Ewer with Christian and Islamic Imagery

This pyriform ewer has a tall neck, emphasised by three rings and a slightly rounded lid, with a curved handle and a tubular, straight, ringed pouring spout. Its decorative script, the interlinked T motifs and the small quatrefoils which decorate the body, call to mind the style of al-Dhakî, the copperware manufacturer from Mosul[1]. The votive inscriptions are numerous, on the spout and on the neck; those on the base and on the body are indecipherable.

When looking at these conventional inscriptions, the decoration is striking for its hybrid character. It juxtaposes the princely themes which take their inspiration for the most part from the Shâhnâmeh (Epic of Kings), with a fairly austere Christian imagery. In the four multifoiled medallions which give rhythm to the lower part, figure Bahrâm Gûr and Azadeh, a horseman with falcon, Rustâm, two men confronting each other on an elephant’s palanquin. Around, there are small quatrefoils which contain courtiers; on the upper part of the body are Christian subjects, treated in hieratical style. The Virgin carrying Jesus, surrounded by angels and apostles can be seen. On a smaller scale, figures clothed in the manner of Christians from the East, ornament the ten lobes which encircle the base of the neck.

In the Arabian Near-East, metals with inlaid decoration developed under the Ayyubids (1174-1260); high quality works which were destined for Sultans and dignitaries. This technique, which turned metal into a new pictorial space, came after that of Fatimid cast and engraved bronze. It only appeared fairly late under the Ayyubids[2], in the production centres between Northern Iraq and Syria: Mosul, in Jazirah, then Damascus and Aleppo; Cairo undoubtedly a little later.  It was completely different in eastern Iran, where the technique of bronze inlay was used as early as the 12th century, notably at Herat[3]. Its adoption in Ayyubid territory is perhaps due to the attentive study of Khurasani works which came via the trade routes, or to the intervention of the Iranian bronze workers who were expelled by the Mongol invasions.

An important staging post in this migration towards the West was undoubtedly Mosul[4]. These bronze workers, according to the geographer Ibn Sa’id, went to Syria, Egypt, Anatolia and Iran. The nisba « al-Mawsilî » (from Mosul), figures on several inlaid metal pieces, such as the famous ewer belonging to the Duke of Blacas[5] and on a candlestick dated 1249, decorated with Christian imagery[6].

As for the mixture of courtly and Christian images, this is not exceptional. As with enamelled glasses, the Ayyubid bronzes were often decorated with Christian themes and, in this way, reflect the diversity of the religious communities living in the Near-East[7].

This cohabitation of cultures, thus translated into the realm of the arts, is characteristic of the world of the Muslim Mediterranean. Through their figurative richness, certain pieces, such as the gourd in the Freer Gallery of Art in Washington, recreate for us the mood of near-eastern Christianity at the time of the Crusades. For, these images, similar to Syrian manuscript illustrations, are serene and speak of “good news”, in the very sense of the word Evangel (bishâra). They recall the happier episodes in the life of Christ, whilst avoiding the evocation of the Passion.[8] Thus we encounter the Epiphany, the Introduction in the Temple, the Baptism, the Wedding at Cana and the Entry into Jerusalem. Through this serene imagery can be understood the need that everyone must feel, for divine protection and happiness.

[2] Not before the reign of al-Kâmil, (1218-1238), it seems.

[3] A famous « herati » work, the ‘Bobrinski’ bucket in the Hermitage Museum (St Petersburg), entirely inlaid with slivers of silver and red copper, has in its decoration the names of the sponsor, the copper worker, the engraver and the date 1163.

[4] The town, under the governorship of the Zangide Badr al-Dîn Lu’lu’ (1210-1259), knew a long period of prosperity which would be very profitable for the high quality metal manufacturers.

[5]Signed by  Shuja’ ibn Man’a  and dated 1232 (British Museum).

[6] Signed by  Dâwud ibn Salâmah (Louvre, Decorative Arts Depository).

[7] Around eighteen pieces of metalwork adorned with  Christian images are known to us, signifying the political importance that these communities represented at the time of the Crusades. The tray in the Louvre (MAO 360), or the « Arenberg » in the Freer Gallery of Art (Washington), are dedicated to the Sultan of Egypt al-Salîh Najm al-Dîn Ayyûb (1239-1249). Other pieces  were perhaps destined for the great merchants or for the Frankish states and their princes. During the Sixth Crusade (1228-1229), al-Kâmil sent numerous presents to Emperor Frederic II.  We must also remember that at the end of the Ayyubid reign, embassies were sent to the Mongol lords whose wives were Nestorian.

[8] Islam does not recognize the reality of the crucifixion of Christ.