Fountain jet in the shape of a doe

Bronze fountain jet, hollow except for the legs, in the form of a disproportionate doe, with an opening in the belly for the pipe that carried water to the mouth. It is decorated with incised scrolls, palmettes and pomegranates and bears traces of gilding. Although it was discovered during sewer works in Córdoba and entered the National Archaeological Museum in 1940, it is similar to two other pieces from the palace of Madinat al-Zahra which now belong to the Museo Arqueológico de Córdoba (on long-term loan to Madinat al-Zahra) and the National Museum of Qatar in Doha, suggesting that it was made in the same geographical area of Al-Andalus. This piece illustrates the sensory aesthetics of the Muslim and Hispano-Islamic world, where the presence of water in gardens was a sign of prosperity, luxury and wellbeing.