Bucket

Object Details

• Label

  This large bucket belongs to a group of inlaid metalware that has been the subject of considerable scholarly debate. Most of the vessels are notable for their intricately layered surface decoration combining both the engraving and inlay techniques. In the past, these vessels have been attributed to Muslim craftsmen working in mid-sixteenth-century Venice. Recent scholarship has convincingly argued against a Venetian origin, proposing that they were produced in Syria in the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries. Made primarily for export, some of the vessels carry European coats of arms, while others are listed in European inventories. Moreover, in the sixteenth century, Venetian metalworkers began to produce their own versions of this type of ware, a testament to its persistent popularity in Europe.

• Collection

  Freer Gallery of Art Collection

• Exhibition History

  Engaging the Senses (October 14, 2017 - ongoing)

  Arts of the Islamic World (May 3, 1998 to January 3, 2016)

  Islamic Metalwork in the Freer Gallery of Art (September 27, 1985 to November 17, 1986)

  Art of the Mamluks (May 14, 1981 to May 25, 1982)

  Art of the Arab World (May 8, 1975 to August 20, 1977)

  Near Eastern Art (June 15, 1973 to May 7, 1975)

  2500 Years of Persian Art—Paintings, Metalwork (February 10, 1972 to June 15, 1973)

  Near Eastern Art—Paintings, Metalwork (August 18, 1967 to February 10, 1972)

  Untitled Exhibition, Islamic Manuscripts, 1955 (April 12, 1955 to December 16, 1955)

  Untitled Exhibition, Islamic Manuscripts, 1947 (October 6, 1947 to February 25, 1956)

• Origin

  Venice, Italy

• Credit Line

  Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment

• Type

  Vessel

• On View

  Freer Gallery 04: Engaging the Senses

• Restrictions and Rights

  Usage Conditions Apply

  There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page.

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Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1530s, 1560s

• Place

  Italy, Venice

• Topic

  Bronze, Art, Inlay (process), Mamluk period (1250 - 1517), Arts of the Islamic World, Engraving (incising), Metal-work

• Culture

  Muslims

• Object Type

  Vessels (containers)

• On View

  Yes