Fragment
Unknown Artist
12th–13th century
Medium
Stonepaste; underglaze painted
Dimensions
H. 2 5/16 in. (5.9 cm) W. 2 in. (5.1 cm) D. 9/16 in. (1.4 cm) Wt. 1.1 oz. (31.2 g)
Classification
Ceramics
Department
Islamic Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Wendell M. Hastings, 1960
Accession Number
60.23.15
Art Historical Context
This delicate ceramic fragment, dating to the 12th–13th century, hails from the vibrant world of Islamic art, likely produced in a Persian center like Kashan or Rayy the Seljuk period. Crafted from stonepaste—a composite of quartz, clay, and frit that mimicked the translucency of coveted Chinese porcelain—this tiny piece (just 2 5/16 inches high exemplifies an ingenious innovation. Artisans fired the stonepaste body and applied underglaze pigments beneath a transparent glaze, creating durable, vividly colored designs that resisted wear. Underglaze painting emerged as a breakthrough technique ...