Ancient Persian and Metalwork

Two-handled vessel in the shape of a Vessel in the shape of a horned, Vessel in the shape of a stag Vessel in the shape of a bull Footed cup water skin birdlike creature 1200–800 bce Approx. 900–800 bce Probably 4000–3500 bce Probably 1200–800 bce Approx. 900–800 bce Northern ; probably Marlik or Northern Iran; probably Amlash Western Iran; probably Tepe Sialk Northern Iran; probably Amlash Northern Iran; Amlash Kaluraz, Amlash Earthenware with slip decoration Earthenware Earthenware Earthenware The Avery Brundage Collection, B62P87 The Avery Brundage Collection, The Avery Brundage Collection, The Avery Brundage Collection, B62P80 The Avery Brundage Collection, B62P9+ B60P459 B60P2015 Like the other objects nearby, this Tepe Amlash (tepe means “hill”) in Vessels of this type, found in graves and vessel probably held a liquid used for This cup—adorned with long-horned northwestern Iran was scientifically identified as burial goods, may have some ceremony rather than for everyday goats, ibexes, and simple geometric explored in the late 1950s and 1960s. been used to pour offerings or libations. use. The animals themselves may have patterns—is one of the oldest objects In several graves at this site, researchers The stag’s face serves as a spout. had ritual or religious significance. in the museum’s collection. It is an found vessels like this one that combined Although highly stylized and reduced Because so many similar examples example of the sophisticated (and various animal forms. This pouring to its most characteristic elements, the come from graves, researchers think often large) made in central vessel brings together keenly observed animal still possesses a lifelike quality. that they may have been produced for and southwestern Iran during the fourth features of a bird and a ram. The beak, This particular type of vessel is similar funerary rites or strictly for burials. millennium bce. The animals, rendered which serves as a spout, the small to those found at the archaeological site in economically artful brushstrokes, feet at the base, and the overall shape of Tepe Marlik in northwestern Iran. Here the head and mouth of a bull act are stylized with simplified bodies and resemble that of a bird. However, the as the spout. The bull’s hump is shaped exaggerated horns. Yet they are also addition of ears and horns, which serve into a wide-mouthed vessel with two realistic—the ibex’s horns are articulated as small handles, suggest a ram. It is not rams’ head “handles,” into which the and the goat’s “goatee” defined. known what meaning this combination of liquid would have been poured. Note animal features held for the people who the straight horns of the bull and the The concentric rings visible on this cup’s made and used this vessel. curling horns of the rams. body indicate that it was made using a potter’s wheel. There are differing opinions about when and where the potter’s wheel was invented. But, as this example shows, Persian potters were using this mechanical device approximately six thousand years ago. PLEASE DO NOT REMOVE FROM THE GALLERY Ancient Persian Ceramics and Metalwork Coins of the

