Drinking Vessel with dragon Handle

The Persian inscriptions on the neck and the body of this vessel include an invocation to 'Ali and prayers for the well-being of the owner from the mid-10th century poet, Daqiqi, the Bustan of Sa'di and the Shahnamah of Firdawsi. Underneath is a signature, possibly that of a craftsman, 'The needy Shaykh Vali'. Dated metal mugs with dragon-handles are practically all from the reign of the Timurid ruler of Herat, Husayn Bayqara (r 1470–1505). They represent the final phase of the drinking vessels with such handles which first appear in the Eurasian steppes with the coming of the Mongols.