Fragment of a large dish

Object Details

• Description

  Iraq

  Abbasid period, 9th-10th century

  Samarra type

  Fragment of a large dish.

  Clay: soft, pinkish-buff.

  Glaze: transparent pink, crackled, backed by a white slip.

  Decoration: painted in red and gold lustre, over glaze.

• Label

  Potters in Iran began to practice the luster technique in the middle of the twelfth century and reached their creative apogee in the first few decades of the thirteenth century. In the city of Kashan, located in central Iran, potters developed stonepaste, or fritware, a white composition made of ground quartz, ground glass, and a type of white clay that eliminated the need for an opaque white tin glaze. Fine rendering and elaborate designs characterize Persian lusterware.

• Provenance

  To 1908

  Maurice Nahman (1868-1948), Cairo, Egypt, to 1908 [1]

  From 1908 to 1919

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

  From 1920

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

  Notes:

  [1] See Original Pottery List, L. 1707, 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

  Iraq and China: Ceramics, Trade, and Innovation (December 4, 2004 to July 17, 2005)

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

• Previous custodian or owner

  Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919)

• Origin

  Iraq

• Credit Line

  Gift of Charles Lang Freer

• Type

  Vessel

• Restrictions and Rights

  CC0 - Creative Commons (CC0 1.0)

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Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  900s, 800s, 700s, 1100s, 1200s, 1000s

• Name

  Freer, Charles Lang

• Topic

  Charles Lang Freer collection, Art, Pottery, Arts of the Islamic World, Ceramics, Samarra ware

• Culture

  Muslims, Abbasids, Iraqis

• Object Type

  Vessels (containers)