Bottle
Unknown Artist
late 11th–early 12th century
Medium
Thrown and molded in relief; earthenware
Dimensions
H. 13 5/8 in. (34.6 cm)
Classification
Ceramics
Department
Islamic Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Joan L. Simon, Elizabeth L. Eisenstein, Virginia L. Kahn, Dr. Marjorie G. Lewisohn, 1954
Accession Number
54.152.3
Art Historical Context
This elegant earthenware bottle, crafted in the late 11th to 12th century, hails from the vibrant world of Islamic, a period marked by innovative ceramic production across the Middle East and beyond. Standing at 13⅝ inches tall, it exemplifies the functional beauty of everyday vessels elevated to artistic heights. Now part of the Metropolitan Museum of's Islamic Art collection—thanks to a generous 1954 gift—this piece invites us to appreciate the ingenuity of anonymous artisans who transformed humble clay into sophisticated objects. The bottle was skillfully made using two key techniques: thr...