Jug with Birds and Inscription Bands
late 12th-early 13th century
Description
The lower part of this jug is decorated with repeating arch-like forms enclosing long-necked birds facing left. An illegible inscription in Persian encircles the shoulder. Above this are foliate designs and roundels containing leftward-facing birds similar to the others. Used either as filler or as part of figural compositions, birds are a common motif in Iranian lusterware. The neck of the jug is decorated with two bands of illegible Kufic script separated by a band of swirling tendrils. White glaze covers the body of the vessel but ends in thick droplets short of the base. On one side of the jug the luster retains a dark red cast; elsewhere it is yellowish and, in the areas of the handle and mouth, shows considerable abrasion.
Dimensions
26.3 x 15.4 cm (10 3/8 x 6 1/16 in.)
Provenance
[Mansour Gallery, London, 1972], sold; to Stanford and Norma Jean Calderwood, Belmont, MA (1972-2002), gift; to Harvard Art Museums, 2002.
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