Carlotta - the museum database

NM 0131/1935 :: pilgrim bottle

Object description: A so-called “Pilgrim bottle”, circular body, flat on the sides, two handles attached to the shoulder of the body below and above to the upper of the neck. Greyish white paste, unglazed, moulded geometrical patterns arragned around a central rosette.

Data elements
References (4)

Inventory number

NM 0131/1935

Serie nummer

12277

Object

pilgrim bottle

Object, Swedish

flaska

Country - Origin

Syria : Asia

Country, Swedish - Origin

Syrien

Material

Unglazed pottery

Material, Swedish

Keramik; Lera

Exhibitions

Islams värld - en utställning från Medelhavsmuseet, Stockholm 1986, cat. nr. 15.

Permanent exhibition, Islam gallery, Medelhavsmuseet?

Acquisition

Gift from the Crown Prince of Sweden to the NM through KF. Purchased in Aleppo as an item found during excavations bought together with 0130, 0131/1935. Price 120 SEK.

Description, Swedish

Pilgrimsflaska. 12-1300-tal.

Description

A so-called “Pilgrim bottle”, circular body, flat on the sides, two handles attached to the shoulder of the body below and above to the upper of the neck. Greyish white paste, unglazed, moulded geometrical patterns arragned around a central rosette.

Period

Mamluk (1250-1517)

Time - Manufacturing, earliest

1200-1399

Exhibition - Previously

Berättelser från Syrien

Description: The exhibition Stories from Syria includes personal belongings that carry stories and memories. The objects belong to people born in Syria. Some have lived in Sweden for a long time, while others have come here as refugees during the current war.
Together with objects from the collections of the Museum of Mediterranean and Near Eastern Antiquities, the exhibition gives glimpses of Syria's long and rich cultural history, as well as the area's role as a meeting place for people and cultures.
There is much to Syria beyond the headlines - the exhibition provides a historical perspective of the area as well as a place for meetings, conversations and community. (www.varldskulturmuseerna.se, 2017)
Time - Start: 20172017
Time - End: 2019-01-062019-01-06

Exhibition, Part of - Previously

Berättelser från Syrien - Damaskus

Name - Owner

Nationalmuseum, Stockholm

Description: Nationalmuseum is a publicly owned cultural institution.Nationalmuseum%20is%20a%20publicly%20owned%20cultural%20institution.
Source - http: www.nationalmuseum.se, collections.smvk.se

Published text

The heavy, pinkish-grey earthenware flask belongs to the group of the so-called pilgrim bottles. The body of this type of pilgrim bottle is commonly composed of two flat circular sides, each with a broad, flanged edge and an unornamented strip of earthenware in the middle connecting the two side parts. This connecting strip is slightly concave so that the flask stands in a safe upright position on the edges of the side parts. Above, the bottle has a flared neck consisting of two sections separated by a ring in relief. The rim of the neck is damaged. For carrying and suspension, there are two handles fixed to the neck and to the shoulders. The bottle shows identical moulded decoration on both sides. At the centre there is an eight-petalled rosette surrounded by an arabesque scroll. The four double-framed leaf forms of the outer zone are set against a dense background pattern of tiny rhombs.

On similar bottles the centre of the sides often bears an emblem easily recognised as belonging to one of the Ayyubid or Mamluk sultans and amirs. These emblems were attributes of their dignity. A rosette might not appear to be a specific emblem but it does actually belong to them. It is actually one of the oldest devices used under the Ayyubids and early Mamluks. They usually chose six-petalled rosettes. Only one amir, Musa bin Yaghmur (AH 599–663 / AD 1203–65), seems to be known whose emblem was a white eight-petalled rosette as seen on this bottle. He was governor of Cairo under the Ayyubid al-Malik al-Salih and in AH 648 / AD 1250 under al-Malik al-Mu'azzam governor of Damascus.

Judging by the unglazed body, this bottle could have been used for storing liquids such as water. The porous material allowed evaporation to keep the liquid stored in it cool.

Source: [https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=object;ISL;se;Mus01;13;en&cp]

How date and origin were established:

An Ayyubid amir, Musa bin Yaghmur (599–663 / 1203–65), is known to have as an emblem the eight-petalled rosette without shield.

How Object was obtained:

Gift of the Swedish Crown Prince Gustaf Adolf in 1935.

How provenance was established:

There are different clues. Musa bin Yaghmur to whom the bottle may be ascribed was governor of Damascus. Other pilgrim bottles of this type come from Syria and Jordan. This bottle is supposed to have been excavated, probably in Syria, since it was bought by the Swedish Crown Prince in Aleppo.

Source: [https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=object;ISL;se;Mus01;13;en&cp]

Comments

This shape seems to be found also amongst metallic items, for instance there’s a bottle made of brass and inlaid with silver in the Freer Gallery of Arts in Washington, which dates from the first half af the 13th century.

This is published by M.S. Dimand, “A silver inlaid bronze canteen with Christian objects in the Eumorfopoulus collection”, Ars Islamica, vol. I

(1934), pp. 17-21.

; Urval Syriska berättelser

Cf Publications