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Ewer

ca. 1180–1210
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 453
This ewer comes from a group of silver-inlaid brass vessels of similar shape and size decorated with a variety of imagery. While most of the examples have fluted sides and repoussé lions on their neck, the crowned harpies on the shoulder of this piece and the astrological imagery on its body heighten the auspiciousness of its ornament. Set in medallions of twisting vines terminating in rabbits’ heads, each zodiac sign appears with its ruling planet, enhancing its cosmic message.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Ewer
  • Date: ca. 1180–1210
  • Geography: Attributed to Iran or Afghanistan, Khurasan or Herat
  • Medium: Brass; raised, repoussé, inlaid with silver and a black compound
  • Dimensions: H. 15 3/4 in. (40 cm)
    Diam. 7 1/2 in. (19.1 cm)
  • Classification: Metal
  • Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1944
  • Object Number: 44.15
  • Curatorial Department: Islamic Art

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Ja`far ibn Muhammad ibn `Ali
dated 577 AH/1181–82 CE
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Pierced Jug with Harpies and Sphinxes
dated 612 AH/1215–16 CE
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Folio from a Qur'an Manuscript
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Folio from a Mu'nis al-ahrar fi daqa'iq al-ash'ar (The Free Man's Companion to the Subtleties of Poems) of Jajarmi, Muhammad ibn Badr al-Din Jajarmi Iranian, Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper
Folio from a Mu'nis al-ahrar fi daqa'iq al-ash'ar (The Free Man's Companion to the Subtleties of Poems) of Jajarmi
Muhammad ibn Badr al-Din Jajarmi
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