Ottoman Tombak (Gilt Copper) Ewer and Basin

Project Details

Ottoman Tombak (Gilt Copper) Ewer and Basin

Ottoman Empire
18^th Century
Ewer Height: 33.5 cm.
Basin Diameter: 37.5 cm.

Set comprising of tombak (gilt-copper) lidded ewer, basin and filter; the ewer of truncated pyriform body with tall waisted neck, applied swan-necked spout and handle, hinged domical lid topped by stylised pinecone, hammered, engraved and punched floral garland decoration, together with a large basin and detachable openwork filter.

Tombak, the technique whereby a gilt and mercury amalgam is applied to copper, and burnt off, leaving gold fused to the substrate, was prized in Ottoman times. According to teachings [hadith] of Prophet Muhammad the use of gold in daily objects represented extravagance and wastefulness. For this reason tombak was regarded as a legitimate alternative to gold.

One of the key aspects of Ottoman metalwork is its sculptural form. Prime examples are monumental, often plain tombak candlesticks, originally placed either side of the mihrab in imperial mosques of the 16^th and 17^th century, please see J. M. Roger’s Empire of the Sultans: Ottoman art from the collection of Nasser D. Khalili, 1995, no. 7, pp. 38-39. The present ewer and basin follows this aesthetic. The openwork filter, which acts as a supporting foot, was used as a soap dish (sabunluk) as well.

Ewer and basins were used at ceremonial events and religious gathers for washing hands and ablution. Ablution plays an important part in Muslim daily prayers. The face, hands, feet need to be washed before the prayer (salāt).

An Ottoman tombak ewer and basin in the Topkapi Palace Museum in Istanbul, with openwork arabesque medallions on the sides, is inscribed with the name of the Valide Sultan, the mother of Sultan Mehmed IV (r. 1648-1687), see Tülay Güngen et al, Tombak, Golden Grace, Yapı Kredi Publications, Istanbul, 2018, p. 67.

Categories: Metalwork & Woodwork
Credits: Private Belgian Collection

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Ottoman Tombak (Gilt Copper) Ewer and Basin

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