Fragment
Unknown Artist
8th–10th century
Medium
Stonepaste; slip painted and glazed
Dimensions
H. 7/16 in. (1.1 cm) W. 1 5/16 in. (3.3 cm) D. 1 3/8 in. (3.5 cm) Wt. 0.3 oz. (8.5 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
60.23.75
Art Historical Context
This delicate ceramic fragment, dating to the 8th–10th century, hails from the Islamic world during a golden age of artistic innovation. Crafted from stonepaste—a composite of quartz, clay, and frit (ground glass)—it exemplifies early experiments in imitating the translucent sheen of Chinese porcelain, which was unavailable in the region. At just over 1 cm high and weighing a mere 0.3 oz, this tiny shard invites us to marvel at the precision of ancient artisans working on such a minuscule scale. The surface bears traces of slip painting, a technique where colored slips (liquid clay mixtures) ...