Jar

Object Details

• Description

  Vase, of inverted pear-form.

  Clay: soft, sandy, white.

  Glaze: silicious greenish-white, running into pale green drops; crackled.

  Decoration: painted in brown lustre and cobalt blue, over glaze.

• Label

  In the late twelfth and early thirteenth centuries, the city of Raqqa in northern Syria was known for its lusterware.The small jar is decorated with bands of solid luster alternating with a register of simulated cursive script.The central zone, broken up by medallions, is inscribed with the phrase "happiness to him," an anonymous inscription frequently found on ceramics.

  Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), the founder of the Freer Gallery of Art, was particularly interested in Raqqa ware, and this jar is among some of the earliest Islamic art objects he acquired for his collection.

• Provenance

  To 1908

  Vincenzo Marcopoli, Aleppo, Syria, to 1908 [1]

  From 1908 to 1919

  Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from Vincenzo Marcopoli in 1908 [2]

  From 1920

  Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920 [3]

  Notes:

  [1] See Original Pottery List, L. 1795, as well as Journal Voucher No. 2, December 1908, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives.

  [2] See note 1.

  [3] The original deed of Charles Lang Freer's gift was signed in 1906. The collection was received in 1920 upon the completion of the Freer Gallery.

• Collection

  Freer Gallery of Art Collection

• Exhibition History

  Arts of the Islamic World (May 3, 1998 to January 3, 2016)

  Art of the Arab World (August 15, 1980 to May 13, 1981)

  Ceramics from the World of Islam (January 16, 1974 to July 1, 1974)

• Previous custodian or owner

  Vincenzo Marcopoli (C.L. Freer source)

  Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919)

• Origin

  Syria

• Credit Line

  Gift of Charles Lang Freer

• Type

  Vessel

• Restrictions and Rights

  Usage Conditions Apply

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Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1100s, 1200s

• Name

  Freer, Charles Lang, Marcopoli, Vincenzo

• Topic

  Charles Lang Freer collection, Art, Arts of the Islamic World, Stone-paste, Ceramics

• Culture

  Muslims, Ayyubids, Syrians

• Object Type

  Vessels (containers)