12/ Bobrinsky Bucket’
1163
Brass with silver and copper inlay cast
By Muhammad ibn Abd ai-wahid
And decorated by Masud lbn Ahmad
Hermitage . St Petersburg
The presence of a nouveau- rich ‘ mercantile bourgeoisie ‘ whose demand for articles of a type
Different from those commonly called for at court compelled craftsmen to invent many novel classes of object. An exceptional example of the resulting output is the “Bobrinsky Bucker” created in Herat in 1163 as a gift from a merchant not above dubbing himself “ pillar of the state.” “pride of traders”
And even “ ornament of the hajii and the two sanctuaries .”in all probability it was a ceremonial piece, destined in copper and silver inlay alternates archways, epigraphy in various scripts (with splendid anthropomorphic terminations showing men engaged in combat) with phrases of well-wishing and scenes of figyres at a banquet, men playing games, and horsemen at the hurt and in battle.