Small bucket

This artefact was probably taken from the mosque of the Granada Alhambra, when the Christians re-conquered the city in 1492. It then found its way into the collection of Cardinal Cisneros. After the Cardinal’s death in Alcala de Henares, this pail was found in his Palace along with other objects mentioned in his will. This object has been in the collection of the Museo Arqueológico Nacional in Madrid since the 30 May 1868. Before this date, it was kept at the Academia de Bellas Artes in San Fernando.

The mouth of this container, which is in the shape of an inverted truncated cone, is slightly deformed, probably due to wear and tear. A handle is attached to the lip by two rings. The upper part of the handle forms a loop, to which another ring is fixed.

The engraving was done using two different burins, one of which had a sharp point and the other a wider, more obtuse point. The exterior surface is completely covered by decoration, which is divided into several horizontal sections. The uppermost section forms an epigraphic frieze, embellished with fine, floral decoration on a matte background. The second and the fourth bands, which are also rather narrow, show two fine, interlaced branches with small double flowers. The central band is framed by two smooth ribbons, each decorated with four plaques of different shape – two circular and two wide, curvilinear oblongs – which are each joined by a knot.

The circular medallions show a six-pointed star, surrounded by a rosette made up of very fine branches, with tiny leaves and spirals finishing in a corolla of double palm leaves. The lobed medallion contains two lines of cursive script on a finely hatched background, interwoven with an irregular leafed branch. Between the plaques we find a similar type of floral decoration using the same elements: spirals, three-lobed leaves, where the central lobe is longer and often ends in a hook as well as leaves with three long, narrow lobes.

The delicacy and richness of the decoration as well as the skill used in its application, leads researchers to believe that this piece was made in the Nasrid royal workshops for use in the Alhambra. The floral motifs and the cursive style of the inscriptions are characteristic of the “second” period of Nasrid art as defined by A. Fernadez-Puertas, during the reign of the sultan Isma’il and his son Yusef I (r. 1333 – 1354).

This Pail is different in its shape and decorative style from other similar objects found in al-Andalus, which are much older, dating from the Umayyad period. The other objects are cylindrical in shape, with a bell shaped lower section and inscriptions in Kufic script.[1] The cursive script and the ornamentation decorating this pail are much closer to Oriental Seljuq style productions. This type of decoration is proof of the influence of the Orient within the refined circles of the court.