An impressive example of a Late Ottoman ablution ewer, Tombak wares were favoured during the 18th and 19th centuries for their resemblance of gold, as the use of gold tableware for utilitarian purposes was not deemed suitable; gilded copper was preferred instead. These ewers were often used at ceremonial events and religious gatherings for sanitary purposes and ablution (wudu).
Within the rubrics of Islamic custom, ablution plays a fundamental role in the quotidian of Muslims, whereby the face, hand and feet must be washed prior to prayer (salat). The ewer is composed of a pyriform shape with a bird mounted above a hinged dome. The body consists of engrained flutes with stylised floral motifs, typical of the period, together with a detachable base and filter.

The Ottoman Empire refers to the political and geographical entity that governed over much of Western Asia, North Africa and Southern Europe from the end of the Byzantine Empire and conquest of Constantinople by Osman I in 1453. The caliphate grew to encompass much of the Mediterranean Basin. The collapse of the Empire came in 1923 with the inception of the Republic of Turkey.