Cheekpiece of a horse bridle in the Cheekpiece of a horse bridle in the Two finials for standards in the form Long-spouted vessel The Sasanian empire (224–651) form of a mythical creature form of a winged sphinx of the “Master of Animals” Approx. 900–600 bce spanned a territory that included Approx. 800–700 bce Probably 1000–650 bce Approx. 750–700 bce Iran parts of what are today Oman, Iraq, Iran; Luristan region Iran; Luristan region Iran; Luristan region Silver Iran, Turkmenistan, , and Bronze Bronze Bronze The Avery Brundage Collection, Afghanistan. Sasanians controlled the The Avery Brundage Collection, B60B17+ The Avery Brundage Collection, B62B90 The Avery Brundage Collection, B62B166 lucrative trade along much of the so- B62B95.a-.b called Silk Road, which connected China A sphinx with horns and a predator’s This winged sphinxlike creature is This jar was probably a ceremonial to West Asia and the Mediterranean. head on its wing tip tramples a creature reminiscent of the human-headed The motifs found on Luristan bronzes object and may have been produced as that resembles an antelope. The winged bulls of ancient Assyria (approx. are surprisingly varied when compared a burial offering. It was made using very Artisans of the Sasanian empire created, combination of different animal features 800–600 bce), which was located in to those of other West Asian cultures. sophisticated metalworking techniques. in addition to impressive royal palaces is characteristic of Luristan bronzes. what is today Iraq. Large Assyrian stone Still, many bronzes from this region, and monumental sculpture, a wide examples guarded palace doorways. like the finials seen here, feature motifs range of brilliant silver vessels, textiles, This cheekpiece would have been The horned headdress (a mark of also seen in (modern and other luxury goods. Small objects connected to its matching counterpart divinity) and the curls (a mark of the Iraq). In these two finials a central such as coins helped to spread and (now in the Louvre Museum in Paris) hero) are well-established motifs in the figure grasps the throats of multiheaded preserve Sasanian motifs, which would by a metal rod that passed through the ancient West Asian world, dating back beaked creatures. It is likely that be copied and revived in later periods. circular hole. almost five thousand years. Whether the the figure represents a “master (or winged sphinx had the same meaning mistress) of animals” who controls An unusual attribute of Sasanian royal for the people of Luristan as it had for nature. While the use of this motif goes portraits is the elaborate royal crown, the Assyrians is not known. back to at least 3000 to 2000 bce as seen in the top object. Sasanian and appears in ancient Mesopotamian emperors linked themselves with the and Mediterranean cultures, here it has Handled pitcher with animal- long heritage of Persian imperial been interpreted in a new way. headed spout reign, particularly with the much earlier Approx. 800–700 bce (550–330 bce). Iran; Luristan region Zoroastrianism, one of the world’s Bronze earliest monotheistic religions, was The Avery Brundage Collection, associated with the Achaemenids, and Cheekpiece of a horse bridle in the B60B620 the Sasanians chose to make it their form of a wild sheep state religion. Depicted on the lower Approx. 800–700 bce This elaborate vessel was probably used Iran; Luristan region coin is a Zoroastrian fire altar, of which for ceremonial purposes. Many objects Bronze several Sasanian examples have been of this type, but made of silver, have The Avery Brundage Collection, archaeologically excavated. been excavated. B60B521 The Art of Elegant Writing in and Persian Scripts

The Arabic script developed in the pre-Islamic period from the writing system of the Nabatean peoples of Syria, Jordan, Arabia, and the Sinai Peninsula. Arabic is a Semitic language, is written and read from right to left, and comprises mainly consonants and long vowels. Eighteen letter shapes express twenty- eight phonetic sounds, which are distinguishable from one other by the placement of dots above or below the letter. Arabic makes no distinction between upper- and lower-case letters, but a letter’s shape changes depending on whether it is in the beginning, middle, or end of a word. Short vowels, indicated by additional marks above or below a letter, are typically only written in the Qur’an, where correct recitation is important.

Persian or Farsi belongs to the Indo-Iranian language family. In use for millennia, Persian has been written over time with characters from different writing systems, including cuneiform, Aramaic, Pahlavi, and Hebrew. The Arabic script began to be used for Persian after 642 ce, following the arrival of Islam to Iran. The incorporates many Arabic loanwords and its alphabet includes four additional letters not found in Arabic. Classical Turkish and Urdu (used in Pakistan and parts of India) are also written with the Arabic script.

Calligraphy holds the highest status amongst in Muslim societies. Since the revelation from God to the prophet Muhammad—the Qur’an—is in Arabic, its script gives visible form to the divine beauty of God’s words. While the main function of writing in many cultures is to convey and preserve information, the religious associations with Arabic spurred its use and elaboration to virtually become the symbol of Islam.

The artworks in this gallery reflect the creative potential of the elegantly-written word. In addition to the sacred word in Qur’an manuscripts, proverbs and poetic inscriptions in Persian and Arabic also adorn everyday objects like bowls, candlestands, and tiles to make the objects “speak.” Islamic Period Ceramics, 800–1100

