Near East / Western Asia, Persia, early Islamic period, ca. 700 to 800 CE. A gorgeous cast white bronze bowl with steep sides and a rounded underside. White bronze is a copper alloy with a high tin percentage, giving this bowl a silvery sheen. White bronze is called "safidruy" in Persian literature, and the fourteenth century writer Abo'l Qasem Kashani wrote, "It is an alloy of refined mas [Persian for copper] and white qala'i [a Persian-Arabic word meaning tin]. It is a clean white substance resembling silver. Surprisingly, copper and tin, both of them soft materials, become hard as they mix… Its production was initiated by al-Hajjaj [governor of the Umayyad Caliphate, lived from 661 to 714 CE], who gave orders that all gold and silver wares be broken, banned any further manufacture, and forbade drinking out of gold and silver vessels in the provinces of Araq and Fars. The doctors of the time mixed tin and copper for the grandees and rich people and made the required vessels." Size: 6.6" W x 3.35" H (16.8 cm x 8.5 cm); 3.45" H (8.8 cm) on included custom stand.

Provenance: private Ventura County, California, USA collection

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#129161

Incredible patina from age and handling, with light encrustation, especially on the exterior. Interior has been polished. Stand shown in photograph accompanies the item.