This endearing vessel takes the form of a rotund camel on stout legs. The pinched spout cleverly alludes to the shape of the dromedary’s head, complete with pointed ears and a round snout. Two round openings at the top for filling the vessel loosely echo the shape of a modern saddle, typically constructed with pads extending upwards on either side of the hump(s), though they may also allude to vessels strapped to the camel as their load. The applied ornament mimics the harnesses that would secure the whole ensemble to a live animal. Further engaging the natural qualities of clay, the color and texture of the unglazed surface to this vessel makes a fitting reference to the velvety coat of a camel. A small rounded handle at the top, resembling the camel’s hump, allows the user to delicately pour the vessel. This zoomorphic work showcases how a ceramicist could skillfully transform a utilitarian object into a playful allusion to their everyday world, while highlighting the versatility of bare earthenware.

Beloved by artists and consumers alike, the camel made an ideal choice for a design with broad-ranging appeal. After all, camels constituted an essential part of early Islamic society, particularly as pack animals in the caravan trade across western Asia and northern Africa. Poetry composed across the Arabian Peninsula from Pre-Islamic times well into the Umayyad and early Abbasid period celebrated these animals in verse descriptions. A significant subset of panegyric odes extensively praised the many physical attributes of camels, recognizing their strength and resilience in long journeys across rugged terrains. Perhaps responding to these lauded associations, this work’s ceramicist played upon the camel’s best-known attribute: their ability to drink an impressive amount of water (roughly 28-30 gallons in a session), and conserve it for days, if not weeks, on end.

Yet unlike the spry creatures in the camel verses of Arabic odes, this pot-bellied vessel complemented a life of sedentary leisure and luxury, making a humorous juxtaposition to its literary incarnations. Its shape and size likely paired well with the intended contents of such a vessel. It potentially acted as small drink ewer for something like water or fruit juice mixed with water. The porosity of unglazed clay would keep liquids cool, but still allowed for evaporation, which would not suit more precious liquids, like oil or perfume. The camel and related quadrupeds also became popular forms in the designs of glassmakers from the same period, offering a veritable menagerie of options for a consumer to choose.