Bowl with Arabic inscription Bowl with Arabic inscription Bowl with design of warrior Bowl with bird designs Approx. 900–1000 Approx. 900–1000 on horseback Approx. 900–1000 Northeastern Iran Northeastern Iran Approx. 900–1000 Northeastern Iran; probably Samanid period (819–1005) Samanid period (819–1005) Northeastern Iran; probably Nishapur Samanid period (819–1005) Earthenware with slip decoration Earthenware with slip decoration Samanid period (819–1005) Earthenware with slip decoration under glaze under glaze Earthenware with slip decoration under glaze The Avery Brundage Collection, The Avery Brundage Collection, B60P6+ under glaze The Avery Brundage Collection, B60P1862 The Avery Brundage Collection, B60P1859 This bowl shows the same characteristic B60P1886 Calligraphy, or beautiful writing, has design as that to the left. However, the Like the other bowls in this case, this transformed this bowl into something Arabic here was written in florid Who is this rider holding a long sword one has painted slip decoration. All of quite exceptional. A dynamic rhythm script, unlike the linear kufic on the other or staff? He could be a descendant of these bowls were made using the same of positive and negative space results object. A central dot gives a focus to the the royal hunters depicted on metal technique, but this one has a clear from the artistically elongated letters overall design. The fine lines in the bowls of the pre-Islamic Sasanian yellow overglaze, which makes the of the Arabic-language inscription: script were added by scratching through empire (224–651). Or he could be a bowl lustrous. “Take the middle road in [your] affairs; the slip with a sharp instrument. mythical hero of Iranian , or an indeed, it is a salvation. Don’t ride a This bowl then received a coating of Arab invader (Nishapur, where the bowl Local artists used this glaze to imitate too-gentle mount or a too-obstinate clear glaze to seal the slip decoration. was made, fell under Arab control in the the metallic oxide glazes on ceramics one.” With a spare, black-and-white 700s). He is possibly a member of the produced in places such as Iraq and aesthetic, this bowl exemplifies that The inscription is a proverb reading: and polo-loving nobility of the . The peacocks (or possibly such “epigraphic ” from the Surely knowledge is the noblest region. As yet researchers have reached pheasants) and the peacock-eye Samanid period (819–1005) are some of the innumerable virtues, and no consensus. pattern on the wings of the birds were of the most visually powerful ceramics manliness is the most intricate of also copied from the west. In this way produced in the Islamic world. Yet they lineages. Surrounding the rider are birds, the artist created a local version of are made from the simplest of materials: rosettes, and abstract kufic script, what would have been an expensive earthenware covered and decorated probably an abstraction of the Arabic foreign import. with a watery mixture called “slip.” al-baraka (blessings.)

This bowl’s large size and deep, conical shape suggests that it was used for serving food. One can only imagine the PLEASE DO NOT delight with which diners experienced REMOVE FROM the bowl’s words—which advise THE GALLERY moderation in life—as they were slowly revealed as the food was consumed. Islamic Period Ceramics and Metalwork, 800–1100

Pitcher Bowl with design of two birds Bowl Bowl with palmette motif and Approx. 800–1000 Approx. 1000–1100 Approx. 900–1100 blocks of script Iran Northern Iran; perhaps Sari Northeastern Iran, Turkmenistan, or Approx. 900–1000 Bronze Earthenware with painted slip Uzbekistan Northeastern Iran Museum purchase, B68B3 decoration under glaze Earthenware with slip decoration Earthenware with painted slip decoration The Avery Brundage Collection, under glaze The Avery Brundage Collection, The period from 800 to 1000 marked B60P1854 The Avery Brundage Collection, B60P1850 the beginning of a great tradition of B60P1837 Islamic metalwork in which Iran played This type of was found in an important role. This ewer was cast profusion in the town of Sari, just south A single inscription, the Arabic phrase as a single piece using sophisticated of the Caspian Sea. The birds, possibly al-baraka (blessings), covers most of metalworking techniques. It is a a parrot or hawk attacking another fowl, this bowl’s interior. The inscription, while prototype that became increasingly are typical of the decoration found on still readable, was exaggerated for the elaborate in the following centuries. The such bowls. This bowl was produced for sake of overall design. It shows the trend shape of the vessel, the beading on its everyday use as opposed to export. toward abstracting script that is a key handle, and the pomegranate form that feature of Islamic design and artwork. served as a thumb rest were repeated in The lines of kufic script mimic the woven later periods. pattern one would find in a basket.

The ewer’s lack of an inscription and its This bowl has been restored by simple form suggest that it is an early conservators to its original shape. example. This type of ewer was very Additions have been left uncolored to popular, and similar ones were traded contrast with what is original. to as far away as Java in Indonesia, where one was excavated.

