dervish bowl (kashkul) 

coco de mer (half), bronze fittings, cotton cord

length approx. 37 cm

probably Persia (Iran), Qajar dynasty

circa 19th century

acquired in Beijing, China, by Jack Daulton, where he was told it was found in Lhasa; probably of Persian manufacture; however, the coco de mer (the world's largest nut) is from the Seychelle Islands.

It is the almsbowl of a Sufi mendicant, a dervish.  In the shape of a boat, it may symbolize the journey across the ocean of knowledge.