Publication Date
Fourth-fifth / tenth-eleventh centuries
Publication Place
-
Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Glasgow Museums
Subject
Unglazed pottery; Rounded and perforated.
Type
Other
Language
Undetermined
Digital
Yes
Manuscript
No
Physical Dimensions
الارتفاع: 3.5 سم؛ القطر: 7.7 سم
Library
Museum With No Frontiers
Library Asset ID
1919.84.hh
Record ID
object;ISL;uk;Mus04;20;ar
Library Location
Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Glasgow Museums
Date
Fourth-fifth / tenth-eleventh centuries
Notes
A water pitcher filter, made of clay, perforated in the form of an inscription in Arabic script. The origin of this piece is Fustat, the ancient capital of Egypt. The filter was a plug placed on the mouth of a small water pitcher without a handle; Its function stems from its role as a lid to protect the contents of the jar from flies, insects, and dust, for example. The jar and filter are also not glazed, in order to allow the water to evaporate through the pores of the jar slowly, which helps keep the water cold in it. The perforated lines that penetrate the surface and base of the filter are a repetition of the letters Alif (A) and Laam (L). It was written here in Kufa script, commemorating the city of Kufa in Iraq. The Kufi calligraphy style is characterized by its geometric shapes and decorations added to the final elongations of the tails of the words (see the tapered vertical ends of the letters in the picture). Handwriting was not the only means of decoration used to decorate the vessels. Animals, geometric designs, and floral patterns were also used. Even two vessels have never been shown to be exactly the same, despite the frequent use of animals such as elephants, hares and birds.
Sample Text
Noorah Al-Gailani, Noorah Al-Gailani “Water Jar Filter” in Discover Islamic Art. Museum Without Borders, 2026. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=object;ISL;uk;Mus04;20;ar