PLEASE DO NOT REMOVE FROM THE GALLERY Islamic Period Ceramics, 800–1100

Bowl with geometric decoration Bowl with design of wild goats Dish with design of horse 800–900 Approx. 900–1000 and cheetah Iraq; Basra Northeastern Iran; Nishapur Approx. 900–1000 Earthenware with overglaze copper- Samanid period (819–1005) Northeastern Iran; Nishapur and silver-oxide decoration Earthenware with painted slip Earthenware with painted slip The Avery Brundage Collection, decoration under glaze decoration under glaze B60P478 The Avery Brundage Collection, Museum purchase, B68P7 B60P1897 This bowl is an early example of what In Iran and India cheetahs were used are termed “lusterware.” The creation The interior of this bowl is decorated in much the same way as dogs for of this type of decoration required a with four horned animals, probably hunting game. Depictions of cheetahs sophisticated double-firing process. wild goats, that encircle a central star appear on many ceramics, but in this First, a white glaze background motif. This artistic conception goes back dish the cheetah has been transformed was applied and the piece fired in a more than three thousand years to the into a fantastic animal. Despite the high-temperature kiln. Next, designs pre-Islamic period in Iran. Interspersed breakage of this bowl, the cheetah and figures were painted in glazes among the animals is what appears can be reconstructed on the basis containing metal oxides (usually copper to be writing in kufic script, but these of the remaining fragments and by and/or silver). The piece was then fired marks are known as pseudo-kufic comparing it with other intact bowls of a second time in a low-temperature because they have no meaning and the same type. This cheetah is related reducing (oxygen-poor) kiln. The were used only as a form of decoration. to composite creatures depicted in Iran absence of oxygen made the metallic as early as 1000 bce that combine oxides fuse with the surface. The result different animal attributes. was a metallic finish that was highly prized. This technique originated in Iraq and Egypt and is an achievement unique to Islamic culture. In the 1400s the technique made its way to Europe, where it was often applied to .

The eight-pointed star pattern on this bowl is a very early example of what was later a popular motif. Islamic Period Ceramics and Metalwork, 1100–1400

Lampstand or candlestick holder Incense burner Star-shaped tile with phoenix design Star-shaped tile with gazelle design Approx. 1100–1200 Approx. 1100–1300 1292–1293 Approx. 1250–1300 Iran Iran or Syria Iran; probably Sultanabad Iran; probably Saljuq period (1038–1194) Bronze Composite-body ceramic (fritware) with Composite-body ceramic (fritware) Bronze Museum purchase, B69B12 overglaze luster decoration with painted decoration under glaze Museum purchase, B68B4.a-.b The Avery Brundage Collection, The Avery Brundage Collection, Incense was a part of everyday life in B60P2148 B60P2036 Openwork in metal was popular on the Islamic world, particularly for the lampstands and candlestick holders like wealthy. Many sorts of incense burners A proud phoenix, surrounded by this one. This work was mass produced, were produced throughout the Islamic Chinese-style clouds and enclosed as evidenced by its interchangeable, world. Egypt in particular made very within a band of Persian poetry, spreads prefabricated sections. This new elaborate burners for both the Muslim its elaborate plumage and takes center technique contributed and Christian communities. stage on this tile. The lyrical poem to the increased production of various describes the qualities of the beloved, objects of the time. Objects like this The incised grape leaves on this “whose face is like the sun, if only the were inexpensive enough for everyday incense burner are characteristic of sun were adorned with musk.” Dated or use in well-to-do households. Egypt, though this object was probably signed works are rare in , but produced in Iran or Syria. This work has this tile has the year 691 (of the Islamic an unusual shape, with a swelling body calendar, 1292–1293) inscribed in its and three small, tapered feet. Smoke upper right corner. would have risen through the grillwork to surround the bird at the top of the lid, Originally a Chinese imperial motif, the perhaps to suggest clouds. The burner phoenix was often combined with a once had a long handle, which was dragon to represent the empress and riveted to the body just opposite the emperor. As a decorative motif brought lid’s hinge. It allowed the burner to be from China by the Mongols and used by moved when hot from use. their successors in Iran, the Ilkhanids, the phoenix lost its original associations and was merged with the simurgh, a Persian auspicious mythical bird. PLEASE DO NOT REMOVE FROM THE GALLERY Islamic Period Ceramics and Metalwork, 1100–1400

