Of globular form on a short foot, with an arched handle attached to the shoulder, the spout terminating in a stylised dragon’s head, the shoulder with an engraved band of foliated arabesques and split-palmettes, a similar pattern repeated on the narrow band to the lower half of the body with hanging escutcheon-shaped motifs towards the foot, the cover probably a replacement engraved with a band of leafy scrolls. 25.5 cm. height, 18 cm. diam. PROVENANCE Private collection, Dr. I. Lak, United Kingdom CATALOGUE NOTE The shape of the kettle is strikingly unique, particularly when compared with the better-known Safavid drop-shaped kettles such as the one in the Victoria and Albert Museum (inv. no.458-1876) published in Melikian-Chirvani 1982, no.147, pp.322-326. Yet it shares many stylistic characteristics with the engraved designs on such kettles and even torch-stands, bowls and ewers of the same period, notably, the use of bands of scrolling foliage, split-palmettes, arabesques and escutcheons.