China; Vase; Metalwork Made for the Muslim community in China, the vase has two Arabic inscriptions: "Glory to Allah" and "Praise be to Allah." The inscriptions are raised on a ring-matted ground within a cartouche.

There are three different surface treatments. The Arabic script is left more or less in its original brass and stands out against a darkened ground; other areas are treated with a "patination" that simulates antique bronze

The neck is decorated on both sides with an incised lotus flower, from which issue leafy scrolls, against a darkened ground filled with small vegetal scrolls. The handles seem to be simplified forms of the elephant-head type popular in the 17th and early 18th centuries.

Another brass vase, in a private collection, has a different shape, but with a similar surface decoration and nearly identical decoration on the neck, bearing a Kangxi-period(1662-1722) mark on its base.