Two-handled jar

Large globular jar with flat base. The shoulder slopes toward a slightly constricted neck opening out into a wide mouth with thickened plain rim. On opposite side of the jar at the shoulder are two handles, both elaborately decorated, but asymmetrical. One consists of a flat band terminating in the head of an animal (quadruped?), painted with brown horizontal stripes. The other is also a flat, painted stirrup handle, topped by a flat knob with brown painted spokes. A creamy beige slip covers the surface; the upper half of the jar bears painted decoration in brown paint.

The pot is decorated on either side between the handles, with the decorated zone extending to the maximum diameter of the pot. A metope band with vertical rows of dots flanking narrow bands forms the uppermost zone. Below it are large crosshatched “kite” patterns, overlapping a horizontal row of double rectangles painted in solid brown bands. A narrow register marked with vertical strokes encircles the pot just below the handle, and another one at the maximum diameter of the pot. The metope, kite, and rectangle ornaments are mirrored on the other side of the pot.

Historical period(s)
Iron Age II - III, ca. 1000-600 BCE
Medium
Earthenware with paint
Style
Probably Luristan ware
Dimensions
H x W x D: 30.4 x 31.2 x 31.2 cm (11 15/16 x 12 5/16 x 12 5/16 in)
Geography
Iran, Luristan
Credit Line
Gift of Osborne and Gratia Hauge
Collection
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
Accession Number
S1998.22
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Ceramic, Vessel
Type

Jar

Keywords
earthenware, Hauge collection, Iran, Iron Age II (ca. 1250 - 800 BCE), Iron Age III (ca. 800 - 500 BCE), Luristan ware
Provenance

From circa 1962-1967 to 1998
Mr. and Mrs. Osborne and Gratia Hauge [1]

From 1998
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, gift of Mr. and Mrs. Osborne and Gratia Hauge in 1998

Notes:

[1] Object record. Purchased by the Hauges in Tehran between 1962-1967.

Previous Owner(s) and Custodian(s)

Mr. and Mrs. Osborne and Gratia Hauge (1914-2004) and (died 2000)

Description

Large globular jar with flat base. The shoulder slopes toward a slightly constricted neck opening out into a wide mouth with thickened plain rim. On opposite side of the jar at the shoulder are two handles, both elaborately decorated, but asymmetrical. One consists of a flat band terminating in the head of an animal (quadruped?), painted with brown horizontal stripes. The other is also a flat, painted stirrup handle, topped by a flat knob with brown painted spokes. A creamy beige slip covers the surface; the upper half of the jar bears painted decoration in brown paint.

The pot is decorated on either side between the handles, with the decorated zone extending to the maximum diameter of the pot. A metope band with vertical rows of dots flanking narrow bands forms the uppermost zone. Below it are large crosshatched "kite" patterns, overlapping a horizontal row of double rectangles painted in solid brown bands. A narrow register marked with vertical strokes encircles the pot just below the handle, and another one at the maximum diameter of the pot. The metope, kite, and rectangle ornaments are mirrored on the other side of the pot.

Label

Ancient cemeteries and settlements in the Luristan region of western Iran have yielded examples of a distinctive painted ceramic style dating to the Iron II-III period (ca. 1000-600 B.C.E.). Often called "Genre Luristan," this pottery is also known as "Baba Jan III Painted Ware" after Baba Jan Tepe, a large settlement where it was extensively excavated during the 1960s. Painted ornament in brown or red typically consists of a few recurring motifs, including hatched "kites," as in this example, arranged in a zone across the upper half of the vessel. The asymmetrical design of the handles typifies the often whimsical approach to ceramic decoration in ancient Iran. One handle is stirrup-shaped; the other takes the form of a small quadruped who appears to climb up the shoulder toward the rim.

Other examples of "Genre Luristan" ceramics in the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery are S1987.99 and S1998.313.

Published References
  • Louise Allison Cort, Massumeh Farhad, Ann C. Gunter. Asian Traditions in Clay: The Hauge Gifts. Washington, 2000. cat. 29, pp. 33, 55.
  • Thomas Lawton, Thomas W. Lentz. Beyond the Legacy: Anniversary Acquisitions for the Freer Gallery of Art and the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery. vol. 1 Washington, 1998. p. 121, fig. 2.
Collection Area(s)
Ancient Near Eastern Art
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
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