Iran
Glazed fritware
3 1/2 x 9 x 7 1/2 in. (9 x 23 x 19 cm)
Purchase, Goldman Sachs Gift, 2007 (2007.354)
One of the finest examples of medieval Iranian ceramic "house models," this rectangular object with openwork sides, covered in a vibrant pale blue glaze, is decorated with small birds sitting along the upper perimeter and rows of domestic animals symmetrically lined up on the top. A few dozen house models have survived in public and private collections (four other less spectacular ones are in the Metropolitan Museum). The purpose of these peculiar objects is unknown, although it has been suggested that they were related to the marriage ceremony or were presented as gifts at the Persian Nowruz, or New Year festival. This model may have functioned as a perfume burner; the incense would have been placed inside a drawer and inserted into the front opening. Most of these house models display human figures in scenes illustrating some kind of ceremony or festive occasion, such as a wedding or a banquet. The boxes that include animals may have been inspired either by Tang-period farm models or by the figures found on tall Chinese porcelain burial vases from the thirteenth century.
