Ewer and basin; France, 20th century.

Ewer and basin; France, twentieth century.
Chiseled silver.
They present punches and engraved figure.
Measurements: 10 x 36 x 36 cm; 26 x 20 x 16 x 16 cm.
Weight: 1436 g.
Set of ewer and basin made of silver. Both pieces present similar embossed decorations, vegetal and floral motifs developing in the globular belly, the neck and the spout, as well as in the plate. The handle has a sinuous profile and embossed decorations.
The cultural connections of the Byzantine Empire with Sassanid Persia and the Abbasid Caliphate brought the ewer to the Mediterranean Christian world. The first European portable ewers date from the 11th century. In the Christian liturgy, jugs and basins were needed for the ritual of the lavabo, in which the officiating priest washes his hands before dressing, again before the consecration of the Eucharist and after mass.