Jar

Object Details

• Label

  Beginning at least by 3000 B.C.E., metal became the most prestigious material for many objects made in Iran, including ceramic containers for serving food. A source of inspiration in metalwork can sometimes be deduced from distinctive features preserved in the clay versions. Sharply angled shapes, as in this example, seem alien to the traditional ceramic repertoire and suggest an origin in metalwork. Other signs of metal prototypes are the colors of ceramic vessels, reflecting the manipulation of firing conditions to produce red, brown, gray, and black wares. Gray wares, like this vessel, most likely represent an attempt to mimic the color and gleaming surface of silver.

• Provenance

  ?-2005

  Mr. and Mrs. Osborne (1914-2004) and Gratia Hauge (d. 2000) [1]

  From 2005

  The National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, by gift of Osborne and Gratia Hauge, and Victor and Takako Hauge [2]

  Notes:

  [1] The Hauge family began collecting Asian paintings, sculpture, and ceramics in the late 1940s and would amass a large collection in the post-World War II years.

  [2] Ownership of collected objects sometimes changed between members of the Hauge families. See Deed of Gift, dated October 16, 2005, copy in object file. From 2005-2023 the work was part of the National Museum of Asian Art’s Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Collection and on March 21, 2023, the work was internally transferred to the National Museum of Asian Art Collection.

• Collection

  National Museum of Asian Art Collection

• Exhibition History

  Asian Traditions in Clay: The Hauge Gifts (October 29, 2000 to April 22, 2001)

• Previous custodian or owner

  Mr. and Mrs. Osborne and Gratia Hauge

• Origin

  Iran

• Credit Line

  Gift of Osborne and Gratia Hauge

• Type

  Vessel

• Restrictions and Rights

  Usage Conditions Apply

  There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page.

  The information presented on this website may be revised and updated at any time as ongoing research progresses or as otherwise warranted. Pending any such revisions and updates, information on this site may be incomplete or inaccurate or may contain typographical errors. Neither the Smithsonian nor its regents, officers, employees, or agents make any representations about the accuracy, reliability, completeness, or timeliness of the information on the site. Use this site and the information provided on it subject to your own judgment. The National Museum of Asian Art welcomes information that would augment or clarify the ownership history of objects in their collections.

Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  BCE 2000s, BCE 1000s

• Name

  Hauge, Osborne and Gratia

• Topic

  Late Bronze Age (ca. 1600 - 1200 BCE), Art, Hauge collection, Ancient Near Eastern Art, Pottery, Ceramics

• Culture

  Iranians, Middle Easterners

• Object Type

  Vessels (containers)