Dispenser
Object type: household items
Culture / Provenance: Oman / Ad Dakhiliyah
Material: copper
Date: pre-1970
Dimensions:
Length: 9.5 cm
Diameter: 6 cm
Height: 2.9 cm
Description: hammered out of a plain copper sheet, it was used to pour liquid and cure ailments in the eyes or ears of children.
Additional information: copper has been used for millennia to address a series of ailments such as headaches, inflammations, sore throats associated with infection, joint pain, epilepsy, chronic ulcers, eye infections, and to prevent infection in wounds and purify water for drinking. The art of copperwork has a long history in Oman, dating back to the 4th millennium BC when the metal was mined and exported to Mesopotamia, playing a significant role in the early economic and social development. Today, traditional coppersmiths practice their craft along the Batinah coast and in the towns of the Interior, catering primarily to the local demand for practical items like cooking utensils, cauldrons for making halwa and mabsali dates, as well as other household and industrial items (Richardson and Dorr, 2003. The Craft Heritage of Oman. London: Motivate Publishing, pp.457-459).
Collection:
Birgit Mershen
Photo credits:
ArCHIAM