Pakistan (ancient region of Gandhara) or Central Asia / Ritual basin / 7th?9th centuryPakistan (ancient region of Gandhara) or Central Asia
Ritual basin
7th?9th century

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Creator Nationality: Asian; Indian Sub-Continent; Pakistani; Gandharan
Creator Dates/Places: Pakistan (ancient region of Gandhara) or Central Asia
Creator Name-CRT: Pakistan (ancient region of Gandhara) or Central Asia
Title: Ritual basin
View: Principal view
Creation Start Date: 600
Creation End Date: 899
Creation Date: 7th?9th century
Object Type: Decorative Arts and Utilitarian Objects
Materials and Techniques: bronze
Dimensions: Diam. 7 11/16 in. (19.5 cm)
Description:

This unique basin has a flat bottom decorated with a lotus flower, and perpendicular sides with a frieze of two dragons attacking a boy. The youth, whose lower right leg is gripped in the mouth of one of the dragons, is falling backwards. In one hand, he clutches the horn of an antelope who lies below him; with the other, he holds a lotus stalk whose flower is pressed to his nostrils. He wears a diaphanous pleated garment with a heavy collar, and his hair is tied back with a ribbon whose ends fall behind his neck. The dragons are composite animals with horns, wings, and lithe , segmented anatomies. Their bodies sprout vegetation, and their haunches are emblazoned with palmettes.

The dragons are comparable to images of mythological animals on post-Sasanian metal vessels, particularly one on a ewer in the State Hermitage Museum, Leningrad. With the beast on the Hermitage ewer, they share horns, wings, elongated body, haunches with palmettes, and foliate elaboration of tails, beards, cockades, and genitals. The scrolling vegetal motifs seem to be related to the decoration on Gupta-period box lids, in which, however, the palmette is never depicted. The appearance of the palmette and the particular shape of the basin, which is related to early Islamic vessels, suggest a date in the seventh to ninth century, contemporaneous with Islamic examples.


AMICA Contributor: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Owner Location: New York, New York
ID Number: 1987.218.6
Credit Line: Purchase, The Dillon Fund Gift, 1987
Copyright: Copyright ? 2002 The Metropolitan Museum of Art . All rights reserved.
Rights: http://www.metmuseum.org/education/er_photo_lib.asp
AMICA ID: MMA_.1987.218.6
AMICA Library Year: 2002
Media Metadata Rights: Copyright (c) 2002 The Metropolitan Museum of Art. All Rights Reserved

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