Object Details
Description
Jar: inverted pear shape, with cylindrical neck, and pronounced, beveled foot. Restoration at lip.
Clay: soft, white.
Glaze: brilliant green-blue, with small areas of iridescence. Thin greenish wash on the base. Decoration: painted in black under glaze.
Label
Before the devastating Mongol invasion in the mid-thirteenth century, the city of Raqqa in northern Syria became an important ceramic center.
This elegant jar is characteristic of one type of ware associated with Raqqa. It is decorated with bold black designs under a transparent turquoise glaze that is often quite thickly applied and appears almost in relief.
Provenance
To 1908
Vincenzo Marcopoli, Aleppo, Syria, to 1908 [1]
From 1908 to 1919
Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from Vincenzo Marcopoli in 1908 [2]
From 1920
Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920 [3]
Notes:
[1] See Original Pottery List, L. 1790, as well as Journal Voucher No. 2, December 1908, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives.
[2] See note 1.
[3] The original deed of Charles Lang Freer's gift was signed in 1906. The collection was received in 1920 upon the completion of the Freer Gallery.
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art Collection
Exhibition History
Engaging the Senses (October 14, 2017 - ongoing)
Arts of the Islamic World (May 3, 1998 to January 3, 2016)
Art of the Arab World (August 15, 1980 to May 13, 1981)
Art of the Arab World (May 8, 1975 to August 20, 1977)
Previous custodian or owner
Vincenzo Marcopoli (C.L. Freer source)
Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919)
Credit Line
Gift of Charles Lang Freer
Date
late 12th-early 13th century
Accession Number
F1908.136
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
Type
Vessel
Medium
Stone-paste painted in black under turquoise glaze
Dimensions
H x W: 31.1 x 21.6 cm (12 1/4 x 8 1/2 in)
Style
Raqqa ware
Origin
Raqqa, Syria
On View
West Building (Freer Gallery of Art), Gallery 04: Engaging the Senses
Related Online Resources
Google Arts & Culture
See more items in
National Museum of Asian Art
Data Source
National Museum of Asian Art
Topic
iridescence
ceramic
Syria
Raqqa ware
Arts of the Islamic World
Charles Lang Freer collection
stone-paste
Link to Original Record
Record ID
fsg_F1908.136