User:Nzingal/Bobrinski Bucket

***Note to peer reviewer: This sandbox contains additions to the existing Wikipedia article: Bobrinski Bucket

The Bobrinski Bucket is a 12th-century bronze bucket originally manufactured for a merchant in Herat in 1163 out of bronze with copper and silver inlaid decorations. The bucket is 18.5 cm tall. It provides one of the earliest examples of Persian anthropomorphic calligraphy. It is named after a former owner, Count Bobrinsky, and is now in the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg.

Circumstances of Patronage
The bucket is an early example of the metal inlay technique as well as evidence of an emerging wealthy middle class during the time of its creation. The vessel was created in the time of the Sejuk Empire. The handle dates it to the year 559 AH and the month of Muharram. Like other similar works of the time it would have been made in a workshop with several artists contributing to its production. The handle, body, and foot of the bucket were cast separately and put together. The inscription around the rim, which starts in Persian and ends in Arabic, identifies who was involved in its creation and their role. It was ordered by ʿAbd al-Rahmān ibn ʿAbdallāh al-Rashīdi, cast by by Muhammed ibn ʿAbd al-Wāhid and decorated by Masʿūd ibn Ahmad. The exact use of the bucket is unclear but the amount of wear points to it being used regularly as well as greatly valued by the owner.

Inscription and Decoration
The decoration of the bucket is done with copper and silver inlay. In this process patterns are created by embedding a different material onto the surface of the object. The bucket features alternating bands of calligraphy and pictorial scenes. The inscriptions, written in Arabic, are of general well wishes. In the pictorial scenes there is no visual hierarchy. The figures within each band are of the same size and detail. The first register is an inscription in anthropomorphic Naskh script with the tops of the letters having a human form. The second register shows pictorial scenes of entertainment, followed by a band of inscription in interlaced Kufic script. Following that are depictions of men on horseback, playing polo and hunting. In the next band of inscription animals are interwoven in the calligraphy "as if these letters were trees in a wood". The last band shows hares, antelopes and dogs running in file.