A PAIR OF CARVED BONE COSMETIC BOTTLES
Possibly Al-Andalus, Nasrid Spain and Egypt, 12th - 14th century

Comprising a small bottle, used for kohl or perfumed ointments, of tapering, uneven rectangular shape, resting on four short bracket feet, rising to a tall, conical neck with a gently everted rim, the exterior carved with two bands of beaded 'eye' motif on each side, and several concentric lines around the neck, with a charming natural two-tone pigmentation of cream and purple red, the interior hollow, 9.9cm high; and another of similar shape, resting on stepped bracket feet, each side of the exterior carved with parallel rows of pronounced beaded 'eye' motif, the interior hollow, 8cm high.

Provenance (two-tone bottle): Chiswick Auctions, 29 October 2021, lot 303.

The beaded 'eye' motif is one of the oldest designs present on early Islamic carved bone and ivory pieces, used both to play chess and to contain cosmetic products like kohl. The motif made its appearance as early as the 8th century, as testified by a series of chess and gaming pieces in the al-Sabah Collection (Deborah Freeman Fahid, Chess and other Games Pieces from Islamic Lands, 2018, cats. 11, 22, and 36).