445; ill. fig. 10.3A–B.