Egypt, 11th - 12th century
Typical shape, resting on four ribbed feet, faceted round jar support carved with architectural arches opening onto a rectangular reservoir with a feline-headed prominence.
H. 40 cm, W. 55 cm, D. 27 cm
Unique to Egypt and strongly associated with the Fatimid and Ayyubid dynasties, kilgas were designed to support unglazed terracotta water jars. The porous clay of the jar allowed the water to drain slowly, cooling the liquid contents, which then accumulated in the basin.Several international museums hold kilgas, including the Louvre, the Aga Khan Museum and the MET.
Provenance :
French private collection, on loan to the Institut du Monde Arabe (Paris) from 2005 to 2023.
Bibliography :
Reproduced in Institut du Monde Arabe (France) and Foissy, Album du musée. Paris, 2012. fig. 312 p. III
For a full discussion of marble jar supports originating in Egypt, see Elfried R. Knauer's article in Metropolitan Museum Journal, New York, vol. 14, 1979, pp. 67-101.
Oeuvre comparable / Similar work :
A close example was sold at Sotheby's, London, April 25, 2012, no. 505.
A Fatimid Marble Jar-stand (kilga), Egypt, 11th-12th century
Unique to Egypt and strongly associated with the Fatimid and Ayyubid dynasties, kilgas were designed to support unglazed terracotta water jars. The porous clay of the jar allowed the water to drain slowly, cooling the liquid contents, which then accumulated in the basin.Several international museums hold kilgas, including the Louvre, the Aga Khan Museum and the MET.
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