Ewer8th-9th century

On view:

Geffen Galleries

Title: Ewer
Place Made: Possibly Egypt
Date Made: 8th-9th century
Medium: Bronze
Dimensions: Height: 10 in. (25.40 cm)
Credit Line: The Madina Collection of Islamic Art, gift of Camilla Chandler Frost
Accession Number: M.2002.1.9
Classification: Metal
Collecting Area: Art of the Middle East: Islamic
Curatorial Notes: Ewers such as this one were known throughout the Mediterranean region and Iran, testifying to the common forms shared across the newly established Islamic empire. The fine craftsmanship and significant material value of this bronze ewer mark it as luxury ware. The curving S-shaped handle is decorated with an animal-shaped thumb rest that is most likely a baboon, perhaps descended from those imported to and venerated in pharaonic Egypt. Animals of this type shown in profile also appear on Egyptian textiles from this period (see M.2002.1.718).

2024
Selected Bibliography: Lo Terrenal y lo Divino: Arte Islámico siglos VII al XIX Colección del Museo de Arte del Condado de Los Ángeles. Santiago: Centro Cultural La Moneda, 2015.
Komaroff, Linda. Beauty and Identity: Islamic Art from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 2016.
Markel, Stephen. Mughal and Early Modern Metalware from South Asia at LACMA: An Online Scholarly Catalogue. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 2020. https://archive.org/details/mughal-metalware (accessed September 7, 2021).

Related Unframed

On view:

Geffen Galleries

Title: Ewer
Place Made: Possibly Egypt
Date Made: 8th-9th century
Medium: Bronze
Dimensions: Height: 10 in. (25.40 cm)
Credit Line: The Madina Collection of Islamic Art, gift of Camilla Chandler Frost
Accession Number: M.2002.1.9
Classification: Metal
Collecting Area: Art of the Middle East: Islamic
Curatorial Notes: Ewers such as this one were known throughout the Mediterranean region and Iran, testifying to the common forms shared across the newly established Islamic empire. The fine craftsmanship and significant material value of this bronze ewer mark it as luxury ware. The curving S-shaped handle is decorated with an animal-shaped thumb rest that is most likely a baboon, perhaps descended from those imported to and venerated in pharaonic Egypt. Animals of this type shown in profile also appear on Egyptian textiles from this period (see M.2002.1.718).

2024
Selected Bibliography: Lo Terrenal y lo Divino: Arte Islámico siglos VII al XIX Colección del Museo de Arte del Condado de Los Ángeles. Santiago: Centro Cultural La Moneda, 2015.
Komaroff, Linda. Beauty and Identity: Islamic Art from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 2016.
Markel, Stephen. Mughal and Early Modern Metalware from South Asia at LACMA: An Online Scholarly Catalogue. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 2020. https://archive.org/details/mughal-metalware (accessed September 7, 2021).