Object size: 11.5 x 9.8 x 9.8 cm
This is a type of drinking vessel called 'mashrabah' - a distinctively Timurid form of pot-bellied shape and curved handle, which popular during the 15th century. Mashrabahs were produced in a variety of materials. Metal mashrabahs have survived in abundance, making ceramic versions like this much rarer. The handle of this vessel appears to mimic the dragon-shaped handle found mostly on metal examples. The Timurid dynasty, a Turco-Mongol dynasty descended from its founder, Timur (Tamerlane), flourished in the 15th and 16th centuries. This period is often attributed with the revival of artistic and intellectual life in Iran and Central Asia. The Timurid period saw the intensification of interactions between Chinese and Central Asian artisans, due in part to the vast territories that the Timurids would come to rule. These territories spanned a vast geography which includes present-day Iran, Central Asia and the Caucasus as well as parts of India, Syria and Anatolia.
