A beautiful antique Ottoman tinned copper water ewer, dating from the mid 19th century.
Hand hammered from copper and traditionally tinned, this wonderful vessel has the wonderfully tactile, slightly irregular surface that comes with traditional hand-working. The original tin finish has developed an attractive aged patina over time, with areas of the warmer copper beneath showing through.
 
Known as an ewer or ibrik, vessels of this type were traditionally used for pouring and serving water and formed part of the everyday domestic metalwork of the Ottoman world. Comparable 19th-century examples are characterised by their hand-hammered copper construction, elegant proportions and aged two-tone surface where the tinning has worn back to reveal the copper beneath.
 
It is now a wonderfully decorative piece in its own right, with plenty of presence and that slightly mysterious quality that makes antique Middle Eastern metalwork so good in an eclectic interior.