Rosewater sprinkler, embossed, engraved, and punched brass, inlaid with copper and silver
Afghanistan, Herat; 2nd half of 12th century
H: 15.3 cm
This rosewater sprinkler belongs to a group of brassware from the Islamic world that has sculpturally shaped motifs as its most distinctive decorative element.
The most monumental pieces are a group of large candlesticks, of which the museum owns quite a simple example. But despite their size, they are surpassed by this masterfully executed bottle when it comes to decoration. Ten lions and six birds were embossed in incredibly high relief and furthermore engraved and punched. In between them are various types of interwoven bands inlaid with silver, along with rosettes of silver and copper.
Inv. no. 15/1991
Published in:
Kjeld von Folsach, Torben Lundbæk and Peder Mortensen (eds.): Sultan, Shah and Great Mughal: the history and culture of the Islamic world, The National Museum, Copenhagen 1996, cat.no. 138;
Kjeld von Folsach: Art from the World of Islam in The David Collection, Copenhagen 2001, cat.no. 494;
Sheila S. Blair and Jonathan M. Bloom (eds.): Cosmophilia. Islamic Art from the David Collection, Copenhagen, McMullen Museum of Art, Boston College, Boston 2006, cat.no. 17;
Jonathan Bloom and Sheila Blair (eds.): And diverse are their hues: color in Islamic art and culture, New Haven 2011, p. 10, fig. 7;
Sheila p. Blair: Text and image in Medieval Persian art, Edinburgh 2014, pp. 57-111;
Joachim Meyer: Sensual Delights: Incense Burners and Rosewater Sprinklers from the World of Islam, The David Collection, Copenhagen 2015, cat.no. 16;
Elizabeth C. Kelly: Zoomorphic incense burners of Medieval Khurasan: a study of Islamic metalwork, Oxford 2024, fig. 6.24C;
