Jug (mashrabah)

Vase; decorated with linked panels of arabesque and calligraphy; traces of gold inlay; base bears inscription, “The fakir Hafiz Ali, in the year 930” (1523 A.D.).

The neck and the body of the jug are decorated with rectangular panels containing inscriptions, loosely linked with cartouches of varying shapes which are filled with arabesques. The inscriptions in the six panels on the neck have been scraped; those on the ring encircling the neck and on the body contain Persian phrases.

Historical period(s)
Safavid period, early 16th century
Medium
Brass, traces of gold and silver inlay
Dimensions
H x W: 12.8 x 13.3 cm (5 1/16 x 5 1/4 in)
Geography
Iran
Credit Line
Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art Collection
Accession Number
F1977.4
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Metalwork, Vessel
Type

Jug

Keywords
Afghanistan, Iran, Safavid period (1501 - 1722)
Provenance
Provenance research underway.
Description

Vase; decorated with linked panels of arabesque and calligraphy; traces of gold inlay; base bears inscription, "The fakir Hafiz Ali, in the year 930" (1523 A.D.).

The neck and the body of the jug are decorated with rectangular panels containing inscriptions, loosely linked with cartouches of varying shapes which are filled with arabesques. The inscriptions in the six panels on the neck have been scraped; those on the ring encircling the neck and on the body contain Persian phrases.

Inscription(s)

1. (Esin Atil, 1977) The inscription on the base appears to have been incised at a later date and probably refers to the owner, not to the maker:

"al-fakir Hafiz Ali, in the year 930."

2. (Wheeler Thackston, Harvard University, Summer 1990) Inscription:

Cartouches:

dawlat bad * `izzat bad * barakat bad * dawlat bad * `izzat bad * rif`at bad *

"May there be fortune. May there be power. May there be blessing. May there be fortune. May there be power. May there be highness."

Bottom:

al-faqir Hafiz `Ali fi sana 94.

"the poor Hafiz Ali in the year 9[0]4 [=1498-99, or 940=1533-34]."

Published References
  • Dr. Esin Atil, W. Thomas Chase, Paul Jett. Islamic Metalwork in the Freer Gallery of Art. Washington, 1985. cat. 25, pp. 181-185.
Collection Area(s)
Arts of the Islamic World
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
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