SIGNED BY MAHMUD [AL-KURDI], PROBABLY MAMLUK SYRIA, EARLY 16TH CENTURY

This rare ewer is by one of the only four craftsmen known to have signed "Vento-Saracenic" brass vessels: Mahmud al-Kurdi, Zain al-Din, Muhammad b. 'Ali b. Husayn, and Muhammad Badr. While there are various differences between the work of the four, all share certain features, notably inlay which is almost invariably linear, thereby forming compartments of scrolling or interlace designs. James Allan has shown convincingly that the structure of these designs relates closely to Mamluk illumination of the first half of the fifteenth century (Allan, James W.: Metalwork of the Islamic World, the Aron Collection, London, 1986, p.55). By far the largest number of items which have survived in this style are bowls, some at least of which appear to have been covered. Ewers are rare and differ somewhat in form. Two very different examples are in the Victoria and Albert Museum (Allan, op.cit., fig 49, p.58) while the other is in the Poldi Pezzoli Museum, Milan (Melikian-Chrivani, A.S.: "Venise, entre l-orient et l'occident", Bulletin des etudes orientales, 1974, pl.V, fig.12).