Zoomorphic Pot

This bronze pot, in the shape of an animal, consists of parts made separately and put together afterwards. The technical details point out a high level of professionalism. The main part consists of an oval container, which is complemented by a long, faceted neck. A wide handle is attached to the body from the middle of the shoulder and is connected to the lid with a fastener so that it could be opened when turned backwards. The diameter of the lid equals that of the neck in order to rest smoothly on the latter. The pot has got three foots, each made of two faceted parts.

The animal cannot be identified with certainty (possibly a camel or horse). The head has two elegantly shaped ears. The legs are relatively high in order to place the pot in a brazier for keeping its content hot. The liquid is poured from the pot through the mouth of the animal. There is a small hole on top of the head between the ears to facilitate pouring the liquid.  A similar pot has been found in Al-Fudayn (Jordan), also from the Umayyad period. Another one, with three “legs”, a faceted body and a long, strait spout is in The Museum of Islamic Art, Berlin[1].

This pot belongs to a group of objects found at Umm Al-Walid, located about 15 km East from Madaba. Different cultural phases are attested at the site, beginning with the Bronze Age. From the Umayyad period a number of structures were uncovered including a mosque and palaces, notably the Eastern Palace and the Khan al-Zabib. These were dated to the Umayyad and beginning of the Abbasid periods. The palaces contained a number of units, which were interpreted as family houses. It is possible that in these palaces families connected together with tribal ties dwelt.

The collection of metal objects − censer, scales, a cooking pot, a mortar and pestle… − was found in one of the rooms of a domestic unit in the southeastern corner of the central Eastern Palace. There are 50 pieces including a group of complete decorated Umayyad vessels and objects of ivory and steatite. The position of the objects along the wall of room under a fill of collapsed stones indicates that the objects were in their original position. It is suggested that the inhabitants were taken by surprise by an earthquake hitting the area. As a result the people deserted the site.

All pieces, including the pot, were manufactured of copper and lead alloy, which would facilitate the casting process. The diversity of techniques indicated that the some of the objects were possibly manufactured at the site or nearby. In this respect one should point to a waster, which represents a lid similar to another one found at the site (see above).

Zoomorphic objects are common in Islamic culture, from the beginning of the caliphate. A few bronze animals have been preserved from the Umayyad period, like a rooster[2] or an eagle. A group of ewers from the same period presents a spout in the shape of a rooster[3]. This production continues afterwards in Umayyad Spain (756-1031), with some fountain’s apertures in the shape of a deer, in Fatimid Egypt (969-1171) with some little statuettes of lion[4], goat, or hare, but also in Seljuk Iran (1038-1194) with incense burners in the shape of a feline for example[5]. The most stunning creation of this type may be the big griffin from the eleventh – twelfth c., maybe made in Spain, which had been put on the roof of the Pisa cathedral.

In medieval Europe, particularly between the eleventh and sixteenth c., lots of bronze aquamaniles have been produced, among which many were in the shape of animals, real or fantastic: lions, horses, birds, dragons or unicorns[6]