Bobrinski Bucket

[1] The bucket’s height is a mere 18.5 cm and consists of a rounded body with a rim and heightened base, and a handle in the shape of real and mythological creatures.

The body of the bucket features seven horizontal bands of inlaid decorations, including the rim, consisting of inscription and iconography.

[2] The bucket is named after its former owner, Count Aleksei Bobrinsky (1852–1927) and now resides in the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia.

[3] The Bobrinski Bucket is a prominent example of the inlay technique developed in twelfth century Herat.

The division of labor between the caster and decorator of the bucket follows a trend commonly observed in Persian art of the time.

[6] It also describes the person who ordered the bucket, ‘Abd al Rahmān ibn ‘Abdallāh al-Rashīdi, and the person who the bucket was made for, who the inscription refers to as “the eminent hajji Rukn ad-din, the glorious of merchants, the Muslims trusted man, an ornament to the hajj and both holy places Rashid ad-Din Azizi ibn al-Husayn az-Zanjani, may his fame endure”.

From the top down, starting with the handle and ending at the bottommost band, the Bobrinski bucket is filled with iconography.

Kana‘an uses her extensive study of the legal writings of Muslim jurists to better understand the production and patronage of Islamic metalware.