Ewer Decorated with the Signs of the Zodiac

Made in Herat around 1220, this ewer belongs to a flourishing culture of luxury metalwork. Its twelve-sided body offered the craftsman a perfect structure for ordering images of the zodiac, planets and courtly life.

Silver inlay catches the light against the darker copper alloy, turning every facet into a miniature scene. Astronomy and astrology were closely intertwined: the heavens could be studied as a system, but also consulted for signs about earthly fortune.

The vessel rewards a slow circuit. No single viewpoint reveals the whole design; knowledge unfolds as the object turns, much as the celestial cycle unfolds through time.