CENTRAL IRAN, 12TH/EARLY 13TH CENTURY

The function of this little vessel is a puzzle. It has three holes at the bottom of the finial but is otherwise closed in form. It is one of a group that all employ this circular lattice work, but which all have unknown purpose. It is unlikely to have been an incense burner, as the interior glaze surface would have suffered from the heat and smoke. It may have been used to hold a scented liquid, although it is unclear then what the function of the holes was. Another related vessel is in the Sarikhani Collection. Like ours, it is “impressively elaborate but essentially useless, perhaps meant just to stand as a centrepiece for display” (I.CE.2103; Oliver Watson, Ceramics of Iran. Islamic Pottery from the Sarikhani Collection, London, 2020, pp.174-75, no.89).