A carved rock crystal in the form of a bird, Near East or Persia, circa 8th-10th century

This unusual piece may originally have been part of a larger vessel, such as for instance the thumbpiece of a ewer.  A similar piece is in the Museum of Islamic Art, Cairo (see O'Kane, B., ed., The Treasures of Islamic Art in the Museums of Cairo, Cairo, 2006, no. 68, p.79).