Stemmed bowl with cover, cast in bronze with engraved decoration. Elegant hemispherical body resting on a medium-sized splayed foot, with a domical cover, capped by a small bird perching on a tall waisted stem. Sophisticated decoration is provided by an epigraphic band running below the rim, written in cursive style over scrollwork, the lower part of the body decorated with several round medallions alternating clusters of dots or floral patterns, a type of ornamentation repeated on the cover. The tightly-fitting lid suggests that the contents of such bowls were often of a perishable nature. Bowls of this type may have been used to contain incense or spices, both of which were exported to Europe via the Seljuk Empire.Iran, Khorasan, 12th century.