Fragment

Art Historical Context

This exquisite *Fragment* from the 9th century offers a glimpse into the vibrant world of early Islamic ceramics. Crafted from earthenware and adorned with slip painting before glazing, it hails from the Islamic Art collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, generously gifted by Mr. and Mrs. Wendell M. Hastings in 1960. Dating to the Abbasid era, such pieces were produced in bustling centers like Iraq or Persia, where pottery became a canvas for everyday beauty and trade. The technique of slip painting—applying colored liquid clay to create intricate designs before a final glaze and firing...