thumb|Black and white image of the Bobrinski Bucket at the Hermitage Museum.
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). 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.
The bucket is named after its former owner, Count Aleksei Bobrinsky (1852–1927) and now resides in the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia.
Production
The Bobrinski Bucket is a prominent example of the inlay technique developed in twelfth century Herat. The bucket’s inlaid calligraphy was created using silver and copper wire that was laid down in shallow recesses in the bronze body and hammered down until the wire was firmly inlaid. Similarly, for the spatial inlays, used in larger areas such as the human heads or bodies of animals, a silver or copper sheet was laid over an area where only the edges were trimmed back, and hammered until held well in place. The copper and silver inlays create a multicolored, polychromatic surface for the bucket.
The division of labor between the caster and decorator of the bucket follows a trend commonly observed in Persian art of the time. Allocating the designing of different elements of the metalwork to multiple people allowed artists to apply their designs to a variety of different objects, rather than only being able to create one object. This, along with the choice to use Persian and Arabic for the inscription solidifies the Bobrinski Bucket as an early and important work showcasing Herat as an important hub of production and craftsmanship, and highlights the emergence of Persian art during this period.
Inscription
The bucket features three bands of calligraphy. The first band of calligraphy is in an anthropomorphic script, meaning that the letters have human features. The second band is an interlaced Kufic script with a geometric pattern. The third band consists of anthropomorphic script with the tails of the letters interlaced with running animals. It also describes the person who ordered the bucket, ‘Abd al Rahmān ibn ‘Abdallāh al-Rashīdi, and the person who the bucket was made for, who the inscription refers to as “the eminent hajji Rukn ad-din, the glorious of merchants, the Muslims trusted man, an ornament to the hajj and both holy places Rashid ad-Din Azizi ibn al-Husayn az-Zanjani, may his fame endure”. Inside the suns is a human figure, sitting on a throne, with two dragon-like staffs. The bucket’s bail handle could have been helpful in a bathhouse setting. The historian Nikolay Veselovsky had asserted that the bucket was a vessel for carrying food; However, the bucket lacks tinning on the interior that would have prevented corrosion from food.