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Top view, The Freer Canteen.
Image source: Study Blue
p.138, Laura T. Schneider, 'The Freer Canteen' Ars Orientalis Vol. 9
The front of the canteen is slightly convex, with a minimal depression in the center. The inlaid figures depicted in this round depression are the Madonna and child enthroned, and four angels placed above and below the throne. One of the two standing figures wears a turbanlike headdress, while the other carries an unidentifiable object.
The remainder of the convex surface of the canteen is occupied by three large group scenes, interrupted by three medallions containing zoomorphic tendrils (that is, vine forms ending in animal and bird shapes. The large scenes are quickly recognizable as representing three motifs common in Christian iconography; the Nativity, the Presentation in the Temple, and the Entry into Jerusalem.
