ISLAMIC OIL LAMP 13TH-14TH CENTURY AD

Large example, 6” height, early Ottoman Empire. Bun shaped reservoir with raised lip filler and short spout, on a column centered in the dish base. The handle is a cat gripping the bowl. Characteristic emerald green glaze with a brown slip circle to the right side. Nearly all glazed finish intact. The front of the base and underside of the reservoir cracked and reassembled. The depiction of animals or any living being under Islam is scrutinized variously according to sect, historical period and intent. Any which could be interpreted as idolatry is universally condemned. Animal handled bronze and pottery lamps are well known from the Ottoman period with lions particularly well represented. A major Medieval Islamic ceramic with a curious cultural twist.