Melon-shaped pitcher Melon-shaped pitcher Bottle with four-lobed body Pitcher with design of musicians Approx. 1150–1225 Approx. 1200–1300 Approx. 1100–1200 and courtiers Iran Iran; probably Kashan Iran Approx. 1200–1220 Saljuq period (1038–1194) Composite-body ceramic (fritware) Composite-body ceramic (fritware) Iran; Kashan Bronze with overglaze luster decoration with glaze Composite-body ceramic (fritware) The Avery Brundage Collection, The Avery Brundage Collection, Museum purchase, B68P3 with overglaze luster decoration B60B461 B60P1996 The Avery Brundage Collection, This bottle is a curious combination of B65P58 Contemporaneous with more ornate This ceramic pitcher mimics the metal forms. What starts as a cup-mouthed engraved and inlaid pitchers, this one nearby (B60B461). Notice that bottle with a graceful long neck (a The painted scene on this pitcher example is notable for its simple lobed- this pitcher copies even the rings common shape in Persian ceramics) depicts musicians and courtiers among melon shape. This shape was popular used to attach a cover from the divides into a four-lobed body, then dense foliage. The decoration includes for both metal and ceramic objects. metal prototype, though they have no ends in a narrow base. The cup at the both East and West Asian elements. practical function here. top of the neck here is adorned with The Mongol conquests of Persia and A lightly scratched inscription on one an inscription bestowing blessings and China in the 1200s facilitated trade and side reads: happiness upon its owner. exchange between the two areas. The Blessings to its owner. East Asian features of the figures show Typically, cup-mouthed vessels are the strong influence of Chinese painting. designed with practicality in mind: In contrast, the geometric the wide cup is convenient for refills, designs on the neck of the pitcher are and the long narrow neck makes it a distinct characteristic of Islamic art. comfortable to hold and prevents the The Persian inscription in script is user from pouring the bottle’s contents largely illegible. too quickly. The four-lobed body of this example appears to be unique, with The creation of this type of decoration no prototype in ceramic or metalwork. required a sophisticated double-firing Perhaps not the most functional vessel, process. The result was a metallic finish this bottle demonstrates the outer limits that was highly prized. of creativity of a medieval Persian potter. PLEASE DO NOT REMOVE FROM THE GALLERY Islamic Period Ceramics, 1100–1400

Large dish with design of rabbits Two tiles with calligraphy Tile with calligraphy and lotus-like flowers Probably 1220–1230 1275–1325 Approx. 1200–1300 Iran; probably Kashan Iran; probably Kashan Iran; probably Kashan Composite-body ceramic (fritware) Composite-body ceramic (fritware) Composite-body ceramic (fritware) with overglaze luster decoration with overglaze luster decoration with overglaze luster decoration The Avery Brundage Collection, The Avery Brundage Collection, The Avery Brundage Collection, B60P2134.a-.b B60P2132 B60P1950 These two tiles are an excellent example Made during the peak of Kashan tile These rabbits flanking a lotus show the of the artistry and complex designs that production, this tile is decorated with influence of Chinese motifs on Persian were applied to architectural decoration bold calligraphy and dynamic designs. ceramics of this era. The lotus and other in the 1220s in Persia. The script The soft, rounded forms of the floral motifs introduced on ceramics at this was molded to give the tiles a three- of its background show the time can be linked to the influence of dimensional effect. Interlacing animal developing Chinese influence. Mongol invaders, who ruled both Persia and vegetal forms, called arabesques, and China in the later 1200s. were painted in reserve with metallic The decorative style of the calligraphy glazes. Small details were added may link this tile to a group of tiles by means of scratching with a sharp found in major museums throughout instrument. The interplay between the the world. It has been suggested that raised script and the densely decorated these once decorated the tomb of ‘Abd background shows an Islamic taste for al-Samad, a religious mystic who died layering motifs and designs. in 1299. These tiles were part of the , a niche placed in the wall to The tiles together do not form a single mark the direction of Mecca, toward phrase. Their inscriptions, written in which prayer is oriented. Arabic in naskh script, read (from right to left): Only a small section of the inscription Servant of God and the weak remains here. Perhaps from the Qur’an, one, King . . . it reads: In heaven you will have . . . PLEASE DO NOT REMOVE FROM THE GALLERY Islamic Period Ceramics, 1100–1400

