Aquamanile in the Form of a Cow with its Calf

Ali ibn Muhhamad ibn Abu'l-Qasim an-naqqash

1206 AD

Bronze, silver H 35 cm

This aquamanile in the form of a cow with its calf, being attacked by a lion, is the latest known example of a Persian vessel in animal form. The surface of this splendid composition was once richly decorated with silver inlay. The creation of such a complex design was a great achievement on the part of the craftsman who, in a Persian inscription, emphasized that he had cast this group as a single piece. The decoration on this aquamanile proves the object to be a Khorosan article of the pre-Islamic period.