Brass lid, engraved and inlaid with gold, silver, and a black substance 

It is rather unusual to find metalwork of this early period that still has its gold inlays. This finely inlaid lid probably belonged to a large ewer – used for washing the hands – with a long spout. Several ewers of this distinctive type with a similar flat lid have survived. Some of them have inscriptions stating that they were made in the period 1220-1260 in cities such as Mosul and Damascus.

The two-part inscription inlaid with gold on this lid only expresses various good wishes for the ewer’s unnamed owner. In between the two parts of the inscription are confronted birds in a lattice. Confronted peacocks also frame the lid’s central medallion with an enthroned figure holding a crescent – a traditional symbol for the moon.