Bowl with figures Bowl with leaflike decoration Bowl Bowl with phoenix motif 1187 Approx. 1175–1220 Approx. 1275–1400 Approx. 1300–1350 By Abu Zayd al-Kashani (Persian, Iran; probably Kashan Iran; probably Kashan Iran; probably Kashan active approx. 1180–1220) Composite-body ceramic (fritware) Ilkhanid (Mongol) period (1256–1353) Ilkhanid (Mongol) period (1256–1353) Iran, Kashan with and overglaze Composite-body ceramic (fritware) with Composite-body ceramic (fritware) Composite-body ceramic (fritware) decoration (minai ware) underglaze and overglaze decoration with slip decoration under glaze with underglaze and overglaze The Avery Brundage Collection, and gold leaf (lajvardina ware) (Sultanabad ware) decoration (minai ware) B60P1863 The Avery Brundage Collection, The Avery Brundage Collection, The Avery Brundage Collection, B60P1871 B60P1841 B60P1874 Most minai ware has figural decoration, but here is an example of all-over Lajvardina ware (from the Persian This bowl may have been an attempt by For a relatively short period during patterning. Intertwined vegetal motifs lajvard, meaning “lapis lazuli” or Persian artists to copy Chinese the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, radiate from the center of the bowl, “cobalt”) replaced minai ware as the wares. Celadon ceramics employed a Persian potters produced a distinctive highlighting and emphasizing its shape. preferred decorative ceramic by the characteristic translucent gray-green type of ware that became known as A closer look, beyond the fluidity of early 1300s. Nonfigurative designs like glaze, and today the word “celadon” is minai (“enameled”). These elegant, the design, reveals the precise and this were the most common. On a cobalt used to describe objects having this lightweight, and thin-walled dishes, complex geometry underlying the background, designs were rendered color. The birds on this bowl are a such as the bowl here, were painted decorative scheme. in white and filled with small white and synthesis of the Chinese phoenix with a in a rich palette of colors. They were details with accents of gold leaf. Persian mythical bird, the simurgh. typically decorated with scenes of The use of gold and cobalt, both costly people engaging in leisure activities in materials, along with the complicated pleasant outdoor settings, with poetic firing process made these objects verses on their inner and outer rims. expensive and difficult to produce. Not many such objects are thought to have This bowl was made by a well- been made, both because of the expense known potter named Abu Zayd al- and because increasing demand for Kashani, who signed his name on the ceramics with more of a Chinese flavor outer rim and added the date. His may have caused lajvardina ware to inscription reads, “Written at the start seem old fashioned. of Muharram in 583 of the Hijri year. Long life to the owner. The reciter is PLEASE DO NOT the writer. [A]bu [Zayd].” REMOVE FROM THE GALLERY Islamic Period Ceramics, 1400–1800

