Blacas ewer

The Blacas ewer is a brass ewer, inlaid with silver and copper, made by an esteemed man, Shuja' ibn Man'a al-Mawsili in Mosul in April or May 1232 (Rajab, 629 AH).^[1] One of the most important and well-known pieces of metalwork from Mosul, it was likely commissioned for Badr al-Din Lu'lu', who was already the de facto ruler of Mosul when the ewer was made and who officially became ruler one year later.^[1] Until 1997, the Blacas ewer was the only known piece of metalwork with an inscription explicitly saying it was made in Mosul.^{[2]: 12  : 23} Because of this inscription, it forms one of the core items of the contested "Mosul School" of metalwork, since its Mosuli provenance is undisputed.^{[2]: 23, 30}

The Blacas ewer is the only known work by Shuja' ibn Man'a.^[2]: 23 It formed the part of the personal collection of the French antiquarian Pierre Louis Jean Casimir de Blacas, which was published in 1828.^[2]: 12 It is now on display at the British Museum in London, which has owned it since 1866.^[1]

The Blacas Ewer is missing its foot and spout, but it doesn’t take away from the beautiful designs, structure, and origins of the ewer. It is decorated with a geometric fretwork background punctuated by several small and large multi-lobed medallions.^[1] Inside the medallions are figural scenes depicting a wide variety of courtly activities: hunting, sports, and feasts with music and dance.^[1] There are also literary scenes, such as a depiction of Bahram Gur hunting on camelback while Azadeh plays the harp by his side—a story from the Shahnama.^[1] Several scenes depict "women of high social rank": for example, one scene depicts a woman riding a camel, another depicts a veiled woman playing the lute, and another shows a woman sitting cross-legged while admiring herself in the mirror.^[1] The overall design composition is reminiscent of Chinese textiles, which may have served as an inspiration.^[1] In this case, though, the design is interrupted by an octagonal symbol filled with geometric patterns, which may have been a brand mark or guild emblem.^{[2]: 30–1}

The scenes illustrated on the ewer depict contemporary life of the wealthy and powerful, likely reflecting the high status of its original owner.^[3]

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  Blacas Ewer, Mosul, 1232, British Museum.
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  Hunting scene on the Blacas ewer, 1232, Mosul, Zengid dynasty.^[4]
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  Regnal scene on the Blacas ewer, 1232, Mosul, Zengid dynasty.^[5]
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  Blacas ewer, combat scene.
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  Blacas ewer, ruler wearing the Turkic hat sharbush, with attendants.^[6]

• The Blacas ewer's page at the British Museum website