PARROT-FORM OIL CONTAINER Mughal, 15th Century Bronze, L. 8 1/2 inches
RIGINALLY a reservoir for a hanging lamp, this bronze parrot contains an internal mechanism that regulates the flow of oil to the wick. Divorced from its utilitarian purpose, the vessel stands on its own as a handsome piece of sculpture. An all-but-identical example is illustrated in Mark Zebrowski, Gold, Silver & Bronze from Mughal India, London, 1997, (fig. 95) and, according to Zebrowski, another version was included in the famous Paris Islamic Art Exhibition of 1903. $4,000
RIGINALLY a reservoir for a hanging lamp, this bronze parrot contains an internal mechanism that regulates the flow of oil to the wick. Divorced from its utilitarian purpose, the vessel stands on its own as a handsome piece of sculpture. An all-but-identical example is illustrated in Mark Zebrowski, Gold, Silver & Bronze from Mughal India, London, 1997, (fig. 95) and, according to Zebrowski, another version was included in the famous Paris Islamic Art Exhibition of 1903.