Bowl with pierced decoration Bowl with star motif Elliptical cup Dish Dish with flower and leaf designs Approx. 1600–1800 Approx. 1300–1400 1400–1450 Approx. 1600–1700 1450–1500 Iran Iran Iran or Central Asia Iran Iran; probably Nishapur Composite-body ceramic (fritware) Composite-body ceramic (fritware) Timurid period (1370–1507) Composite-body ceramic (fritware) Timurid period (1370–1506) with glaze (Gombroon ware) with decoration under glaze Nephrite with overglaze luster decoration Composite-body ceramic (fritware) The Avery Brundage Collection, The Avery Brundage Collection, The Avery Brundage Collection, The Avery Brundage Collection, with painted decoration under glaze B60P1972 B60P1962 B60J160 B60P1978 The Avery Brundage Collection, B60P1799 By the 1400s, Persian ceramicists The six-pointed star, sometimes called Some of the earliest jade objects from This dish, decorated with metallic glaze, increasingly drew inspiration from “King Solomon’s seal,” is a significant the Islamic world, like this one, were is an example of a ceramic tradition The artist who decorated this dish Chinese . For example, they motif in Islamic as well as Jewish and made during the Timurid period (see begun centuries before it was made. created the illusion that the flowers, filled small holes in the rim of this bowl Christian art. (The Arabic version also the small white jade cup in the By the time of this dish, however, tendrils, and leaves are spinning like a with glaze to produce a translucent of Solomon’s name is Sulayman.) adjacent gallery). The shape and production of “lusterware” ceramics pinwheel. The work contrasts dark motifs effect. In Islamic tradition, this star was decoration of this cup—which rests on had begun to slow. Changing with light backgrounds and vice versa. sometimes thought to protect the user a low ring foot, with an animal handle and a decline in the expertise needed During the (1501– from poison. on its wide side, carved ridges along its to produce such objects were factors in In the century after the death of the 1722), high-quality ceramics were rim and sides, and hexagonal ornament the slowdown. conqueror Timur (Tamerlane) in 1405, produced for sale in Europe and other in front—are features seen on metal the Persian world saw a fashion for all Asian countries. This bowl belongs to cups, which inspired this vessel. The things Chinese. had a type called Gombroon ware, after dragon handle recalls the energetic been imported for hundreds of years, the port from which they were shipped dragons on Chinese Yuan dynasty and collections were owned by Persian (modern-day Bandar ‘Abbas). The (1271–1368) and Ming dynasty (1368– aristocratic families. Now Persian Dutch East India company had a trading 1644) jades and resembles the handles potters in many manufacturing centers station at Gombroon and these bowls of other jade cups, jugs, and sword hilts copied or drew inspiration from Chinese were exported widely. from the Timurid period. wares. The group to which this dish belongs takes many motifs from Chinese The raised knob in the center of the Yuan dynasty (1271–1368) and Ming bowl is functional. With the tip of one’s dynasty (1368–1644) Cizhou wares. middle finger on the underside of the knob and one’s thumb on the rim, the bowl is easy to hold in one hand. Islamic Period Art, 1400–1900

Dish with landscape decoration Dish with figure of a turban-clad Qur’an manuscript Candlestand Pendant 1550–1650 youth 1882 Approx. 1575–1625 1800–1940 Northwestern Iran; probably Tabriz 1550–1650 Iran Iran Iran; Turkmenistan Safavid period (1501–1722) Northwestern Iran; probably Tabriz Leather binding with lacquer and Safavid period (1501–1722) Silver, gold, and carnelian Composite-body ceramic (fritware) Safavid period (1501–1722) colors; gold and colors on paper Brass Gift of Monir Shahroudy with painted decoration under glaze Composite-body ceramic (fritware) Private collection, R2005.20 The Avery Brundage Collection, Farmanfarmaian in memory of Dr. Abol (Kubachi ware) with painted decoration under glaze B62B34 Bashar Farmanfarmaian, F1999.50.19 The Avery Brundage Collection, (Kubachi ware) As the recitation of the Qur’an is the B60P1991 The Avery Brundage Collection, most important of Muslim practices, the This candlestand is an example of the B60P1952 commissioning of copies with elaborate high-quality metalwork produced by Book production, illustration, and ornamentation and fine calligraphy is Islamic artists in the 1500s and 1600s. painting flourished during the Safavid This turban-clad youth—with his long common throughout the Islamic world. This specific type, which required period (1501–1722). Many elements curls, almond-shaped eyes, plump young time-consuming cutting and etching characteristic of book decoration can be face, and casual pose—recalls the The luxurious decoration of this of the metal, is associated with the found on ceramics of this period. Large languorous beauties depicted in Safavid Qur’an—with its golden scroll designs reign of Shah Abbas (1558–1629) bowls such as this one provided a good miniature paintings from the later and exuberantly colored floral patterns— of the Safavid period. Under Shah ground for painted scenes. sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. As is typical of books produced for elite Abbas, was the capital city. Its if taking a cue from miniature painting, patrons in Iran during the Qajar dynasty factories were famous for fine ceramics, some later Safavid ceramics, like this (1794–1925). This Qur’an was created rugs, metal objects, and other luxury dish, use more colorful palettes and for Haj Mirza Nasrollah Mostofi, finance items that were exported to locations Head ornament break away from the blue-and-white, director for the Qajar ruler Nasir al-Din throughout Asia and Europe. 1800–1940 black-under-, and monochrome Shah (reigned 1848–1896). Mirza Iran, Turkmenistan wares of the fifteenth and sixteenth Nasrollah commissioned the book as a The inscription, from a poem by the Sufi Silver, gold, carnelian, and glass centuries and earlier. gift for his son, who was then only five poet Sa‘adi, reads: Gift of Monir Shahroudy years old. One night, I remember that my Farmanfarmaian in memory of Dr. Abol eyes wouldn’t close/I heard a Bashar Farmanfarmaian, F1999.50.9 butterfly telling the candle/that I am a mystical lover. If I burn ’tis legitimate/but for you to cry and burn yourself out, what is the reason? PLEASE DO NOT REMOVE FROM THE GALLERY Architectural panel

