Jar with Floral and Geometric Design
Abbasid Caliphate (750–1258), 9th century
Medium
Earthenware oainted in luster with overglaze decoration
Dimensions
22 × 26 cm (8 11/16 × 10 1/4 in.)
Classification
ceramics
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
72040
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
During the Abbasid caliphate (750-1258), relative peace and an initially consolidated government allowed for the arts and sciences to flourish. The caliphate’s first capital, Baghdad, and its later capital, Samarra, became centers for cultural and commercial production. Some of antiquity’s most important scientific treatises, such as Ptolemy’s writings on the stars, were translated into Arabic while court inventors made advancements in medicine, chemistry, and mathematics. In the arts, poets suc...
About the Artist
Unknown
The artist designated as "Unknown" in our virtual museum's collection exemplifies a poignant chapter in art history: creators whose identities have faded into obscurity despite the enduring power of their work. With only one known artwork attributed to them in our holdings, this figure represents countless anonymous hands that shaped visual culture across centuries. Museums worldwide, including th...