Brazier

Brazier

A hexagonal brazier with finials and short legs on each side is a type known from Iran, dating back at least to Timurid (ca. 1370–1507) and perhaps Ilkhanid (1256–1353) times. The interwoven and symmetrical organization of the scrolling stems and leaves on the side panels follows a design common in Timurid objects and architecture, which can also be seen in the tile panels and stuccowork of the buildings in Bidar. In addition, the dragon heads along the legs of this object are part of a shared decorative vocabulary and would be seen on later Deccani metalwork, such as the beggars’ bowls (kashkuls) and standards (‘alams) produced in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. The object’s provenance connect it to Hyderabad, lending weight to its Deccani attribution.[1

Marika Sardar in [Haidar and Sardar 2015]

Footnotes:

1. Thanks are due to Terence McInerney for this information.

Wilfred Blunt, England (ca. 1930s–d. 1986); Howard Hodgkin (British), England (until 1987); [ Terence McInerney, New York, until 1988; sold to MMA]

New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "The Art of the Deccani Sultans," March 21–August 25, 1996.

New York. The Hagop Kevorkian Special Exhibitions Gallery, The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Courtly Radiance: Metalwork from Islamic India," September 25, 2001–May 5, 2002, no catalogue.

New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Sultans of Deccan India, 1500–1700: Opulence and Fantasy," April 20–July 26, 2015, no. 6.

Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin vol. 47, no. 2 (1988–1989). p. 11, ill. (b/w).

Zebrowski, Mark. Gold, Silver and Bronze from Mughal India. London: Laurence King Publishers, 1997. pp. 121–22, ill. pl. 142 (b/w).

Haidar, Navina, and Marika Sardar. "Opulence and Fantasy." In Sultans of Deccan India 1500–1700. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2015. no. 6, p. 41, ill. (color).