This panel—once painted in lapis lazuli blue, red, and gold—was one of more than five hundred such panels decorating a palace courtyard. Together they must have created a splendid effect, like “a brocaded surface,” as described in contemporary sources. The surface is not smoothly polished because it was originally not meant to be seen under the paint.

A portion of an inscription in Persian, praising the patron Sultan Mas’ud III and his ancestors, appears here and on the other surviving panels (mainly in Rome today). Marble was an uncommon during the Ghaznavid period (977–1041), except for royal architecture at Ghazni, where a marble was found. A close study of tool marks on similar panels has revealed that the carving techniques are connected to ancient local stone-carving methods, like those on Gandharan sculpture (see artworks in Gallery 1).

Architectural panel Afghanistan; Royal Palace of Mas’ud III, Ghazni Reign of Mas’ud III (1099–1115) Marble Gift of Shawn and Brook Byers and Peter Marks in honor of Avery Brundage’s Centennial, B87S3 Mihrab-shaped panel

Mihrabs—which mark prayer direction on the Mecca-facing (qibla) wall in a —have a long history in Islamic art and architecture. They commonly appear as recessed niches with pointed arches supported by columns and enclosed by bands of inscription. Mihrab-shaped panels, like this one, were typically commemorative, serving as tombstones or place markers, for example in shrines or . As there is no deceased individual’s name here, this panel was likely not a tombstone.

The panel’s decorative program presents a lot of information on a compact surface. God’s majesty and power are described in three Arabic inscriptions (see translations on the reverse side of this placard). The hanging lamp is seen in , mausoleums, and schools (madrasas), where it symbolizes the presence of divine light (while also serving as a practical lighting fixture).

The beauty of the message is further enhanced through four different calligraphic scripts, geometric and vegetal patterning, and (decorative vaulting), which are seen widely on secular and religious artworks.

Mihrab-shaped panel Approx. 1350 Iran Ilkhanid (Mongol) period (1256–1353) Limestone Gift of the Connoisseurs’ Council, 2015.71 Inscriptions on the Mihrab-Shaped Panel 4 1 Sympathy is Allah’s; Power is Allah’s; Strength is Allah’s; Guidance is Allah’s.

2 [Qur’an, chapter 24, “The Light” (Sura al-Nur), verses 35–36]

Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth; The likeness of His Light is as a niche wherein is a lamp (the lamp in a glass, the glass as it were a glittering star) kindled from a Blessed Tree, an olive that is neither of the East nor of the West whose oil would shine, even if no fire touched it; Light upon Light, Allah guides to His Light whom He Will [. . .] [Such niches are] in mosques which Allah has ordered to be raised and that His name be mentioned therein; exalting Him within them in the morning and the evenings. 3 3 [Throne Verse (Ayat al-Kursi) in the Qur’an, chapter 2, “The Cow,” verse 255]

Allah! There is no God but He, the Living, the Self-subsisting, the Eternal. No slumber can seize Him, nor sleep. 2 All things in heaven and earth are His. Who could intercede in His presence without His permission? He knows what appears in front of and behind His creatures. Nor can they encompass any knowledge of Him except what He wills. His throne extends over the heavens and the earth, and He feels no fatigue in guarding and preserving them, for He is the Highest and Most Exalted. Allah, the Most High, speaks the truth. 1 4 The Prophet [Muhammad], peace be upon him, said . . .

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