Earthenware, Ceramics and Tiles at the Smithsonian Museum

美国史密森博物馆的陶器，陶瓷和瓷砖

A collection of Earthenware (stone paste, clay, glazed), Ceramics and Tiles at the Freer and Sackler Galleries of Smithsonian’s Museums of Asian Art

Bowl | Origin: Iran | Period: 10th century Samanid period | Details: This deep bowl exemplifies the high technical quality and compositional sophistication achieved in 10th-century ceramics from northeastern Iran. Its central decoration consists of an abstract tree with five branches ending in palmettes and revolving around a small rosette. The dominant counter-clockwise movement of the stems is subtlely reversed by a branch to the trunk’s left— a shift that ingeniously draws attention to the ovoid mark at the beginning of the Arabic inscription below. This inscription is bordered at the rim by a band of red and black scallops and on the walls by a series of irregular panels following the contours of the letters. It translates as follows: “It is said that he is content with his own opinion runs into danger. Blessing to the owner.” | Type: Earthenware painted under glaze | Size: H: 11.2 W: 39.3 D: 39.3 cm | Museum Code: F1957.24 | Photograph and description taken from Freer and the Sackler (Smithsonian) Museums.

Plate with low foot | Origin: Iran | Period: early 17th century Safavid period | Details: Not Available | Type: Stone-paste painted under glaze | Size: H: 5.9 W: 34.0 cm | Museum Code: F1903.229 | Photograph and description taken from Freer and the Sackler (Smithsonian) Museums.

Bowl | Origin: Iraq | Period: 9th century Abbasid period | Details: Among the earliest surviving works of art decorated with writing are a group of ceramic vessels, produced in Iraq and Iran under the rule of the powerful Abbasid dynasty (749–1258). Inspired by the whiteness and purity of the much admired, imported Chinese porcelain, Muslim potters created their own “white ware” by covering their buff-colored earthenware vessels with a glaze containing a small amount of lead and tin, which turns opaque when fired. Unlike the Chinese models, most of the Abbasid vessels were embellished with a variety of motifs, including calligraphic designs. This bowl combines both vegetal motifs and calligraphic design in cobalt and copper glazes. Surrounded by windswept palmettes, the inscription in the center confers blessings to the owner. | Type: Bowl; earthenware painted over glaze. | Size: H: 5.7 W: 20.8 D: 20.8 cm | Museum Code: F2000.2 | Photograph and description taken from Freer and the Sackler (Smithsonian) Museums.

Dish | Origin: Iran or Afghanistan | Period: 10th century Samanid period | Details: Among the most distinct and impressive examples of Persian ceramics are a group produced during the reign of the Samanids (819-1005) in Khurasan in northeastern Iran, present-day Afghanistan, and Uzbekistan. These vessels are embellished with inscriptions, usually in the form of a moralizing proverb. The inscription on this small plate reads, Excellence if the quality of the people of paradise. | Type: Earthenware painted under glaze | Size: H: 3.6 W: 21.0 cm | Museum Code: F1965.27 | Photograph and description taken from Freer and the Sackler (Smithsonian) Museums.

Plate | Origin: Egypt | Period: mid-14th century Mamluk period | Details: Not Available | Type: Brass, inlaid with silver and gold | Size: H: 3.2 W: 28.9 cm | Museum Code: F1953.89 | Photograph and description taken from Freer and the Sackler (Smithsonian) Museums.

Bowl | Origin: Kashan, Iran | Period: late 12th-early 13th century Saljuq period | Details: Not Available | Type: Stone-paste painted under and over transparent glaze | Size: H: 8.5 W: 20.3 D: 20.3 cm | Museum Code: F1945.8 | Photograph and description taken from Freer and the Sackler (Smithsonian) Museums.

Bowl | Origin: Syria | Period: 12th-13th century Ayyubid period | Details: Not Available | Type: Stone-paste; decorated with lustre | Size: H: 11.6 W: 23.6 cm | Museum Code: F1908.149 | Photograph and description taken from Freer and the Sackler (Smithsonian) Museums

Deep bowl | Origin: Iran | Period: 10th-11th century | Details: Not Available | Type: Earthenware painted with slip under transparent glaze | Size: H: 7.6 W: 18.5 cm | Museum Code: F1966.27 | Photograph and description taken from Freer and the Sackler (Smithsonian) Museums.

Plate | Origin: Iran | Period: 17th century Safavid period | Details: Not Available | Type: Stone-paste painted under glaze | Size: W: 9.4 cm | Museum Code: S1997.57 | Photograph and description taken from Freer and the Sackler (Smithsonian) Museums.

Plate | Origin: Iran | Period: 17th century Safavid period | Details: Not Available | Type: Stone-paste painted under glaze | Size: W: 8.8 cm | Museum Code: S1997.58 | Photograph and description taken from Freer and the Sackler (Smithsonian) Museums.

Plate | Origin: Possibly Tabriz, Iran | Period: late 16th-early 17th century Safavid period | Details: Not Available | Type: Stone-paste painted under colorless glaze | Size: W: 6.8 cm | Museum Code: S1997.55 | Photograph and description taken from Freer and the Sackler (Smithsonian) Museums.

Plate | Origin: Iran | Period: late 16th-early 17th century Safavid period | Details: Not Available | Type: Stone-paste painted under colorless glaze | Size: W: 8.4 cm | Museum Code: S1997.56 | Photograph and description taken from Freer and the Sackler (Smithsonian) Museums.

Bowl | Origin: Iran | Period: 9th-10th century | Details: Not Available | Type: Earthenware incised and painted over glaze | Size: H: 9.0 W: 24.0 cm | Museum Code: F1978.26 | Photograph and description taken from Freer and the Sackler (Smithsonian) Museums.

Bowl | Origin: Iran | Period: 13th century Saljuq period | Details: Not Available | Type: Stone-paste with underglaze decoration | Size: H: 10.4 W: 19.5 cm | Museum Code: F1910.9 | Photograph and description taken from Freer and the Sackler (Smithsonian) Museums.

Plate | Origin: Iran | Period: 17th century Safavid period | Details: Not Available | Type: Stone-paste painted under glaze | Size: W: 14.5 cm | Museum Code: S1997.61 | Photograph and description taken from Freer and the Sackler (Smithsonian) Museums.