Metalwork Bucket

This bucket has a European form but its decoration is Islamic and of the highest quality.
Delicate contrasts of knots, cross-hatchings and curved forms (arabesques) recall pieces made, specially for Venetian patrons, by Zain al-Din, one of the few known Islamic craftsmen of the period. The handle is a later addition.

Bucket of engraved brass with silver inlay, the decoration continuing over the base, 1475-1550. ©The Samuel Courtauld Trust, The Courtauld Gallery, London