Pitcher

Clay: soft, sandy, white. Glaze: cream-white enamel with traces of iridescence due to decay. Decoration: in low relief. The principal band contains an inscription in raised Kufic lettering.

Historical period(s)
Saljuq period, 12th century
Medium
Stone-paste painted under clear glaze
Dimensions
H x W: 13 x 12 cm (5 1/8 x 4 3/4 in)
Geography
Iran
Credit Line
Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art Collection
Accession Number
F1937.9
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Ceramic, Vessel
Type

Pitcher

Keywords
Iran, kufic script, Saljuq period (1037 - 1300)
Provenance

To 1937
Hagop Kevorkian (1872-1962), New York. [1]

From 1937
Freer Gallery of Art, purchased from Hagop Kevorkian, New York. [2]

Notes:

[1] Curatorial Remark 1 in the object record.

[2] See note 1.

Previous Owner(s) and Custodian(s)

Hagop Kevorkian 1872-1962

Description

Clay: soft, sandy, white. Glaze: cream-white enamel with traces of iridescence due to decay. Decoration: in low relief. The principal band contains an inscription in raised Kufic lettering.

Inscription(s)

The Kufic inscription is as follows:
[Arbc]
Al-'azz wa'l-aqbal wa ad-dawlast wa's-samaw-t wa'lbaqa li-sahib
"Glory and prosperity and power and eminence (?) and perpetuity to (the) possessor."

Published References
  • Henri Riviere, Gaston Migeon. La Ceramique dans l'art Musulman. 2 vols., Paris. vol. 1: pl. 16.
  • Richard Ettinghausen, Ernst Kuhnel. A Survey of Persian Art from Prehistoric Times to the Present. 6 vols., London and New York, 1938 - 1939. vol. 2: p. 1514, vol. 5: pl. 192d.
  • Robert L. Hobson. A Guide to Islamic Pottery of the Near East. London. fig. 22.
  • Raymond Koechlin, Paul Alfassa. Musee des Arts Decoratifs, L'Art de L'Islam: La Ceramique. Paris. p. 24, pl. 3, fig. 9.
  • Dr. Esin Atil. Ceramics from the World of Islam. Exh. cat. Washington, 1973. cat. 13, pp. 38-39.
Collection Area(s)
Arts of the Islamic World
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
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