Ewer (aquamanile) in the form of an ox. Fritware painted in black and blue under a clear glaze

In Iran, vessels shaped like oxen have a history that predates Islam. Not least during the period from approximately 1150 to 1250, they were popular in both Iran and in Syria, as were figures of other animals and humans.¹ With its prominent pouring spout forming the ox’s muzzle, the filler spout on its back and the small handle, there is no doubt about this ewer’s function, while the practical usage of other figures can be more difficult to determine.

Decorations of this specific type are generally made in lustre and often in the so-called Kashan style, where the main motifs are painted in reserve against the lustre background, its effect further subdued by the engraving of small spirals and other squiggles.². Unusually, this style is here transferred to an underglaze decoration in black and blue.

Typically, the painted embellishments are unnaturalistic or foreign to the animal they adorn. While this ox has eyes and the hint of a tail, its fur has been replaced by spirals, small birds, various borders, geometric shapes and scribbles, as well as a wide border with a Persian inscription. It contains a verse from a poem by Omar Khayyam (1048–1131) that can be translated as: ‘O, if only there were occasion for repose’.
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