Bobrinski Bucket information

The Bobrinski Bucket, also called the Bobrinski Kettle or Bobrinski Cauldron (also spelled Bobrinsky), is a bronze bucket produced in Herat, present-day Afghanistan in 1163 C.E. (during the month Muharram in 559 A.H).^[1] The bucket’s height is a mere 18.5 cm and consists of a rounded body with a rim and heightened base, and a handle in the shape of real and mythological creatures. The bucket is cast in bronze, with copper and silver inlaid decorations and inscriptions throughout the bucket’s handle, rim, and body. The body of the bucket features seven horizontal bands of inlaid decorations, including the rim, consisting of inscription and iconography. Discussion of the purpose of the bucket has sparked speculation among scholars of Islamic Art.^[2]

The bucket is named after its former owner, Count Aleksei Bobrinsky (1852–1927) and now resides in the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia.^[2] The bucket is one of most famous and earliest pieces of Persian metalwork associated with Herat in the late 12th century and is one of the earliest examples of zoomorphic and anthropomorphic scripts.^[3]