Publication Date
8th/14th century
Publication Place
-
British Museum
Subject
Painted pottery with blue and brown metallic luster and white glaze.
Type
Other
Language
Undetermined
Digital
Yes
Manuscript
No
Physical Dimensions
الارتفاع 28 سم؛ القطر 9.5 سم
Library
Museum With No Frontiers
Library Asset ID
G.585
Record ID
object;ISL;uk;Mus01;43;ar
Library Location
British Museum
Date
8th/14th century
Notes
A barrel-shaped jar with a cylindrical body, made of pottery with a white glaze, decorated with brown and blue metallic luster. The shoulder is high and slightly prominent and connects to the almost vertical neck, and the wide lower part rests on a circular stand with a convex section. The body of the jar is decorated with a pattern of the Tree of Life repeated eight times, four of which emanate from the base line, and four upside down emanating from the neck. The trees alternate between them to create a clearly symmetrical design, and the tree leaves are surrounded by diagonal lines of writing-like decoration on a white, gilded ground. The tree trunks consist of a row of heart-shaped patterns, blue and framed in gold, and the top of the trees is also framed in gold. The sloping shoulder of the jar bears an inscription in Naskh script: “Happiness and prosperity,” a common phrase on Islamic pottery, and a narrow blue and gold frieze decorates the neck. The elegant shape of the jar and its well-thought-out proportions and design indicate that it was made for the benefit of one of the rulers, and the pattern of the Tree of Life appears on the wooden decorations in the Alhambra Palace. It can be assumed, through this similarity in style and the fine type of bright colors, that this jar was among the tableware of the ruler himself.
Sample Text
Emily Shovelton "Barrel-shaped jar" in Discover Islamic Art. Museum Without Borders, 2026. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=object;ISL;uk;Mus01;43;ar
