Jar

Syria
Ayyubid period, late 12th-early 13th century.

Vase, of inverted pear-form.
Clay: soft, sandy, white.
Glaze: silicious greenish-white, running into pale green drops; crackled.
Decoration: painted in brown lustre and cobalt blue, over glaze.

Historical period(s)
Ayyubid period, late 12th-early 13th century
Medium
Stone-paste painted underglaze with blue and over glaze with luster
Dimensions
H x W: 16.2 x 12.4 cm (6 3/8 x 4 7/8 in)
Geography
Syria
Credit Line
Gift of Charles Lang Freer
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art
Accession Number
F1908.141
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Ceramic, Vessel
Type

Jar

Keywords
Ayyubid period (1171 - 1250), Syria
Provenance

To 1908
Vincenzo Marcopoli, Aleppo, Syria, to 1908 [1]

From 1908 to 1919
Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from Vincenzo Marcopoli in 1908 [2]

From 1920
Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920 [3]

Notes:

[1] See Original Pottery List, L. 1795, as well as Journal Voucher No. 2, December 1908, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives.

[2] See note 1.

[3] The original deed of Charles Lang Freer's gift was signed in 1906. The collection was received in 1920 upon the completion of the Freer Gallery.

Previous Owner(s) and Custodian(s)

Vincenzo Marcopoli (C.L. Freer source)
Charles Lang Freer 1854-1919

Description

Syria
Ayyubid period, late 12th-early 13th century.

Vase, of inverted pear-form.
Clay: soft, sandy, white.
Glaze: silicious greenish-white, running into pale green drops; crackled.
Decoration: painted in brown lustre and cobalt blue, over glaze.

Label

In the late twelfth and early thirteenth centuries, the city of Raqqa in northern Syria was known for its lusterware.The small jar is decorated with bands of solid luster alternating with a register of simulated cursive script.The central zone, broken up by medallions, is inscribed with the phrase "happiness to him," an anonymous inscription frequently found on ceramics.

Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), the founder of the Freer Gallery of Art, was particularly interested in Raqqa ware, and this jar is among some of the earliest Islamic art objects he acquired for his collection. 

Published References
  • Dr. Esin Atil. Ceramics from the World of Islam. Exh. cat. Washington, 1973. cat. 67, pp. 148-149.
Collection Area(s)
Arts of the Islamic World
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
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