Jar
Unknown Artist
late 12th–first half 13th century
Medium
Stonepaste; painted in luster and blue on opaque white glaze under transparent colorless glaze
Dimensions
H. 16 1/4 in. (41.3 cm) Max. Diam. 13 1/2in. (34.3cm)
Classification
Ceramics
Department
Islamic Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
H.O. Havemeyer Collection, Gift of Horace Havemeyer, 1948
Accession Number
48.113.4
Tags
Art Historical Context
This elegant jar, crafted by an unknown artist in the 12th to first half of the 13 century, exemplifies the pinnacle of medieval Islamic ceramic artistry. Standing 16¼ inches tall with a maximum diameter of 13½ inches, it was made from stonepaste—a composite of quartz, clay, and frit that allowed for thin, translucent bodies mimicking Chinese porcelain, which was highly prized but unavailable in the Islamic world. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Art Department, it entered the collection through the H.O. Havemeyer Collection, gift of Horace Havemeyer in 1948. The jar's surface dazzl...