Description:

A SAFAVI

Lot 137. A SAFAVID TINNED-COPPER BOWL
Western Iran, Late 16th–Early 17th Century

Hammered and engraved from copper with a silvery tin coating, the hemispherical bowl stands on a low flared foot and is decorated throughout with finely detailed arabesque scrollwork and paired palmette motifs within lobed cartouches. A broad band of naskh calligraphy encircles the exterior below the rim, the letters deeply and precisely engraved, bordered above and below by narrow interlace bands. The interior is richly ornamented with a large central rosette radiating lobed panels filled with scrolling vegetal designs, all evenly arranged to form a symmetrical star pattern. The surface shows a soft grey patina with areas of faint green oxidation at the base and rim.

The underside reveals the reddish tone of the copper body, with remnants of tinning and a circular recess at the foot. The engraved decoration continues around the outer base, combining repeating palmette motifs with a narrow frieze of geometric ornament.

Bowls of this type were produced in western Iran during the Safavid period for use in domestic and ceremonial contexts, valued for both their durable metal composition and the intricacy of their engraved designs, which reflect the technical and aesthetic standards of Isfahan metalworking of the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries.

D TINNED-COPPER BOWL WESTERN IRAN, LATE 16TH/EARLY 17TH CENTURY

Diameter: 32cm

Height: 15cm

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November 4, 2025 1:00 PM GMT
London, United Kingdom

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