Ewer, Signed by Ibn Yazid

 

 

 

 

Ewer, Signed by Ibn Yazid
 

• Date: 688/689 or 783/784 or 882/883
• Geography: Made in Iraq
• Medium: Copper alloy,cast
• Dimensions: 25 11/16 x 12 11/16 x 18 9/16 in.,22.707lb.
• (65.2 x 32.2 x 47.2 cm, 10.3 kg)
• Classification: Metalwork
• Credit Line: Georgian National Museum, Tbilisi
• This artwork is part of Byzantium and Islam: Age of Transition

 

     This metal ewer is made in Byzantium and Islam era (lateeighth or ninth century date) because of the ewer’s heavy form and the facet on the ewer’s body.  It is a daily object, but it turns into a graceful artwork. It is little hard to see, but you can find some arabesques(that we learned from Islamic Art ) in Kufic around the rim. It gives an identifies about whose artwork it is. At this point, I would like to borrow a quotation from Metropolitan Museum of Art, “Blessing to he who fashionaed it, Ibn Yazid, part of what was made at Barsa in the year sixty-nine.”  The vessel  is composed of a pear-shaped body, long neck, high-flaring foot and a palmette-shaped handle, and those are related to post-Sasanian metal work.  I love this artwork. How sophisticated!  It is also have a nice flow on the ewer’s body. A grip is specially impressive to me. The bottom part of a handle looks like a dove(bird)in flight. The part of top  looks like a leaf, but it also seems still connected to the dove. So it seems the dove finally spreads her wings briskly. I think this ewer represents the juice of life. That means water is essential for life. Maybe the design on ewer expresses what it is in inside. This art piece make me  give full play to my imagination.

 

 

*Reference: Metropolitan Meseum of Art *

http://metmuseum.org/exhibitions/view?exhibitionId=%7B60853040-AE7E-4162-8FA7-525505D6B633%7D&oid=478981&pg=22&rpp=10&pos=218&ft=*