A LION-SHAPED COPPER-LUSTRE POTTERY AQUAMANILE Possibly Iran, 19th century Zoomorphically shaped as a lion on his paws, resting on a rectangular base, on the head and back two cylindrical spouts, the larger with an everted rim and connected to a thin curved handle, the white body painted in copper lustre, the face realistically rendered, the rest of the body decorated with stylised split palmettes and vegetal scrolls, 12cm x 15cm. Vessels made of pottery modelled in the form of animals, birds and human figures are rare but not entirely uncommon in Seljuk Iran. Often, these figurines served the function of liquid containers embellished with one or more spouts. Their exact use is still debated but it is generally acknowledged that some figurines entered the fabric of everyday life with domestic functions, whilst others must have had a more symbolical meaning, probably forming part of the Islamic culture of storytelling and oral narrative (Sabiha Al Khemir,Beauty and Belief: Crossing Bridges with the Arts of Islamic Culture, exhibition catalogue, Utah, 2012, p. 120). A very similar aquamanile to ours, though in the shape of a bull, can be seen in the Duke Foundation for Islamic Art, Honolulu, Hawaii, inv. no. 48.109. That said, the face of our lion, the decoration on his body and the overall appearance give away the impression that this could be a Qajar homage to the 12th-century Kashan pottery production, rather than an authentic artefact of that time.