Lot n° 177
Estimation :
10000 - 15000
EUR
Result with fees
Result
: 21 760EUR
Rare jug with geometric and vegetal decoration, Iran, late 1 - Lot 177
Rare jug with geometric and vegetal decoration, Iran, late 13th - early 14th century
A baluster-shaped jug on a small circular foot, with a domed shoulder at the center of a long cylindrical neck connected to the jug by a bent handle crowned with a bulbous poucier. Made of fine siliceous ceramic, with red and black low-fire decoration on a white glaze, almond-shaped medallions with geometric decoration alternating with plant branches on the body, and radiating roundels alternating with geometric motifs on the rest.
Height: 20.5 cm
Restoration work.
Provenance :
Boisgirard & Heeckeren sale, Paris, Drouot, February 6, 1978, lot 7.
This delicate pourer is an interesting survivor from the production of low-fired ceramics in medieval Iran. Although covered with a white glaze, many elements link it to the "lajvardina" ceramics of the Ilkhanid workshops, where the lapis lazuli or turquoise blue background dominates. The rosettes inscribed in dotted circles on the shoulder and neck of our object are classic features of this type of production, found, for example, on a bowl in the Louvre Museum, Paris (AD 22403) or in the Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto (910.115.6). The same applies to the multiplication of diamond-shaped motifs with red outlines, either scattered or gathered around stems to form leafy branches separating the almond-shaped medallions that punctuate the body. These motifs can be seen, for example, on the beautiful MAO 450 bowl in the Musée du Louvre, Paris, or on a bottle in the Giuseppe Tucci Museum of Oriental Art, Rome (1977/2156). More unusual is the geometric decoration juxtaposing star-shaped and hexagonal modules in the almond-shaped medallions adorning the body. A similar design can be found in the center of a dish in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford (EA1956.34), attributed to Saveh in 13th-century Iran. On a larger scale, it is reminiscent of the brick and stucco compositions adorning the ceiling and walls of Sultan Uljaytu's mausoleum in Sultaniyyeh (1302-12). These tapestry compositions also evoke the binding and illumination of manuscripts of the period. The palette dominated by red and black on this white background is also unusual. It is found on a sherd in the Musée du Louvre, Paris (MAO 936/1304), attributed to the turn of the 14th century. Last but not least, its original shape, with a domed shoulder surmounting an ovoid body, seems to have few equivalents in known production.
A Rare Ewer with Geometric and Vegetal Decoration, Iran, late 13th-early 14th century
Philippe Magloire Collection - Lots 132 to 207
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