Jug (Mashraba) with Human-Headed Inscription and Zodiac Signs
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Object Label
Bes was popularly worshipped as protector of women and infants, and as a facilitator of fertility. Shown standing on the head and shoulders of a woman with a baby, in Bes with Lute the god protects the mother and newborn by driving away potential harm with the sounds of his musical instrument. The large, round ears and facial folds seen on the Finial are reminiscent of a snarling lion and connect Bes with powerful felines. Because Bes was a multifaceted god who offered protection during such times of transition as pregnancy and birth, women wore his images, like the Amulet, while giving birth or during rites of passage.
Caption
Jug (Mashraba) with Human-Headed Inscription and Zodiac Signs, late 12th–early 13th century. Copper alloy, engraved, inlaid and overlaid with silver, height: 5 1/2 in. (14 cm) diameter: 5 1/4 in. (13.3 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of the Ernest Erickson Foundation, Inc., 86.227.123. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 86.227.123_SL1.jpg)
Collection
Collection
Title
Jug (Mashraba) with Human-Headed Inscription and Zodiac Signs
Date
late 12th–early 13th century
Geography
Place made: Khurasan, Iran
Medium
Copper alloy, engraved, inlaid and overlaid with silver
Classification
Dimensions
height: 5 1/2 in. (14 cm) diameter: 5 1/4 in. (13.3 cm)
Inscriptions
The top panel encircling the neck of the jug consists of a band of inscription in Arabic in human-headed naskhi script that reads: "Glory, success, dominion, safety, happiness, care, and long life to the owner." The register on the foot of the jug consists of another band of human-headed Arabic naskhi that reads: "Glory, success, happiness, safety, intercession, and long life to the owner." The tips of the vertical letters end in human heads, whereas the descending letters end in legs and feet.
Credit Line
Gift of the Ernest Erickson Foundation, Inc.
Accession Number
86.227.123
Rights
Creative Commons-BY
You may download and use Brooklyn Museum images of this three-dimensional work in accordance with a Creative Commons license. Fair use, as understood under the United States Copyright Act, may also apply. Please include caption information from this page and credit the Brooklyn Museum. If you need a high resolution file, please fill out our online application form (charges apply). For further information about copyright, we recommend resources at the United States Library of Congress, Cornell University, Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums, and Copyright Watch. For more information about the Museum's rights project, including how rights types are assigned, please see our blog posts on copyright. If you have any information regarding this work and rights to it, please contact copyright@brooklynmuseum.org.
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