Luster Jar with Hares (?) and Inscribed Words

Jar

The luster painting on Mesopotamian pottery became limited to monochrome in the late ninth century. Their designs consist mostly of animal, bird, or human figures painted in silhouette, often accompanying pseudo-Kufic inscriptions and vegetal and geometric decorations. The depiction of the animal figures is highly schematic and rather static, yet the bold touch of painting is charming. The neck of this jar is decorated with triangles containing stylized leaves. Its body is divided into two registers: the upper contains a procession of quadrupeds seen in profile, with a bird-like head, long rabbit ears, fox tails, and pigeon-breasted bodies commonly observed on all kinds of animals and birds depicted on the Mesopotamian luster vessels during this period; the lower register consists of fourteen pseudo-kufic words placed vertically. These pseudo-inscriptions are probably akward imitations by an illiterate potter of the Arabic word baraka ("blessing"), a word often written on Mesopotamian and Egyptian vessels. The lugs attached to the shoulder are common features of this type of ware.

Tomoko Masuya in [Walker et al. 1994]

Frederic M. Chacker, Philadelphia, PA (until 1979; gifted to MMA)

Mexico City. Colegio de San Ildefonso. "Arte Islámico del Museo Metropolitano de Arte de Nueva York," September 30, 1994–January 8, 1995, no. 38.

Metropolitan Museum of Art, Daniel S. Walker, Arturo Ponce Guadián, Sussan Babaie, Stefano Carboni, Aimee Froom, Marie Lukens Swietochowski, Tomoko Masuya, Annie Christine Daskalakis-Matthews, Abdallah Kahli, and Rochelle Kessler. "Colegio de San Ildefonso, Septiembre de 1994–Enero de 1995." In Arte Islámico del Museo Metropolitano de Arte de Nueva York. Mexico City: Consejo Nacional para la Cultura y las Artes, 1994. no. 38, pp. 120–21, ill. (b/w).