Brass basin, 1247–1249

This brass basin with silver inlay was made in Damascus in the middle of the 13th century during the reign of the last Ayyubid Sultan, Al-Salih Ayyub (1205–1249). The combination of Islamic and Christian motives is particularly striking.

Basin, brass with silver inlay, Damascus, 1247–1249, 22.5 x 50 x 50 cm, unknown artist; source: © Freer Gallery of Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., Inv: F1955.10, educational and non-commercial re-use.