Bowl (Copper)
Bowl, mid-20th century AD, Copper
This bowl is made of copper and has a round base and a wide opening at the top. The mouth is surrounded by a raised rim. Its body is surrounded by, in relief, a frieze of rose flowers set in leaves between two raised double bands. It has three feet in the form of lions’ claws, which are attached to the body with metal pieces in the form of palmettes. The bowl is probably of European manufacture, which was imported to Lebanon. The shape of the bowl, the frieze of roses and leaves, and feet of lions’ claws and palmettes are traditional European decorative designs, which have their origins in the Greco-Roman world, and are thus classical forms. Such ornate bowls are used in the village for special purposes, and could, for example, be filled with flowers.