Circa 1100 AD Bronze ewer with flaring mouth, upward-angled spout, piriform body, pronounced foot and strap handle connecting at the lower part of the body and at the rim. Bands of elaborate incised decoration in the form of geometric motifs are concentrated around the upper part of the body and around the body. This form of jug is typically known as a ewer and would have been used for serving water during banquets or for bathing. The Seljuks were a Turkic dynasty who swept out of Central Asia in the early 10th century and conquered an enormous expanse, covering most or all of present-day Turkmenistan, Iran, Iraq, Turkey and beyond. After inflicting crushing military defeats on a host of rivals, the most famous of which was perhaps that against the Byzantines at the Battle of Manzikert in 1071, the Seljuk sultans became major patrons of art and architecture. Size: L:160mm / W:105mm ; 330.6g Provenance: From the important collection of a London doctor A.R; passed by descent to his son; formerly acquired the 1980s on the UK art market.