A TINNED COPPER BASIN
Afghanistan, 19th century

Of typical compressed globular shape, resting on a flat rounded base, with narrow shoulders and an everted circular neck, the exterior fully engraved with three overlapping decorative bands, the lowest featuring eight-pointed star cartouches filled with arabesques and rosette trellis against vegetal scrolls, and the upper two bands with calligraphy, the one around the shoulders with the names of the Twelve Shi'a Imams with special reference to the Twelfth Imam, the Mahdi, described as the Lord of Time, the one around the rim inscribed with poetic couplets about drinking water and the pleasure of quenching thirst, 17.5cm diam. and 14cm high.