| Summary: |
Cockerel-spouted ewer, Iran,12th-13th century
MEDIUM Stone-paste, moulded and decorated in lustre, and some cobalt blue
DIMENSIONS 40 x 22cm
REFERENCE LDSAC 2021.3.1
This striking ewer is a fine example of the lusterwares produced in the Iranian town of Kashan. Developed by Iraqi potters in the ninth century, the lustre technique involved painting with metal oxides to produce an iridescent golden sheen. Here, the lustre has been applied over the vessel’s moulded body to form a network of split-leaf palmettes whose interstices are filled with minute scrollwork. In addition to its bold lustre, the ewer is characterised by its cockerel-headed spout (reconstructed), a device with pre-lslamic Chinese and Sasanian models. The piece is one of a considerable group of extant cockerel-spouted ewers, some of them also having inscriptions within bands of floral scrolls. The form - quite apart from its decorative appeal - could have carried cosmological and talismanic associations
|
