Jar

Art Historical Context

This modest yet evocative 13th-century Frenchware jar, standing just over 8 inches tall, offers a window into everyday medieval life. Crafted by an unknown artisan, its compact form—measuring 8 3/16 x 6 1/8 x 5 1/16 inches—suggests it was likely used for spices, grains, or liquids in a household setting. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Medieval Department, it entered the collection as a generous gift from J. Pier Morgan in 1917, highlighting the era's growing appreciation for vernacular crafts. The jar's surface features slip decoration, a technique where liquid clay (slip) is trai...