Cabinet J: Shelf 1
Art of Islam
The millennium between the seventh and the seventeenth centuries marked the zenith of Islamic art and saw the creation of distinctive visual cultural forms as Islam was embraced by peoples of diverse ethno-linguistic backgrounds, ranging from Morocco and Spain on the Atlantic coast to Indonesia in Southeast Asia and from sub-Saharan Africa to Siberia.
In particular, during the rise of the Abbasid caliphate (749–1258) in a climate of political stability and prosperity, Islamic ceramics blossomed. Drawing on the influence of imported Chinese wares as well as local developments in metalware, craftsmen developed a wide range of techniques for making ceramics for both domestic use and architectural decoration. Many of the plates and vessels in the Museum’s collection are of a type called fritware. Invented in the twelfth century, fritware was an Islamic response to Chinese porcelain: by combining ground quartz with small amounts of white glaze, Middle Eastern potters were able to produce a thin-bodied, hard and durable white ware. Fritware provided an ideal surface for various painting techniques, including lustreware, underglaze painting, and overglaze enamels, all on display here (please see individual object descriptions). Also exhibited in this case is a selection of metalware. In the twelfth century, a new style of metalware emerged, where the surfaces of cast bronze objects were densely decorated in copper, gold, and silver inlays. Stunning examples of this can be seen in the two large candlesticks decorated with inscriptions and geometric patterns.
Iranian
Shallow bowl with stylized floral medallion
fritware with yellow and brown overglaze decoration
4 in. x 12 13/16 in. x 12 3/4 in. ( 10.16 cm x 32.51 cm x 32.39 cm )
Museum purchase made possible by the Margaret Watson Parker Art Collection Fund
Iraqi
Bowl with figure holding goblet and flask
earthenware with opaque white glaze with white luster
2 1/2 in. ( 6.3 cm )
Museum purchase made possible by the Margaret Watson Parker Art Collection Fund
Iranian
Bowl with bird holding leaf and inscription
fritware with overglaze lustre painting
2 5/8 in. x 6 1/4 in. x 6 1/4 in. ( 6.6 cm x 15.8 cm x 15.8 cm )
Museum Purchase
Iranian
Jug, narrow neck & single handle, band of decorative inscriptions at shoulder
molded terracotta
9 1/16 in. x 6 1/2 in. x 6 1/2 in. ( 23 cm x 16.5 cm x 16.5 cm )
Museum Purchase
Iranian
Deep bowl with vegetal and calligraphic designs
fritware with painted designs in red, yellow, and dark brown
3 in. x 8 1/2 in. x 8 1/2 in. ( 7.62 cm x 21.59 cm x 21.59 cm )
Museum purchase made possible by the Margaret Watson Parker Art Collection Fund
Iranian
Ewer with animal head, with band of decorative inscriptions at shoulder in thuluth script on an arabesque ground
earthenware with appliquéd barbotine decoration
8 in. x 5 in. x 5 in. ( 20.3 cm x 12.7 cm x 12.7 cm )
Museum Purchase
Iranian
Square tile with stylized tulip design
fritware with blue and amber glaze ?
5 1/4 in. x 5 1/4 in. x 1 in. ( 13.4 cm x 13.3 cm x 2.5 cm )
Transfer from the School of Art and the College of Architecture and Urban Planning.
Iranian
Jug with wide cylindrical body and tall, tapered neck
unglazed terracotta inlaid with glazed terracotta
9 1/4 in. x 5 7/8 in. x 5 7/8 in. ( 23.5 cm x 14.94 cm x 14.92 cm )
Museum Purchase
Iranian; Artist Unknown, Iran or Transoxiana
Bowl with concentric bands of epigraphic decoration
earthenware with white slip, red, brown, and green slip painting, clear glaze
3 in. ( 7.6 cm )
Museum purchase made possible by the Margaret Watson Parker Art Collection Fund