Beehive cover

Round, flat earthenware beehive cover, with polychrome glaze decoration in the form of stylized calligraphy. Underside unglazed. Rounded finger hole on one side.

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Historical period(s)
Qajar period, dated 1884-85 (AH 1302)
Medium
Stone-paste painted with black and copper pigments under clear glaze
Dimensions
H x W x D: 1.4 x 23 x 23 cm (9/16 x 9 1/16 x 9 1/16 in)
Geography
Iran
Credit Line
Gift of Osborne and Gratia Hauge
Collection
Arthur M. Sackler Collection
Accession Number
S1997.122
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Ceramic, Tool and Equipment
Type

Beehive cover

Keywords
bee, Hauge collection, Iran, Qajar period (1779 - 1925)
Provenance
Provenance research underway.
Description

Round, flat earthenware beehive cover, with polychrome glaze decoration in the form of stylized calligraphy. Underside unglazed. Rounded finger hole on one side.

Label

Among some of the more unusual ceramic objects from Islamic Iran are beehive covers, some of which date back to at least the seventeenth century. Beekeeping was widely practiced throughout the Islamic world and because bees are singled out in the Qur'an, Islam's holy text, they enjoy particular status among other animals and insects. The designs on the two covers on view are intended as protective and auspicious symbols and are characteristic of the more vernacular ceramic tradition that has existed in the Islamic Near East for centuries.

Published References
  • Louise Allison Cort, Massumeh Farhad, Ann C. Gunter. Asian Traditions in Clay: The Hauge Gifts. Washington, 2000. cat. 48, pp. 70, 89.
  • Thomas Lawton, Thomas W. Lentz. Beyond the Legacy: Anniversary Acquisitions for the Freer Gallery of Art and the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery. vol. 1 Washington, 1998. pp. 134-137.
  • Sabiha Al Khemir. Beauty and Belief: Crossing Bridges with the Arts of Islamic Culture. Exh. cat. Utah. p. 210.
Collection Area(s)
Arts of the Islamic World
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
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