Veneto-Saracenic bucket, Near East or Venice, 16th century In hammered copper alloy, engraved and inlaid with black paste, of cylindrical form with projecting double ribs, the lip slightly flared and surmounted by two appendages for attaching a hinged basket handle molded with two heads of dolphins or dragons facing each other. The outside of the body is engraved with several registers of plant scrolls garnished with palmettes, a geometric design of diamond points on either side of a broken line, engraved in several registers on the rims, a frieze of lambrequins and interlacing flowers at the base. Diameter: 25.5 cm; h. body: 12.4 cm Repair to a handle attachment, oxidation, a few scratches, minor bumps to the base. Bibliography : CARBONI, Stefano, Venise et l'Orient, exhibition at the Institut du Monde Arabe, Paris, then at the Metropolitan Museum, New York, Gallimard, Paris: 2006, cat. 111 and 112.