The first object from the Kier Collection, a trove of Islamic Art that includes nearly 2,000 objects and will be on a 15-year renewable loan with the Dallas Museum of Art, was unveiled at the museum this morning. The rock crystal ewer is an exquisitely crafted pouring vesicle that dates back to the courts of Fatimid Egypt in the late 10^th century. Carved from a single stone, the object is the work of virtuosic skill, its delicate translucent container as thin as 1 mm in sections. The face of the ewer features an inlaid design, twisting vines which frame the profile of a cheetah, its back arched, eyes peering outwards. Carved from silica mineral quartz, it is one of only seven objects in the world that features a stone this large, and it is the cornerstone of the collection that is coming to Dallas.

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